How to apply cheese wax?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Cheese wax is an important component during the preparation of a dairy product. A special wax also helps to preserve the cheese during ripening and storage. In this article, we'll look at why you need a coating for your favorite product, as well as how to make cheese wax at home.

Why do we need specialized packaging?

• First of all, cheese is a high fat dairy product, so when stored unpackaged, fats can come to the surface.
• Secondly, natural cheese, before it gets to your table, must ripen. Each species has its own ripening time, but during this period it can easily be attacked by pathogenic microflora. Specialized packaging prevents harmful microorganisms from getting to the product and destroying it.
• Third, cheese in wax cannot mold. This is because oxygen in excessive amounts does not penetrate through the packaging to the cheese. At the same time, all the pathogenic gaseous environment produced by cheese comes out without obstacles.

What is cheese wax made of?

Cheese production technology does not prohibit the use of wax, latex or other polymer compounds for coating. Now ready-made mixtures are available to everyone, which only needs to be applied to the head of cheese and wait for full ripening.

As a rule, Russian factories use a mixture of wax and polymers, which not only has a bactericidal effect on the dairy product, but also increases the shelf life. If you are making cheese at home, it is recommended to use beeswax. Yes, compared to the finished mixture, such a cheese wax will cost you three times more, but you can be sure that your product will fully mature, will not lose moisture, but will not deteriorate from pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, beeswax is actively consumed in food, but not in all countries.

For example, scientists in the USA have proven that this bee product contains a large amount of vitamin A, which has a beneficial effect on the development of skin cells and the body as a whole. However, this wax is almost not digested by the stomach, so it is used for medical purposes as an external preparation.

A little about beeswax

Beeswax is a complex chemical product that is made by little workers of nature. Bees need to eat not only pollen, but also bee bread, honey to create wax. In nature, they use this amazing product to build honeycombs, so every effort is made to create such a complexconnections.

Beeswax is used in cosmetology, medicine and cheese making technology. The reason is simple: it is an excellent bactericidal, anti-inflammatory agent. Indeed, such a wax can be called, if not a brilliant natural invention, then definitely a miracle.

Where to find it?

Beeswax for cheese is sold both online and in any beekeeping store. On average, the price per 100 grams of the product does not exceed 200 rubles, but this will be enough to carefully process a large cheese head. Professionals recommend not using pure beeswax to coat a dairy product, but combining it with a specialized cheese wax. This is because the natural product, when melted, has a loose structure, which is why, over time, the wax will begin to crack on the surface of the cheese. To avoid this, you can use an excellent ratio of special wax (30%) and beeswax (70%). Then the coating will be plastic and evenly cover the cheese, like a film.

Tip: Under no circumstances should paraffin, which is sold in the form of household candles, be used to cover cheese. It is recommended to purchase ready-made mixtures for a dairy product, and then you can make wax for cheese at home according to a special recipe.

How to make the perfect cover?

To learn how to wax cheese, follow the guidelines and tips below. First of all, note that your cheese must be pressed and ready forripening.

Application steps:

1. Prepare a saucepan and a bowl for a water bath. Try to use dishes in which you can store and heat up the remaining wax. Lay out parchment or baking paper.
2. Cut the wax into thin sheets, prepare a spatula for stirring.
3. When the wax is melted, you can apply it on the dairy product. If your homemade cheese is small, you can simply gently dip it into the coated bowl, and if the product is large, use a stiff bristle brush.
4. Apply a layer of wax on all sides so that there are no "bald spots". Gently place the head on the parchment and wait for the coating to dry.
5. Repeat the procedure 2-3 more times so that the coating is dense and envelops the entire head of cheese.
6. If you are making several types of cheese, you can use a marker to indicate the date and name of the dairy product.

Tip: You can reuse melted wax. To do this, it is also necessary to melt it in a water bath and, if necessary, pass through cheesecloth.

Why can't regular paraffin be used?

That waxed coating we see on a dairy product in supermarkets is made up of a complex chemical compound. To create a durable film that will extend the life of the cheese head, technologists use saturated hydrocarbons, polymers, oils, stabilizers, and antiseptics. At homeit is almost impossible to prepare such a coating.

You can also find waxed coatings that contain butyl rubber, sorbic acid and monoglyceride. Homemade paraffin, sold as simple candles, is not processed and is not food grade. Firstly, because it contains harmful chemical elements, because paraffin is a product of oil refining. Secondly, homemade paraffin does not contain a special antiseptic that would protect your cheese from mold and fungus.

Food-grade cheese wax is only available from private producers who make homemade dairy products. They usually use beeswax and special wax.