Keep Cheese Fresh: Tips For Long-Lasting Deliciousness

Cheese is a beloved food worldwide, but it can be tricky to store. Learning how to store cheese properly will help it last longer and taste better. The worst way to store cheese is in plastic wrap. Cheese needs to breathe, and plastic wrap suffocates the flavour and can make it taste like plastic. Instead, it is best to use cheese bags or cheese paper, which is porous and protects the cheese from air exposure while still allowing it to breathe. Wax or parchment paper can also be used, followed by a layer of plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Hard cheeses can be wrapped in wax or parchment paper and then plastic wrap and placed in the fridge drawer, where they will last three to four weeks. Soft cheeses, like mozzarella, ricotta and chèvre, are much fresher and can spoil quickly, so it is best to keep them sealed in their original containers.

Don't use plastic wrap

Storing cheese in plastic wrap is the worst thing you can do. Cheese needs to breathe, and plastic wrap suffocates it, causing it to lose shelf life. Plastic wrap is a full barrier, and cheese needs air and humidity to breathe.

Joey Wells, Global Senior Coordinator for Specialty Cheese Product Innovation and Development at Whole Foods Market, explains that "cheese can act as a sponge, absorbing the plasticizers that give plastic wrap its ability to stretch and cling, which you don't want. Both of these issues affect the flavour of the cheese and also suffocate it."

If you wrap cheese in plastic, it will start to take on the flavour of the plastic, and the taste of the cheese itself will be masked. It will also breed more bacteria from being wrapped up too tightly.

So, what should you use instead of plastic wrap?

Beeswax, Parchment Paper, Wax Paper, Glass Containers

Venae Watts, a fifth-generation member of America's oldest family-owned creamery, Minerva Dairy, says that "there are a variety of ways to store cheese and no single way is necessarily correct."

Specialty cheese paper is best, as it is designed to allow cheese to breathe while maintaining humidity. However, if you don't have any, you can use parchment or wax paper, which still protects the cheese from drying out while keeping it exposed to the air and humidity it needs.

You can also use a glass container, which allows the cheese to create its own temperature and humidity, essentially preserving it in its own atmosphere.

Don't wrap too tightly or too loosely

When storing cheese, it's important to strike a balance between wrapping it too tightly and too loosely. If you wrap your cheese too tightly, it will be suffocated, causing it to lose shelf life. Cheese needs to breathe and expel moisture to stay fresh. Plastic wrap, for instance, is not a good option for storing cheese as it is a full barrier that prevents the cheese from breathing. It can also cause the cheese to absorb the plasticizers that give the wrap its stretch and cling, affecting the flavour of the cheese.

On the other hand, if you wrap your cheese too loosely, it will dry out and harden. Natural odours emitted from cheese, such as ammonia, will be trapped if the cheese is not given room to breathe. Therefore, it is crucial to find a balance when wrapping your cheese.

One effective way to store cheese is to use specialty cheese paper, which is a two-ply product that allows cheese to breathe while maintaining humidity. This type of paper is designed to let moisture wick off the cheese without letting it escape entirely. If specialty cheese paper is not available, you can use parchment or wax paper to loosely wrap your cheese. This will protect it from drying out while still allowing it to breathe and maintain the necessary humidity.

Another option is to use a combination of paper and plastic. First, wrap the cheese in parchment or wax paper, and then loosely wrap it in plastic wrap or place it in a partially sealed plastic bag. This method provides breathability for the cheese while preventing it from drying out. However, it is important to replace the paper every time you unwrap the cheese, as reused materials will not provide the same breathable seal.

Use cheese bags or paper

Cheese bags or paper are the best way to store cheese and keep it fresh for as long as possible. This is because they are porous, allowing the cheese to breathe while protecting it from air exposure.

Formaticum Cheese Bags

Formaticum manufactures cheese bags and paper from a two-ply material made of wax-coated paper and a thin porous polyethylene plastic. This allows moisture to wick but not totally escape. The bags are durable and can be reused multiple times for the same type of cheese. They are also easy to label and store in the fridge.

Wax or Parchment Paper

If you can't find or don't want to buy cheese bags or paper, you can wrap cheese in wax or parchment paper and then put it in a partially sealed plastic bag. The paper creates a barrier between the cheese and the plastic, while the plastic keeps the cheese from drying out.

Replacing the Paper

For cheeses that sweat a lot, you should replace the cheese, wax, or parchment paper each time you unwrap it. Reused materials won't provide the same breathable seal.

Other Tips

• Soft and fresh cheeses are different and should be kept sealed in their original containers.
• For soft cheeses like mozzarella, remove it from the brining solution and wrap it in plastic, replacing the plastic each time you open it.
• Label your cheese with the type and date you wrapped it.
• Store cheese in the vegetable drawer or on a bottom shelf where the temperature is consistent but not too cold.

Store soft and fresh cheeses differently

Soft and fresh cheeses are more delicate than their harder counterparts and can spoil quickly. For the most part, these cheeses should be kept sealed in their original containers. However, larger pieces of mozzarella can be removed from their brining solution and wrapped in plastic. Replace the plastic each time you open it, and the cheese can last up to 7 days in the fridge. Smaller chunks dry out more easily and should be kept in the brining solution.

If you are storing soft cheeses like mozzarella, ricotta, and chèvre in liquid, keep them in a resealable container. If you move it to a new container, be sure to label the container with the type of cheese and the date that you bought it so you know how long to keep it.

Soft cheeses with delicate rinds, like Brie and Camembert, need plenty of air around them so that their rinds can breathe. Unwrap them and place them in a glass container lined with a paper towel (to absorb any condensation) and leave the lid open a little so that air can circulate.

Keep cheese in the vegetable drawer

Keeping cheese in the vegetable drawer is one of the best ways to ensure it stays fresh for longer. The vegetable drawer is ideal because it maintains a consistent temperature and humidity, which is crucial for preserving cheese.

The drawer's moderate temperature is usually slightly warmer than the rest of the fridge, falling within the optimal range of 35 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit for cheese storage. This temperature range helps prevent the cheese from drying out or becoming too cold.

Additionally, the crisper drawer in the refrigerator helps protect the humidity that cheese needs to breathe and stay fresh. Cheese is a living, breathing food, and it requires air circulation to maintain its quality. The vegetable drawer provides a more stable environment than the fridge shelves, which are more susceptible to temperature fluctuations.

To further enhance the storage conditions, you can place your cheese in a large Tupperware container within the vegetable drawer. This creates a microclimate that helps regulate the temperature and humidity even more effectively.

However, it is important to note that the vegetable drawer may not be the best option for all types of cheese. Soft cheeses, such as mozzarella, ricotta, and chèvre, are more delicate and require different storage methods. They are best kept sealed in their original containers or wrapped in plastic to prevent them from drying out.

In summary, keeping cheese in the vegetable drawer is a great way to maintain its freshness, as long as you are mindful of the specific needs of the different types of cheese in your collection.

Frequently asked questions