"10" on The Foot Scale!

12/12/2012

My indicator for true stink in a cheese is The Foot Scale. It's my 10-point system (10 representing the ultimate in stink) for rating stinky cheese.

I tried the Stinking Bishop in London this fall, and it was a 9. I reserve a score of a 10 for cheeses that can rival scents like a Durian fruit. Today, however, I opened our cheese cave today and it gave me a true 10. Whew.

Inside the cave (pictured here) we've got two batches of Valencay, 1 batch of Saint Marcellin, and a single round of Reblechon. That combination is truly aromatic! We may not be able to bottle this scent, but when bottled up, it has a life of it's own.

Tommy Reddicks
www.cheesedesert.com

2 Comments

Rob

12/17/2012 11:13:08 am

Do you ever have problems with the odor of strong smelling cheeses permeating mild smelling cheeses?

Kelly

12/19/2012 08:28:41 am

We can't say that we have noticed any cheese absorbing another’s strong smell. The milder cheeses (chevre, fromage blanc and feta) never reach the cheese cave and are stored in the regular refrigerator once they hit the storage phase – just after draining/shaping. The other stinky cheeses are ripened in the mock cheese cave (a converted wine fridge) and each type is contained in their own ripening boxes which are cracked to maintain effective humidity levels. The fridge does a fairly good job of blocking the cheese odors.

The biggest change we have noticed is that our house will smell of whey when we have a cheese out draining and when we are opening the cave/ripening boxes to maintain the cheeses daily the house will take on mingled scent of the cheese that are aging. We have attempted plug-in solutions on the first and third landing of the house which are only effective when you are standing next to them. The best bet is simple Renuzit cones in “super odor killer” scent that is placed near the ripening cave in the pantry. We also burn more scented candles these days!

"10" on The Foot Scale!

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