After a month of brining every few days the Gruyere developed and good enough rind to be oiled. This will help protects the cheese from unwanted surface microorganisms and control's the moisture content.
- Do not use on small cheeses
- Oil should be applied lightly over a number of days until a hard skin has developed. Once this has developed it can then be done every month
- Lightly pressed washed curd type cheeses such as Gouda and Edam should not be oiled because these types of cheeses have a high pH early in the aging process. Because of this there is lot of food on their surface which can cause yeast to grow.
- Salt can be added to help control surface mold
- Oiling too early with cheese still moist can result in yeast injections
- Dip cloth in the oil, dab it on the rind, then wipe the excess off
- Cheeses should be aged for 8 days to produce a natural rind before oiling
