How to Age Cheddar Cheese Yourself

The other day we received an email asking what the best method of aging Cheddar cheese is, so we decided to blog about it this weekend. The aging process isn't too complicated, but does require a few key steps. To understand why Cheddar cheeses continue to age, once they are set aside, note that the enzymes and bacteria in the Cheddar cause this to happen.

Keys to Aging Cheddar Cheese

• Be sure that the cheese is in a controlled environment and the temperature is between 46°F and 52°F for best aging. At Golden Age Cheese we age our cheese at a constant 48°F.
• The Cheese must have a good seal so the cheese does not mold during the aging process.
• The cheese should not be exposed to natural light while in the aging process.
  
• Time is key! "The longer the cheese sits, the sharper it gets". A good start is 18 months for sharp Cheddar, but age it yourself for as long as you please.

At Golden Age Cheese, we have several different ages of Cheddar. All of our Cheddar cheeses start out as Fresh Cheese Curds, and mature into the Cheddar Cheeses found on our Cheddar web page. If you would like to get your hands on a piece of 9-10 year old cheddar (retails for over $30 per pound in some stores), save some money and get a head start by purchasing some of our Super Sharp or Jurassic Sharp Cheddar today!

Cheese Results from the New York State Fair... Far from Cheesy!

Many of you already know we are not just a wholesale cheese manufacturer, but also a retail cheese shop. We decided to show off our retail side on September 7, 2009 (Labor Day) at the New York State Fair, by giving away free samples of our Fresh Cheddar Cheese Curds. To reiterate the title of this blog post, the results were far from cheesy. We had a blast giving away free samples of the squeaky morsels, but we underestimated the power of cheese curds and ran out early!

We brought 60 pounds of our original (plain) cheddar cheese curds, 15 pounds of our ranch and chive cheese curds, 15 pounds of buffalo wing cheese curds, and 10 pounds of our bacon and chive cheese curds, but that wasn't enough! We intended on staying until close, but the final day of the fair brought many people out, as it was their last chance to look at all of the great exhibits in 2009, and we had to pack up by 3 PM. We wish we would have brought more samples and could have stayed longer for those who didn't get a chance to try... But there is always next year!

We hope to see you at the fair in 2010, and we promise to bring more cheese curds!

Marco and Lawrence Hickey in the cheese booth, just before the fair opened.

Free Cheese Curd Samples at the New York State Fair

We will be at the New York State Fair Monday September 7, 2009 (Labor Day), in building 17, giving out free samples of our cheese curds. We will have our original plain cheddar cheese curds, as well as our flavored cheese curds available for sampling. We will also be able to answer any questions you may have about cheese curd, cheddar, new york style cheeses, the cheese making process, etc... Bring your friends and family because we'll have enough cheese curd to feed an army!