Ripening and Affinage
How does a young cheese become the cheese you recognise on the plate? Explore ripening and affinage through the changes inside a cheese, the work of looking after it, and the choices behind its rind, surroundings and age.
What Happens as Cheese Ripens?
Your knife slips through the rind and finds a supple band, beginning to flow around a still firm centre.
What Does an Affineur Do? The Work of Ageing Cheese
At Jasper Hill in Vermont, a spruce bark band holds a soft cheese as its centre becomes spoonable.
Cheese Caves and Ripening Rooms
Step into the Combalou mountain's collapsed rock at Roquefort-sur-Soulzon.
Turning, Brushing and Washing Rinds
A wheel of Swiss Gruyère turns in the cellar, ready for another rub.
How Long Is Cheese Aged?
Cut into a Camembert de Normandie and consider its calendar.
Cloth Bound Cheese Explained
At Quicke’s in Devon, muslin is wrapped by hand around a newly pressed cheese, held snugly against the wheel with fat.
Why Are Some Cheeses Waxed or Coated?
A glossy wheel catches your eye at the cheese counter.
Everything in this section
- Ripening Conditions: Temperature, Humidity and AirflowA rind begins to crack.