The Mooka 4-in-1 Vacuum Sealer Review
When it comes to aging and preserving your home made cheese, there are a number of techniques that can be used. From traditional waxing, to waxing with bees wax, bandaging and vacuum sealing cheese. The method you choose will purely be out of preference.
If you are not sure about the method of vacuum sealing, then I encourage to read my article “Vacuum Sealing Cheese”.
If you have already made up your mind that vacuum sealing cheese is for you, then I am happy to recommend the Mooka 4-in-1 Vacuum Sealer as the weapon of choice for a home cheese maker.
The most modern way to age cheese currently is by vacuum sealing it and placing it in a cheese cave. This ensures that the flavor of the cheese remains intact for ages to come and no mold forms on the cheese.
Now there are a variety of vacuum sealers out there each unique in its own aspect.
We cannot go through them all, but in this article, we will focus on the Mooka 4-in-1 vacuum sealer, which I believe is one of the best vacuum sealers in the market for a home cheese maker.
Find out the Mooka 4-in-1 Price Here
Vacuum Sealing Cheese vs Waxing Cheese
For decades the choice method for preserving cheese has been waxing. This involves covering the cheese with breathable cheese wax. Both waxing and vacuum sealing cheese will preserve and age it, but the difference is that in vacuum sealing cheese it is in an airtight package.
Although waxing cheese is the traditional way of preserving, it is a messy process and makes it hard to see any unwanted mold forming on your cheese, which I believe is why more people are starting to turn to vacuum sealing cheese.
There is an excellent debate about which of the two methods of cheese preservation is best.
Vacuum sealing cheese and waxing it both have their pros and cons. However, since cheese vacuum packaging is a rather more contemporary technique, it seems to cause more contention.
Preparation For Vacuum Sealing Cheese
In order to write a comprehensive review of the Mooka 4-in-1 portable vacuum sealer, I tested it out on preserving my aging Parmesan cheese and farmhouse cheddar cheese.
We will take a step by step review ending with a summary of the pros and cons of cheese vacuum packaging with the Mooka 4-in-1 portable vacuum sealer.
Prior to vacuum packaging, I had aged my cheese for a period of one and a half months. I did this because the aging of vacuum packaged cheese gets somewhat retarded by the lack of air circulation.
Aging the cheese naturally first reduces the moisture in the cheese and prevents mold from forming in the vacuum sealed bags.
This problem can be solved by using packaging film that is more permeable, though they are not yet fully available to the home user of a portable vacuum sealer.
So for now, drying your cheese for a month or two before vacuum sealing seems to be the way to go. Each type of cheese has a proper drying method, so make sure you follow the recipe instructions for the type of cheese you are making.
Find out the Mooka 4-in-1 Price Here
Testing The Mooka For Vacuum Sealing Cheese
When it comes to sealing, I found the Mooka 4-in-1 portable vacuum sealer to be a very speedy and quiet machine. There is also a feature for multiple packing.
The Mooka 4-in-1 vacuum sealer has a maximum working width of 30cm, which enables the vacuum sealer to pump two packs or more together at the same time.
This unique feature comes in quite handy especially when you are in a rush. It saves you a whole lot of time, and the heat-resistant strip can work for a continuous 40 times without any damage to your portable vacuum sealer.
Storing Your Vacuum Packed Cheese
Having vacuum packed your cheese, you need to place it in your cheese cave to age it correctly, as you normally would if you had waxed your cheese.
I would recommend dropping the temperature of your cheese cave by a degree or two for vacuum packed cheeses; this reduces the rate of increased maturation of vacuum packed cheese.
You will also notice some excess moisture inside the packaging. Preservation by vacuum sealing cheese exerts a lot of pressure on the cheese drawing the whey out to the surface of the cheese.
Letting the cheese sit in this moisture will increase its maturity rate. Therefore, you will need to track your aging periods more closely than with waxing.
When you open the packaging again ready to taste your beautiful home made cheese, you will notice that the cheese may have a bit of a rancid smell.
The aging will be unaffected but because of the lack of circulation of air CO2 and ammonia will accumulate.
The latter does not affect the taste of the cheese as such, but it may cause a less rich flavor than traditionally waxed cheese. When I opened my package, I just let the cheese air out overnight and the next day they were perfect and ready to enjoy.
Find out the Mooka 4-in-1 Price Here
Pros & Cons Of The Mooka 4-in-1 Vacuum Sealer For Preserving Cheese
So, to conclude the review let’s have a list of the pros and cons using the Mooka 4-in-1 Vacuum Sealer to preserve your home made cheese.
PROS
- Vacuum cheese preservation is quick, easy to operate with just the press of a button and much cheaper than waxing.
- It is much easier to handle vacuum packed cheese as it is less fragile.
- Humidity in your fridge is not a concern anymore since the cheese is completely sealed off from the atmosphere.
- No formation of rinds and no formation of mold if the procedure is followed strictly.
- Vacuum sealed cheese ages faster than waxed cheese.
- You have full visibility of your cheese during the whole aging process, therefore, more accessible to observe the progress of aging.
- With a maximum working width of 30cm this sealer is large enough to seal most home made cheeses
- The vacuum sealer is very quiet
- A fast working machine saves a lot of time
CONS
- Accumulation of ammonia and CO2 giving your cheese a flatter taste.
- Texture of the cheese may not be exactly the same as traditionally waxed cheese
- Non-permeable sealing bags means cheese must aged for a month or two to dry out before vacuum sealing
If you have tried vacuum sealing cheese using the Mooka 4-in-1 Vacuum Sealer, let the community know your results over at the Curd Nerd Forum.