Ah, heck, why not? Even if it ends up just being me, it sounds like it'll be a great experience.

Cheese, please!

I love blue cheese but since I'm allergic to penicillin I'm not supposed to eat it....but I do.

3#? No.

This cheese is WONDERFUL; have bought it at Murray's. I'm not in for one only because I can get it as needed locally. 3 lb sounds like a lot, but if you wrap it in wax paper/cheesemonger's paper it will keep a long time in the fridge.

Also, if you are into cooking things and freezing them, I imagine this would make the most awesome potato gratin.

I'm late to the party but anyone in the OC area that wants to split? 1 pound would be more than enough for me.

I'm confused about storage. In this post, PtReyesBlue states that it should be allowed to air, but in the post from an earlier woot that someone linked ( http://wine.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=1676398&pageindex=4&replycount=611#post1677271 ) someone who appears to be from the cheesemaker says that oxygen is the enemy and to use a ziploc bag (with no mention of perforation).

Which is it???

probably too late in the day to ask this but any idea when this will ship? i will be out of town for several days the end of next week and would prefer not to come home to liquid cheese.

I haven't tried this brand-Love Maytag 8)-

But I do have a Maytag Blue Cheese jar- it's a large glass bowl/jar that has raised feet inside the bottom to let air circulate. This is something you could duplicate using Corning Ware casserole and a few glass stir-sticks on the bottom. No plastic or paper touching the cheese.


SPECIALLY CRAFTED ROUND AND SQUARE refrigerator jars provide a proper atmosphere for cheese storage.

http://store.maytagdairyfarms.com/aspx/store/productdetail.aspx?ProductID=20&catid=6&subcatid=6

PtReyesBlue wrote:No, you're right. The cheese can last a long time but really, you know you'll eat it all before there's even a worry about digestive system contamination. Everyone is so worried about shelf life but I have a feeling the cheese will be gone long before there's an issue!

I could eat the 3 pound wheel before it went bad. It is the best cheese in the entire world... and I really like cheese. So so so good. And it's not always easy to find a gluten free cheese. Or a raw milk cheese. Oh, Point Reyes! I miss CA.

psm321 wrote:I'm confused about storage. In this post, PtReyesBlue states that it should be allowed to air, but in the post from an earlier woot that someone linked ( http://wine.woot.com/forums/viewpost.aspx?postid=1676398&pageindex=4&replycount=611#post1677271 ) someone who appears to be from the cheesemaker says that oxygen is the enemy and to use a ziploc bag (with no mention of perforation).

Which is it???

Listen to the cheese maker. Cheese is alive! (See: "Wee Free Men" and sequels, Pratchett.)

There's a reason why people who like Maytag also like Point Reyes Blue...........same cheesemaker! The point Reyes cheesemaker was the original Maytag cheesemaker! Pr is a little saltier and cruder, tho.

A cheese that tastes like ammonia has probably been wrapped in plastic or some other impermeable material. Bacteria living in cheese produce ammonia, among other waste products. The cheese has to be allowed to breathe, so that the ammonia escapes, or the ammonia will permeate the cheese and ruin it. If your cheese tastes like ammonia, it probably wasn't allowed to breathe, and you should take it back to the cheese store for a refund.

A barnyard-like aroma in a cheese can be a very desirable thing. For me, it usually portends a wonderfully complex taste. My rule of thumb is that it's good if the cheese smells like a petting zoo, bad if some of the animals in the petting zoo seem to be no longer alive.

threemoons wrote:This cheese is WONDERFUL; have bought it at Murray's. I'm not in for one only because I can get it as needed locally. 3 lb sounds like a lot, but if you wrap it in wax paper/cheesemonger's paper it will keep a long time in the fridge.

Also, if you are into cooking things and freezing them, I imagine this would make the most awesome potato gratin.

Yummy... Potato gratin! I too would buy this if I couldn't head up Hwy 1 to get to Point Reyes so quickly myself.

kkearns99 wrote:Listen to the cheese maker. Cheese is alive! (See: "Wee Free Men" and sequels, Pratchett.)

