At Home Brewing Equipment
September 27, 2011 by
Filed under Home Brewing
Cheese Wax Very Safe to Use
By Jean Kokus
What is cheese wax?
Cheese Wax is paraffin and micro crystalline wax that is especially made for the coating of cheeses. It helps to retain moisture in the cheese as it ages as well as preventing any unwanted mold growth from occurring. Unlike pure paraffin waxes, this type of wax is very pliable and does not become brittle. It is also made with a food grade coloring so that the cheese is never "infected" with any toxins as it ages.
What are the yield factors?
Although the numbers will vary based on what shapes and types of cheese blocks you are waxing by brushing on the wax, the numbers for yield are as follows:
oYou can wax anywhere from 12 to 20 cheeses with 1 pound of wax
oIt will take approximately a 5 pound block if you use a dipping method
oFrom an economical standpoint, you should purchase a 10 pound block if you are waxing on an ongoing basis
Additionally, whenever you are storing any unused cheese wax, you should remember to keep it away from any heat source. In so doing, the wax will keep indefinitely.
Directions for using cheese wax properly
Two precautions you want to remember right up front ? NEVER WALK AWAY LEAVING WAX UNATTENDED WHEN IT IS MELTING! Additionally, you should always use a double boiler when you are melting the cheese wax. This way, it is not exposed directly to the primary heat source or flame. Heat the wax to no higher than 120? because high temperatures will cause the wax to explode.
Make sure that when you are brushing the melted wax onto the cheese that it is chilled first as this will help the wax cool and harden faster. Since synthetic bristle will melt at high temperatures, make sure that you use only natural bristle brushes to brush the cheese wax onto the cheese. Or if you would rather use the dipping method to coat the cheese, be careful to dip it one side at a time as it can become extremely slippery. It is recommended that using two thinner coats of wax is preferable to one thicker coat.
Another thing to consider is the filling and plugging up of all air spaces as mold needs air to grow so you want to make sure that you have done that. When the time comes to finally savor your cheese, you simply peel the wax off the cheese and enjoy eating some. The discarded cheese can be re-melted and strained through what is called "Butter Muslin" so that you can reuse it many more times in the future. Even though this has the tendency to be a tad messy, it is still very cost-effective.
Finishing steps
Once you have waxed your cheese, it is suggested that you label it. A mailing label (Avery Labels) will suffice where labeling your cheese is concerned. Be sure to write the cheese?s name on the label as well as that day?s date. Apply the label to cheese by brushing on some melted wax first, setting the label in the brushed-on wax, and then painting one or two light coats of wax on top of it so you can still read the label through the wax.
As mentioned before, http://howtobrew.com is the best place to start from scratch.
Also, to get a perspective on the supplies you’ll need and encounter, poke through some suppliers’ websites.
My favorite is http://morebeer.com
How do I go about getting started home brewing beer?
I was at the shops and saw all of these cans of home brew beer and was wondering how easy is it to get started in home brewing and what equipment I need. Does home brew taste any good?
Where can I go online to learn how to brew beer at home, step by step?
I would like to learn and am starting with complete zero knowledge of home brewing. Need to know things such as the equipment needed, ingredients, process, ect.
Northern Brewer has some great starter kits, link is below. I would also recommend Star San sanitizer. It’s a no-rinse sanitizer, it’s extremely easy to use and as the name states, it requires no rinsing. I’d recommend going with the basic kit, then upgrading your equipment if you keep up with brewing.
http://www.northernbrewer.com/brewing/starter-kits
Companies that make amateur gear use surface mount devices (SMD), real small ICs because they got $100,000.00 manufacturing gear like wave soldering machines to work with that stuff. I have hand soldered a few SMDs. I have read a few articles of those who have techniques for it, but those don’t include the SMDs that have pads on the bottoms which is the domain of wave soldering. I prefer to stick to DIP configurations.
What equipment do I need to brew beer at home?
I am a beginner with no experience. The reasearch i have done shows that online starter kits are not ideal. Any tips for sanitizing as well? does bleaching effect the outcome? are there other methods for sanitizing the equipment?
There are some cheap home brew kits out there. I have seen them before at Target, larger liquor stores, and various other random (and often times, unexpected places). That’s not a bad way to go. The kit costs like $40 and you’ll get a few batches of beer out of it. I would say look for something cheap to see if you enjoy making your own beer, if you do then step up to the high end stuff (expect to pay $200).
A stop at a local brew shop is always a good bet, but they may only sell high quality kits, or try to get you to go away from anything cheap, assuming you’re going to love brewing your own beer.
What is the best way to get started home brewing?
Interested in home brewing. Anybody have suggestions or ideas of how to start? What equipment to get at the beginning? Where i should get my supplies? etc. There isn’t a home brew store near me, so I’d have to go over the internet.
Do foundation research on the internet on just what beer is and the basic ingredients. You want to understand the influences and roles of each ingredient. Then find out more about the production procedures for brewing beer. Here you want to understand what each “department” of your home brewery has influence on the beer. You then may want to gain a deeper understanding of beer tasting/sensory analysis and the styles of beer.
Some homebrew taste good and some is horrible. But once you understand what influences a good beer and command control over those aspects you will be able to make good beer routinely. It is very easy to get started brewing your first beer.
What shops? Were you at a shop of a home brew supplier? Then that is your starting point. They will help you get started with the things you need to brew your first batch of beer.
http://www.howtobrew.com/
http://www.bjcp.org/styles04/
Is nano technology used at all for making amateur communications equipment?
Radio Hams are famous for home brewing equipment. Do they use nano technology at all these days?