Mark Thorson wrote:
> If I took a block of cream cheese and inoculated it
> on the outside with the finely divided rind of a Brie
> or a Neufchatel, incubated it in my refrigerator with
> the temperature turned up, could I ferment it into
> something worth making? Some cheeses have natamcyin
> for mold inhibition, so I'll have to check for that.
>
> This might be a good reason to buy a microplane,
> so I can shave off little particles from the rind
> of a fermented soft cheese.
>
> Instead of a whole cheese-making setup, if I can
> just buy a block of cream cheese, unwrap it, roll
> it around in some rind shavings, and turn it into
> something good, that seems like an experiment worth
> doing.
>
> If I ever give you a beer and it seems a little bit
> too warm, you should ask whether I'm doing any
> cheese experiments.
>
> I'm wondering whether this could be dangerous.
> Cream cheese is very fatty, and that might restrict
> infiltration of oxygen, creating the possibility of
> anaerobic bacterial growth and botulism.

Maybe they should try doing it with food grade propane.