Edam is made backwards

[Mick721]

Whilst eating a spot of lunch yesterday it suddenly occurred to me that I could utilise the wax left over from a mini baby bel. Five minutes later with some tin foil from my butties and a small length of cotton string I had a passable candle. I reckon about an hour's burn time from the amount there.

Has anybody tried this before?

 

[bushwacker bob]

No, I like cheese too much to eat a babybel.

 

[Bishop]

Yep Surprising useful stuff. The red cellophane and a bit of duct-tape also makes a good night filter

 

[wicca]

The cellophane and red wax skin rolled into a loose ball and tucked into a tinder bundle works well too, I find..

 

[Toddy]

I keep the stuff off the mini truckles at Christmas too. The fire doesn't mind what colour they are
Seriously, it's wax, it burns well (if smokily) and it's bought and paid for along with the cheese. Why waste it ?
If you gather enough melt it down in a clean tin and dip string wrapped pinecones in it. When they dry there's a 'wick' to set the thing alight

M

 

[Adze]

If you gather enough melt it down in a clean tin and dip string wrapped pinecones in it. When they dry there's a 'wick' to set the thing alight

M

I like that one!

 

[Toddy]

Tidy to carry too and the wax waterproofs the pine cone tinder. Good for starting stoves and bbq's. Good 'candles' if you put prop them up (sand or soil is fine) or set them in a mince pie tin thing (more recycling!). Fun to make with children too if they're of the careful with hot stuff variety.

M

 

[Fraxinus]

:sadwavey::sulkoff: Oh how I miss cheese of any description since becoming lactose intolerant .... but I have fond memories of us as kids using Edam wax to fill in the bullseye of the (second hand) dartboard we had and the way the door it hung on looked like a major woodworm infestation
Growing up we only knew three cheeses, Cheddar and Edam, to us Edam was exotic because it had the wax rind, while on Sunday tea time those foil wrapped triangles of soft cheese appeared as a choice between jam or peanut butter.
Sorry I digress somewhat.

Rob.

 

[Tengu]

Yes, me too.

And fiddly to unwrap too.

My Babybels wax gets recycled....as cheese wax. Helps store usable sized blocks so I can buy a huge lump.

 

[edjuh]

Edam and babybel ?
As a cloughy I have to protest.
They wrap your 'edam' in wax over there ?

 

[Toddy]

They do indeed.
Apparantly the red wax indicates that it's a young Edam for export.

The cheese is pretty bland tbh, but the little babybel ones are handy to carry, and the wax is an added bonus when camping.

M

 

[Nice65]

Wax is petroleum based, cheese is oily. I've always wondered how much leaching there is into the cheese. Anyone got any info?

 

[Toddy]

Paraffin wax is insoluble in water, and only really soluble in ether or benzene.
There is no contamination between the red wax and the cheese. If there were then the cheese would show the red colouring. Besides the paraffin wax is indigestible and just passes through the gut. It's not toxic to us; well, not as wax around cheese it's not. Breathing it in as it breaks down might not be so healthy.
Food grade paraffin wax is considered very stable, very safe and not a food contaminant.

http://jamjarshop.com/paraffin-wax-400g

and from the safety data sheet….

" Eye Contact: Not expected to be an eye irritant
Skin Contact: No harmful effects from skin adsorption.
Inhalation: Vapors emitted from molten wax are expected to have slight degree of irritation
Ingestion: No harmful effects are expected.
Acute Toxicity Values: Low acute toxicity"

M

 

[Janne]

If I ever get the bad idea to buy a sack of Baby Bsl, I buy the blsck one. Contains Cheddar, so a little bit more flavour.

Our son used to love the stuff. And I used to add the wax to those scented large table candles my eife insisted on wasting money on. Looked cool when melted!

 

[Toddy]

We get mini truckles of cheese that are wrapped in assorted colours of wax. Everything from good cheddar to stilton and apricot. Himself likes the Mexican style cheddar one. I think that would be great on toasted cheese or chunked and dropped into a bowl of stew or soup when out, especially in the cold.

M