Can Anyone Make A Cheese Cave?

With a cheese cave, you can make your own cheese and age it as much as you want. The problem is that most people don’t have the space in their home for a full-sized cheese cave of the traditional variety. Luckily, a cheese cave doesn’t have to actually be a cave. Anyone can make a cheese cave with a few simple tools and you make it any size you want, from a truly spacious cave with room for aging hundreds of cheeses to the size of a mini-fridge with just enough space for a few.

Turn An Old Fridge Into A Cheese Cave

The best and most popular way to make your own cheese cave is with an old refrigerator. Choose whatever size you prefer and get ready to make a few simple adjustments. You will need to control the temperature as well as the humidity of the fridge to give it the right environment for cheese aging. When setting it up, remember that you want the temperature to be as constant as possible and between 45 and 58 degrees Fahrenheit. You also want the moisture level to be around 80 to 90 percent. Controlling the temperature in your old fridge is as simple as buying and installing a basic controller. If you don’t know where to look, consider a pet store as many reptiles need temperature-controlled environments. You will control the humidity levels with a pan of water that has a partial cover; invest in a humidity detector to keep track of it. If necessary, cover the pan of water more or less and be ready to refill it.

You can also do something similar with an old wine cooler. An alternative to the pan of water is using a personal humidifier with adjustable settings. Remember that you may need to adjust the humidity levels more around seasonal changes.

Section Off Part Of Your Current Fridge

If you don’t have space for another fridge, you can sometimes turn a portion of your current one into a cheese cave, although this is less than ideal. Since your fridge is probably set to 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the ideal temperature for a cheese cave, you will need to put the cheese in the warmest area of it. Put it inside an airtight container with the cheese only taking up about 40 percent of the room as this prevents drying. Keep it humid with a crumpled wet paper towel within the container.