Cheese is a natural product that is subject to certain variations. For example, cheese changes over time – this is called ripening. How it changes and which cheeses can and should be ripened and which should not be is what this short film is about.
Enjoy!
And here are the facts at a glance:
- Generally, the less water a cheese contains and the more compact it is, the more intense its flavor. It follows that cheeses that lose water during ripening taste more intense than young cheeses.
- Unashed goat cheeses ripen well. They become drier and more compact, and possibly harmless blue mold has formed on the rind. If you don't like that, you can carefully brush off the mold with a brush.
- Ashed goat cheeses do not ripen as well. They tend to become slightly bitter with age.
- Cheese always ripens from the outside in. This can be clearly observed in cheeses like Camembert and Époisses. When they are young, both have a firm core inside – the so-called "coeur" (French for heart). When they are well ripened, they are creamy all the way to the heart. Feel free to try out which one you like better!
- In Camembert and other bloomy rind cheeses, reddish-brown spots and discolorations can form on the white mold during ripening. This is completely harmless and not a sign of spoilage.
- The herb-coated Brin d'Amour is very soft, moist, curdy, and creamy in its young stage. Later it becomes drier and firmer and, of course, more intense, and a wild hairy layer of mold develops on the herbs. This special mold is called "poil de chat" (cat hair) in French. It is also harmless and forms the rind together with the herbs. If the appearance bothers you, you can brush off the mold with a vegetable brush. You should proceed very carefully so as not to remove all the delicious herbs at the same time. It is better to pet the cat, or press the fine hairs down. Then it doesn't look quite so wild anymore.
- Blue cheeses like Roquefort are not intended for ripening; they are better enjoyed young.
- Hard cheeses like Comté, for example, are already well ripened when they go on sale. Our Comté has always ripened for at least 15 to 18 months. This cheese should therefore not be ripened further at home, but rather consumed promptly, as the cut surfaces will otherwise dry out. If it has somehow become dry in the refrigerator, it can be wonderfully used as grated cheese.
