Guide to Correctly Storing Cheese
There’s a lot to love about cheese. It’s delicious, versatile and a great source of calcium and protein, which are good for bone health.
Cheese is easy to throw in recipes, perfect for charcuterie boards during the holidays and a great snack. But there is nothing more frustrating than finding your cheese has gone bad, which often comes down to storage methods. Storing cheese improperly — or reusing cheese after it’s been sitting out — can cause bacteria growth that can make you sick.
Not all cheeses are created equal. Some last for months; others expire after a few days. In some cheeses, you can cut out the mold and still eat it, but in others, you should get rid of the whole block.
Two cheese aficionados weigh in on the rules for storing all kinds of cheese.
Storage basics
Cheese is a living thing, and you’ll want to treat it as such. Shannon Berry, cheese specialist at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, has three basic rules that apply to all cheeses:
Give it space: Don’t overcrowd your cheese. Some cheeses need more oxygen than others. Provide a bit of space when you wrap, so a blue cheese or a brie, for example, can get more air.
“I prefer putting my brie and creamy cheeses in wax paper first and then into a Tupperware container to allow them more space to breathe,” says cheesemonger Emilie Lehan from Murray’s Cheese in New York.
Keep cheese away from other aromatic foods as it easily absorbs other flavors.
Keep it cold: Refrigerate cheese at 34 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit. “Store cheese in the vegetable or cheese drawer; it tends to be cooler,…
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