Reusing Cheese Wax

[michickenwrangler]

How do you guys clean wax for reusing?

I've saved wax from the consumed cheeses, but there are bits of cheese on it and I'm not sure the best way to clean it.

Thanks.

 

[Canadiannee]

Good Morning Michickenwrangler!

I've never recycled cheese wax from commercial cheeses before, but I do purchase cheese wax from a cheese supply company and wash and reuse it regularly.

The first thing I do is lay the wax pieces out flat and pick out any of the larger cheese residue (the little cheese pieces that get caught in the wax) with a sharp tipped knife and then use a good grease cutting dish soap to remove the oil residue... I pour a little dish soap on my fingertips and rub it into both sides of the flattened cheese wax and then rinse the wax under running warm water. Sometimes after the first wash, the wax may still have an oily feel to it, so I'll repeat.

After washing the wax, I pat dry with a paper towel, then lay the pieces out on a wire rack to dry fully... Once dry, I put the newly reclaimed wax back into my wax pot and remelt the wax over a pot of water (double boiler style)

If there's any residual oil still in the wax, it will float to the top as the wax is melting and I simply take the edge of a folded up paper towel, dip in the oil spots and soak the oil up... if I'm not waxing that day, I let the wax cool in the pot, and then place the pot inside a food grade bag, turn the pot upsidedown and put the pot on my storage shelves.

One thing to note... when rinsing the wax under running water, make sure the water is more on the cold side of warm, then on the hot side... or it gets really soft in your hands!

Hope that helps!

 

[ZippyTheHappyChimp]

Wouldn't boiling the wax *with water* work, similar to how your clarify bacon drippings into a lard-type substance?