The Culinary Chamber, Part 1 - The Machine

The best way to age and cure meat and cheeses at home!

After a short hiatus over the last month (finishing up grad school takes up a little bit of your free time) I am finally done with school and pushing out some new recipes! During my break, I purchased a smoker. The decision was tough - gas or electric. Now, normally I would never have considered electric, but my porch in the city is small and open flames are not friendly in an apartment complex.

How does a smoker help with cheese and meat aging? It doesn't; that was a tangent. Later this week my post will be all about smokers. 

So now, onto the aging machine! 

I have used this machine for about 8 months now and have had flawless results. The magical box will allow you to age beef, cure meats, age cheese or become an everyday backup fridge. The contraption costs about $300-$350 (all new) and the components are easily accessible. So what is it? Essentially it's a chest freezer with accessories. By adding a few devices to your average chest freezer from any box store or craigslist, you can become a culinary artisan right at home.

What you need: Chest freezer (I went with 7.0cu. ft.), temperature controller, small fan, terrarium, propylene glycol, and a curtain rod or 2. The terrarium and propylene glycol are only if you want to age cheeses. Don't get overwhelmed by the propylene glycol either. This item helps hold moisture and is found in cigar humidors and everyday items like toothpaste. 

Instructions: Simply hook the freezer up to the temperature controller and plug it into a outlet. The temperature controller has a copper line that will be placed in the freezer. When the freezer hits the right temperature, the controller will cut the power until the temperature rises again. Next, plug in the fan into a different plug and put the fan in the freezer to circulate the air (the fan is not in the picture, but I place it on top of the terrarium). Tighten the curtain rod to the sides near the top of the freezer and put your propylene glycol in the terrarium and place it on the ledge or in the bottom of the freezer. Your done! It takes 5 minutes to set up. 

So now what? 

Now you can start to create amazing meats and cheeses at home. In part 2 of this post, I will go into more details about aging meat and cheeses, as well as start you off with dry aging steaks on your own! Part 2 will be available tomorrow. Cheers!