Bandaged Cheese FAQs

I have a cloth-bandaged Cheddar in my cheese cave. Do I have to manage the mold? Some recipes don't say anything. Other recipes advise to brush off mold and reapply a coat of lard, say weekly.  All you need to do is turn your cheese weekly. The lard is only used when initially applying the bandage wrap.

If I decide to bandage, does it need to be butter muslin or is cheesecloth ok? One or two layers? Also can the cloth be used again for another batch once done aging if washed out? If using the butter muslin try two layers. Forget the average cheesecloth. I use a bit tighter cloth (higher thread count) than either. Used Bandage Cloth is not reusable. It gets embedded into the surface when properly applied and pressed. The mold just grows right over it. When ready you just cut right through the cloth and all peel it back on the cheese board, it’s quite the conversation starter.