What Is A Cheese Cave?

When you start learning more about cheese, you will quickly come across the concept of a cheese cave. Cheese caves are essentially the place that you store cheese while it undergoes its aging process, no matter how long it is. They are an alternative to a regular refrigerator and actually work better than those. In fact, cheese caves are the traditional location for aging cheese.

Not Always A Cave

The term cheese cave comes from the fact that historically, cheese was placed in a cave to age. Caves have the ideal conditions for this process thanks to their steady, high levels of humidity and cool temperature. You simply won’t get the same results for your cheese if the humidity or temperature is off. Cheese caves have been used for centuries in countries where cheese is regularly consumed. Today, many modern cheese caves are not caves at all. Instead, they are rooms that have been set up in a way that mimics the humidity, temperature, and other conditions of caves. Thanks to modern technology, this is a very real possibility that allows you to age cheese anywhere, regardless of whether or not a cave is actually present.

Making A Cheese Cave

Since you can create a cheese cave anywhere, you can actually make one right in your home provided that you have enough space. Companies that produce and age their own cheese will have at least one manmade cheese cave somewhere on their property and you can copy their techniques on a much smaller scale. There are a few key requirements when creating your cheese cave. Make sure that the temperature is as constant as you can make it, somewhere between 45 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit. You also need the moisture level to be at the proper level for the cheese you are aging, typically around 80 to 90 percent. Finally, the cheese cave needs to have fresh air so you don’t get any unwanted products from aging.

Using An Old Fridge

It is possible to age cheese in your current fridge, but you will have to make some adjustments and use a wet paper towel to get the proper humidity. Ideally, you will turn an old fridge into a cheese cave. You can invest in a simple controller to keep the temperature within the correct range and put a pan of water inside the fridge with a partial cover to keep the humidity at the proper level. You will need to keep an eye on the moisture level since it will vary with the seasons. Because of the effort involved in making a cheese cave, many people prefer to just buy their cheese already aged.