"Crivens!"

kkearns99 wrote:Listen to the cheese maker. Cheese is alive! (See: "Wee Free Men" and sequels, Pratchett.)

My point was that either the same cheesemaker or perhaps 2 different reps of the same cheesemaker appear to be saying approximately opposite things in the 2 threads. Which do I listen to???

psm321 wrote:My point was that either the same cheesemaker or perhaps 2 different reps of the same cheesemaker appear to be saying approximately opposite things in the 2 threads. Which do I listen to???

I personally always go with the most recent information, but you're always welcome to follow up and get as much clarification you need to be happy.

My order arrived today at 5:30pm! (I'm in California). But my 2 half wheels came as one wheel. Now, there is no graceful way I can think of to gift a half eaten wheel of cheese in an opened package. "Ummm, this was so good, I stopped eating at the $40 amount and decided to give you the rest because I like you so much! Happy Birthday." Help, me, Woot! (And help me fast because that cheese is CALLING to me!)

lilyt wrote:My order arrived today at 5:30pm! (I'm in California). But my 2 half wheels came as one wheel. Now, there is no graceful way I can think of to gift a half eaten wheel of cheese in an opened package. "Ummm, this was so good, I stopped eating at the $40 amount and decided to give you the rest because I like you so much! Happy Birthday." Help, me, Woot! (And help me fast because that cheese is CALLING to me!)

Yeah, got mine today, also -- and I'm NOT in California...

So it looks like this is a six pound wheel afterall... My Previous Post

brucedoesbms wrote:Yeah, got mine today, also -- and I'm NOT in California...

So it looks like this is a six pound wheel afterall... My Previous Post

Yeah, I guess so. Did you order 2 also? I emailed Woot to see if they could help me. I really want to eat the cheese but I don't want to waste $40 of cheese at the same time :-(. Money and cheese don't grow on trees. Can Pt Reyes comment on this? Maybe they could send me a set of clean cheese wrappers if they don't want to exchange for the half wheels?

My cheese arrived as a three pound wheel, but ... it isn't very blue. I had to go a good ways into the cheese and I got ONE blue vein - maybe two. I can see the holes that they poked in the cheese, but the blue mold just didn't grow. Did I get a dud?

Winedavid39 wrote:spoke to Point Reyes. so, the "half wheel" is a whole shaped wheel cut horizontally. So double check to see that you don't have two separately wrapped wheels. if you don't, send to service@woot and we'll get you another "half" wheel.

thanks,

Oh My Gookie!! You are right! You are brilliant. I should not have assumed the half wheel would look like the picture of the semicircle, lol. I weighed the wheel and it's a 3 pound circle. I can give the whole thingy to my friend, and I will email service@woot and let them know. Thank you ever so much.

warmly,
Lily

P.S. Now I see why everyone seems so creative yet similar with their phrases here, the editor automatically expanded my "Oh My Gookie!" to a new phrase.

redshoes wrote:My cheese arrived as a three pound wheel, but ... it isn't very blue. I had to go a good ways into the cheese and I got ONE blue vein - maybe two. I can see the holes that they poked in the cheese, but the blue mold just didn't grow. Did I get a dud?

Hmmm, maybe that needs more time. When I made blue cheese in a class, the blue veins developed over time, *if* the inoculations had enough blue stuff distributed and the conditions were right. If it doesn't taste like an amazing blue cheese as it's supposed to, then I'd ask for a replacement.

Ugh. My cheese tasted MILDEWY. It looked normal but smelled like it had been mishandled. When allowed to come to room temp, it had creamy texture, mild blue flavor mixed with areas of extremely sharp blue tang, and a pervasive MILDEW smell and taste that could not be avoided even when we cut a 1/4 inch off the entire surface of a wedge. There was also a slight fragrance resembling cleaning compound.
This is not at all the cheese I was expecting :-(.

ThunderThighs wrote:If you think something is wrong with it, email service@woot.com for assistance.

I did already! And I came back to let everyone know that wootservice refunded me, thanks to all for helping me out. Woot rocks.

Now I have to get some pyrex bowls at today's woot.