Salt bath

Immersing the cheese wheels in brine not only helps to form the rind for preservation but also serves other purposes. The shelf life and flavour of the cheese depend to a large extent on salting; furthermore, the salt influences the maturing process.
The larger and harder the cheese, the longer it stays in the brine: hard cheeses (hard cheese) may remain for up to 30 days, while soft cheeses (Weichkäse) need only a few hours.