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At the request of the Curious Aardvark I will attempt to explain the making of a cheese cave.
Making a curing chamber for cheese or cheese cave is very much like making a sausage fermenting chamber. The temperature should be between 46 degrees to 57 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity at about 80 to *95%. Whereas sausage generally require a temperature of about 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity of around 70%. Of course this varies somewhat with the item you are curing much like a sausage it is close enough to use the same curing chamber you use for sausage. In some cases even at the same time as the cultures use for producing mold on some sausage is the same as the ones used in certain types of cheeses.
The biggest challenge of creating the curing chamber for cheese cave is the higher level of humidity needed. Home brew shops carry thermostatic controls you simply plug in to control temperature but most refrigerators do their best to knock down the humidity to prevent mold. When making cheese you sometimes want to grow or control mold so this can be tricky.
There are several ways to add humidity to your cheese cave. The easiest is to buy a small personal humidifier. Small personal humidifiers can be purchased from stores for less than $20. Wal-Mart sells one that is about the size of a grapefruit that is perfect for smallish refrigerators near the pharmacy section. I believe Target also carries this tiny personal humidifier but in the hardware section? I am sure if you looks they are also all over the internet too.
The easiest refrigerator to use is the dorm fridge. Some are electronic and do not have heating coils to evaporate the extra moisture, just a fan. These are cheap and can be picked up at yard sales for a few dollars or purchased new for $50 for a small cube to $80 for the larger ones. Some will run at the perfect temperature right out of the box but some still require the thermostatic control. This and a thermostatic control may be sufficient to get your cave going.
The thermostat I use is here:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/c.../?q=thermostat
I am surprised this thing is still around. Mine are about 10 years old back from my old beer brewing days! They do seem to last forever. AT least the old ones do.
I have a mini dorm fridge (cube type) that sits on top of my microwave I use for the first few months of aging my cheeses. The first few days, and months are the most critical because you will be developing the rind, so I want it close so I do not forget to check on it. I also just happen to be mildly allergic to green and blue mold (just get rashes and itch) so I need keep all green/blue molds off my cheeses. After that I vacuum seal them and move them into a bigger fridge in the basement for the next few months or in some cases many, many, years. You never had cheese until you’ve aged one for over 5 years! After it’s vacuum sealed you can stop worrying about humidity! Just watch your temperatures and flip the cheeses every month or so for even moisture movement. That it! You do not even need a warm curing chamber like you do for salami >>>>> they go from brine straight to cool.
Hope this helps hon!
Making a curing chamber for cheese or cheese cave is very much like making a sausage fermenting chamber. The temperature should be between 46 degrees to 57 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity at about 80 to *95%. Whereas sausage generally require a temperature of about 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity of around 70%. Of course this varies somewhat with the item you are curing much like a sausage it is close enough to use the same curing chamber you use for sausage. In some cases even at the same time as the cultures use for producing mold on some sausage is the same as the ones used in certain types of cheeses.
The biggest challenge of creating the curing chamber for cheese cave is the higher level of humidity needed. Home brew shops carry thermostatic controls you simply plug in to control temperature but most refrigerators do their best to knock down the humidity to prevent mold. When making cheese you sometimes want to grow or control mold so this can be tricky.
There are several ways to add humidity to your cheese cave. The easiest is to buy a small personal humidifier. Small personal humidifiers can be purchased from stores for less than $20. Wal-Mart sells one that is about the size of a grapefruit that is perfect for smallish refrigerators near the pharmacy section. I believe Target also carries this tiny personal humidifier but in the hardware section? I am sure if you looks they are also all over the internet too.
The easiest refrigerator to use is the dorm fridge. Some are electronic and do not have heating coils to evaporate the extra moisture, just a fan. These are cheap and can be picked up at yard sales for a few dollars or purchased new for $50 for a small cube to $80 for the larger ones. Some will run at the perfect temperature right out of the box but some still require the thermostatic control. This and a thermostatic control may be sufficient to get your cave going.
The thermostat I use is here:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/c.../?q=thermostat
I am surprised this thing is still around. Mine are about 10 years old back from my old beer brewing days! They do seem to last forever. AT least the old ones do.
I have a mini dorm fridge (cube type) that sits on top of my microwave I use for the first few months of aging my cheeses. The first few days, and months are the most critical because you will be developing the rind, so I want it close so I do not forget to check on it. I also just happen to be mildly allergic to green and blue mold (just get rashes and itch) so I need keep all green/blue molds off my cheeses. After that I vacuum seal them and move them into a bigger fridge in the basement for the next few months or in some cases many, many, years. You never had cheese until you’ve aged one for over 5 years! After it’s vacuum sealed you can stop worrying about humidity! Just watch your temperatures and flip the cheeses every month or so for even moisture movement. That it! You do not even need a warm curing chamber like you do for salami >>>>> they go from brine straight to cool.
Hope this helps hon!
it makes me want to get into home brewing. I did about 6-7 batches back in me early 20's, but only 1 turned out average or better, the rest we just drank because we could 
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