Affinage for Beginner Home Cheesemakers--What you should know to care for cheeses made-at-home

Explore basic elements of affinage in home cheesemaking with host Mary Anne and cheese author & instructor, Merryl Winstein, in order to better understand why good affinage is so important in home cheesemaking.
They discuss the 3 most important factors of affinage--controlling airflow & oxygen, humidity and temperature--then discuss the processes of vacuum packing & waxing to make aging cheeses much easier in the home.
To learn more about cheese affinage at home, watch this video where Mary Anne demonstrates various affinage factors and some affinage mistakes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4WQinqGe5epfMU/
You can learn how to make various cheeses at home by watching Mary Anne's videos on cheddar, camembert, brie, ricotta, mascarpone, crottin, colby, Belper Knolle, cream cheese, Nabulsi, yogurt, labneh, feta, quick mozzarella and more. (Go to kzbin.infovideos)
To order Merryl Winstein's "Successful Cheesemaking" book, visit: www.successfulcheesemaking.com/
To become a patron & support this channel, please consider a donation through Patreon: www.patreon.com/givecheeseachance
The music in this video "Jazz Mango" is royalty free, offered by KZbin.

[@rishispewcack5745]

Brilliant. Explained so much in a short time and was so easy to understand. Thank you.

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Thanks for watching!

[@alteredLori]

oh my goodness!!!! the two of you are amazing!!!! I learned so much. Now I understand the WHY we do what we do. Someone said to wipe the moisture off inside the ripening box ugh now I understand. THANK YOU LADIES!!!!!

[@judyrosey]

THANK you!!!

[@dirladada1]

This is great video...thank you both

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Thanks for watching!

[@gisellekennedy1435]

Another excellent video :)

[@TheBobelly628]

Excellent video! Very informative and it answered a lot of my questions! 😊

[@ricksmith7631]

You arent the only one who learned about Affinage. A lot of times I would make cheese and pack it away to store and it would spoil. I never knew about letting the cheese expire its moisture and developing its own natural balance

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

We learn from our mistakes, right?

[@leightoncooke]

I‘m just starting to make cheese, and discovered your channel. You give great advice and are motivating me to get busy and figure out how to do my own affinage.

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Step-by-step, bit-by-bit, you'll get there. We all starting out knowing very little.

[@kylewhatley7513]

Thanks!

[@nature5988]

thank you very much for these preciouse information

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

My pleasure! Thank you for watching!

[@tareqzeidalkilani949]

so informative< thanks girls.

[@cherylbenson9356]

A great overall video on the affinage process. I know a lot more now - that you so much.

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Great! Thanks for your comment, Cheryl!

[@michellewinfredsibanda1348]

Thank you. Very helpful for a new cheese maker like me

[@maryannefarah4367]

I’m excited you have started making cheese. What cheeses have you made so far?

[@mdshawki3]

Very useful information for those interested in the cheese industry, and I consider it necessary to understand the ripening process, may God grant you success in everything you offer

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

There should be books just on affinage, it is so important!

[@mdshawki3]

I know but when you gave the information clearly and simply from the expert can be get it easily a gain accept my respect and warm regards

[@beewinfield]

Thank you Angel of Cheesemaking Mary Anne for having Meryl on, I learnt why (perhaps) my soft cheeses goo/glue ( is that what they call that runny outside layer?) is bitter. Is excess humidity the only reason for getting a bitter taste ?

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Hello Bee, using too much rennet can also give a bitter taste. Even bad smells in your aging room can make your cheese taste bad.

[@PeterBallW]

I love to see a video on the process of developing a natural rind as well as waxing a cheese as well as bandaging a cheese. I’m particularly intrigued by the natural rind.

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Great suggestions!

[@willemdamper9718]

Natural rind is so much better, and does so much to your cheese itself. Takes some time, but it is worth it. But i am from cheese country Belgium )))

[@mikererichaq3402]

Hi Mary Ann, I love your videos!! Can you ripen more than 1 type of cheese inn the same ripening box at the same time?

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Hi Mike, that's a good question. What you have to consider is... is there any microbe on one cheese that could transfer to the other cheese? For example, if one cheese has a white mold exterior, could the mold spores contaminate the other cheese? Probably! Myself, I would probably make sure the cheeses are closely related if they were ripening in the same box. (I would not put a blue with a cheddar, for example.)

[@willemdamper9718]

Love this woman )))) affinage...... your eyes fingers and nose tell you all you need to know. I dont use the bowl but wash them. if needed outside the washing periode. Affinage can be simple and very complex. What i do miss in your two affinage videos is washing the cheese. Specially if you use a linens based cheese. But i also wash candium based cheese at times, if it does not develop fast enough. Your Geo will help you later on)) Maybe it is a good idea to make a video abouth this. and what choice and why. what does it do with the cheese. And washing your cheese, what way, and why. I am here to make your video making life difficult LOL

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Willem, I think you and I need to become best friends.

