Cheese stays fresh and mould-free for up to a month when stored in an unusual wrapper, food waste expert says
CHEESE is an expensive item in your shopping trolley, so you want to make sure you’re storing it correctly.
Brie, cheddar, blue or Manchego, not matter what cheese you like to nibble on, it can go mouldy quickly.
Or it can stink out your entire fridge, meaning everything will end up tasting slightly cheesy.
“Cheese typically stays fresh for about one to two weeks in your fridge,” experts at NRC Business Waste told Fabulous exclusively.
Switch the wrapper
But there are several ways in which you can extend it’s shelf life, just by changing the packaging.
Typically, hard cheeses come in plastic, whereas most soft cheeses come in a parchment-plastic wrapper.
“When block cheeses like cheddar or parmesan are wrapped in plastic or cling film, they can start to spoil within one to two weeks due to trapped moisture,” the experts explained.
Basically, the cheese sweats if it’s in plastic or clingfilm.
“By switching to parchment paper, the paper allows cheese to breathe and reduces the risk of mould growth.
“You can extend the cheese’s freshness by up to two weeks longer than standard packaging if you put cheese into parchment paper.”
Stop odours
If you have a particularly smelly cheese, after being wrapped, it can be kept in an airtight container to prevent odours escaping into the fridge and your kitchen every time you open the fridge door.
As for where is best to store hard cheese to prevent it from going mouldy, the bottom drawers – or crisper drawers as they’re sometimes referred to – works well for cheese storage because they have a humidity vent.
Freezing
The waste experts said: “Not a lot of Brits know that freezing cheese can extend its shelf life up to six months.”
But not every cheese is best frozen.
Hard and semi-hard cheeses such as cheddar, tasty, parmesan, provolone and mozzarella are best to freeze.
However, once defrosted, cheese is best used for cooking rather than eating raw as, in most cases, the texture will change.
“Grating hard cheese like before freezing helps maintain its texture, making it perfect for cooking or sprinkling after thawing,” the experts added.
Freezing fresh cheeses like ricotta, brie, or blue cheese is not recommended because it will affect their structure and quality.
However, you can freeze them if you’re using them in dishes like lasagne or quiches that you then freeze.
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Can you eat mouldy cheese?
It all depends on what type of cheese it is…
Snowdonia Cheese said: “On a hard cheese it is possible to cut mould off, trim to 1cm depth to make sure all mould growth has been removed.
“However, we don’t recommend consuming mouldy cheese – especially not soft cheese.”