How to Make Your Own Cheese Cave
Make your own cheese cave and you'll be able to cure hard cheeses at home! Your 21st-century cheese cave won't look as romantic as a stone cave in Europe, but your modern cave will do the job accurately and you'll be creating fragrant cheeses.
Learn how to prepare hard cheeses in our video, where Tricia makes cheeses in her kitchen. Then follow our directions here and set up your own cheese cave for curing those cheeses at just the right humidity and temperature.
Regulate Moisture in the Cheese Cave
Sadly, you can't just pop your curing cheeses into your refrigerator. Our fridges are low-humidity, and adequate moisture in the air is crucial for ripening cheeses. An old mini-fridge is ideal for this purpose. Go ahead and add that open pan of water when you set up the fridge, but for best results, track the humidity with a hygrometer. Our simple Wireless Thermometer reports temperature and also measures humidity. You are aiming for humidity in the 75 to 90 RH (relative humidity) range.
Regulate Temperature in the Cheese Cave
Cheese caves should maintain an ideal temperature of around 50°F. Be sure to monitor the temperature regularly to ensure consistent aging conditions.
Put the Cheeses on Wood
Try using bamboo mats under your cheeses or make your own wooden racks to support them while allowing air circulation. Wooden surfaces help regulate moisture levels and create ideal aging conditions.
No Crowding
How many cheeses can you fit in a cheese cave? The rule of thumb is to have half of the volume taken up by cheese, and half by air. Adding and subtracting cheeses from the cheese cave will alter the humidity too — with more cheeses raising the humidity.
Learn More
For more information, consult our excellent books on cheesemaking: Home Cheesemaking, and Making Cheese, Butter & Yogurt. Setting up your own cheese cave is simple, and soon, you’ll be enjoying homemade aged cheeses!