[@willemdamper9718]

))) love for cheese and making cheese is a shared friendship. I am making cheese for 20 years now, and learned a lot from cheese masters. Even made my own cheese. Lets share some of the love )))@@GiveCheeseaChance

[@davidalia2239]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:33 🧀 Affinage is the process of looking after cheeses after they've been made, where flavor development occurs through the action of enzymes from dead starter cultures cutting proteins into tiny flavor particles. 01:54 🌬️ To properly affinage cheese, home cheese makers need to consider three factors: oxygen and airflow to develop the outer surface and carry away excess moisture and ammonia, humidity to preserve the necessary moisture for the chemical reactions, and temperature, typically around 50°F (10°C) for ripening. 03:04 🧼 Controlling airflow is as simple as opening the ripening container once or twice a day to exchange fresh air and maintain the required oxygen levels. 04:29 💧 To regulate humidity, a container with a small open jar of water inside can provide the necessary moisture; little droplets of water on the top or sides of the cheese are a good indicator. 05:11 🌡️ The ideal temperature for cheese ripening is around 50°F (10°C), but home cheese makers can use a regular fridge set at 40°F (2-3°C) or a warmer fridge set at 50-55°F (10-13°C) for slower or faster ripening, respectively. 08:00 🍞 If seeking an easy affinage process, letting the cheese dry for about a week and then waxing it or applying a natural rind is an option; naturally ripening the cheese for 2-4 months before waxing can yield better results. Avoid waxing or vacuum-packing freshly made cheese as it needs time to drain and air out. 09:22 🎁 Cheese can be preserved and gifted by cutting, waxing, and vacuum-packing pieces for later enjoyment. Made with HARPA AI

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Wow.

[@nancyyamout8499]

OMG I love your detailed vedios, so helpful. We are about to buy a new fridge and give away the old one. But now because of this vedio , I will keep it in the garage and turn it to cheese aging fridge. I have one question, can I put 2 cheeses in the same box?

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Thank you, Nancy! If there cheeses are the same type (i.e. brie and camembert), you can, but if one is a blue cheese then you should separate it from the others because the blue mold spores will contaminate the other cheeses in the same box. You could have similar cheeses in the same box, like a gouda and emmenthal though, or a cheddar and a colby. Just watch out for contamination problems.

[@nancyyamout8499]

Got it 😊! Keep rolling your vedios, I'm loving them.

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

@@nancyyamout8499 Thank you for your encouragement!

[@maryannefarah4367]

Willems, would you like to give me a recipe to try? I love trying new recipes, and I think it could be fun.

[@i.boesveld2569]

Hi Mary Anne. When are you making cheeses again? I like your tutorials more than you talking with other cheesemakers. There are a lot more cheeses to make! Hope to see it soon

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Hello I. Boesveld, I appreciate your comment A LOT! I have still been making cheeses. I am working on a sheeps' milk roquefort-style cheese recipe now, but it is not yet perfect, so it is taking some time. Every time I modify the recipe, I have to wait a few months to age the cheese and see how it has changed. But, you are right! I will get back to more recipe-based videos. Thanks! Mary Anne

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

By the way, do you know how to make your own CaCl2 formula at home (for your cheesemaking projects)? I just made a video about that recipe...

[@peterseaford]

I cannot buy any Camembert moulds without bottoms - please advise a supplier Kind regards

[@zak_87]

Thank you for the valuable information. Is it possible to age hard and semi hard cheeses at room temperature (19°C) ? Unfortunately i don't have a cheese cave, so either room temperature or regular fridge which is way too cold and will slow down the process, which is not practical given that these cheeses already need months or a year.

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

It is not ideal. The maturation rate will be too quick, in my opinion. However, I know some people who have left their cheeses in their kitchens to mature, and they have had success. Remember, for hundreds of years people did not have fridges to keep their cheeses cool. My grandmother kept her labneh and nabulsi cheeses at room temperature but they were in a highly salted brine to slow down bacterial activity. Sorry I don't have a better answer for you. 19C is pretty high.

[@zak_87]

@GiveCheeseaChance Thank you Mary for you're reply. I'm trying currently aging some batches at room temperature and others on the fridge, I'll test and see. It's certainly not ideal, but there are some cheeses that are matured at room temperature for up to 6 weeks (for example, the 2nd maturation phase of swiss cheese/Jarlsberg/Gruyere), and historically, cheeses like Edam and Gouda were shipped worldwide on ships that certainly didn't have a cool temperature (That's btw why these Dutch cheeses are very popular worldwide).

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

@@zak_87 Yes, I have some cheeses (my emmenthals) that I keep at room temperature for a few weeks to swell them, but I didn't think you were talking about specifically. However, I am really glad you will be trying this out. I am so curious to learn about your findings!

[@zak_87]

@GiveCheeseaChance Yes, I'll gladly share the results with the community, we're here to learn and share the experience!

[@willemdamper9718]

19C is still workable.....

[@mikererichaq3402]

Hi Mary Ann, I have another question for you regarding cheese pots. I have a very large pot that I have used for making BBQ sauce and some other types of sauces but I don't know what type of metal it is. It's heavy with a thick bottom but it's not magnetic. Do you know how much it matters in cheese making? My current stainless pot only holds about 2 1/2 gallons of milk. Thanks, Mike

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

Sorry, I am not an expert in metal pots. I just don't have an answer regarding your pot. Sorry!

[@mikererichaq3402]

@@GiveCheeseaChance No worries Mary Ann I was able to talk to another cheese maker and got the info that I needed. FYI, he said that the most important thing is that it can be sanitized. Keep making your great videos!! Mike

[@GiveCheeseaChance]

@@mikererichaq3402 I am glad you got your answer!