It's best to keep cheese, of all varieties, in a dark, cool and airy space – the vegetable compartment of an average fridge is ideal, as it is not too humid or cold. Cheese should be allowed to breathe, however this needs a little balance to avoid the cheese from drying out, or becoming too humid and sweaty.
First things first: “Always double-wrap your cheese – in waxed paper or baking parchment, ideally – and put it in a plastic container lined with dampened kitchen towel or J-cloth.” Then clap on the lid and put it in the top of the fridge – that's where the temperature is usually the most constant, unless you have a ...
Answer: Always wrap a soft cheese in parchment or waxed paper; rewrap it with a new piece after each use to prolong freshness. These breathable materials prevent mold-causing moisture from collecting on the surface without drying it out.
Storing Hard Cheese
One way to protect cheese is to use cheese paper, or wax or parchment paper, wrapping the cheese tightly then sealing it with tape. Hard cheeses that you'll eat fairly quickly do pretty well wrapped in plastic wrap, or placed in a sealed plastic bag or sealed glass container.
Fridges are moist spaces, especially if the doors are constantly being opened. To avoid fluctuations of humidity from hitting your precious block of cheese, store your wrapped cheese in a sealed container, preferably made of glass. Unlike plastic, glass does not transfer smells.
We recommend avoiding wrapping your cheese in cling film or foil, as it can cause the cheese to sweat which will negatively affect the flavour. Parchment/greaseproof paper is the best substitute for cheese paper.
Parchment or wax paper will work too. After it's wrapped, place it in a Ziploc bag, which allows the cheese some air to breathe. Remember to date and label your cheese as well. IIf you have a softer cheese like brie, Camembert or a blue cheese, you should store it in a clean, airtight container after wrapping.
Avoid: Not using an extra layer of protection.
Johnson recommends putting the cheese you've wrapped in paper (not plastic!) in another container for extra protection — either Tupperware with holes poked in it or a plastic bag with holes poked in it. The holes are key, as cheese is a living thing.
Neglecting the Fridge
"Any moldy food will put additional spores in your refrigerator and could cause your cheese to mold faster," says Kerry Henning, master cheesemaker at Hennings Cheese. For food safety reasons, your refrigerator temperature should always be below 40°F.
Soft cheeses such as cottage cheese, ricotta or Brie can be refrigerated one week but they don't freeze well. Hard cheeses such as cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan can be stored in the refrigerator six months before opening the package and three to four weeks after opening. It can also be frozen six months.
#11Use Oil to Prevent Molding
If you want to forgo the plastic altogether, you can rub the cut faces of the cheese with a light coat of olive, canola or another vegetable oil, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
If you choose to store hard cheese in the fridge (which arguably many are in the habit of doing so) then we would recommend storing in the warmest part of the fridge, such as the vegetable drawer. Of course, it goes without saying that any cheese that you choose to refrigerate should be appropriately wrapped.
Top Shelf. The top shelf of a fridge should always be used to store food that is ready to eat. This includes dairy products like yoghurt and cheese and any pre-prepared food or leftovers that don't need to be reheated before serving.
General Rules: Cheese is best stored in the refrigerator as close to the bottom of the appliance as possible - the vegetable compartment is ideal. Wrap it in aluminum foil or waxed paper (waxed paper being the best of the two). Wrapped this way, the cheese will be able to breathe and further develop without drying out.
Cheddar and Jack cheeses store best when wrapped in wax or cheese paper, then in plastic wrap. The paper layer (instead of plastic) directly outside the cheese allows it to breathe, release byproduct odors, and minimize growth of new bacterias on the surface.
A. It depends on the variety of the cheese. Different cheeses mold differently. Cheese with higher moisture, such as cream cheese, can mold within two or three weeks, whereas more rigid varieties of cheese, such as Parmesan, can take up to 10 months to mold.
A pungent cheese will still taste pleasant to a connoisseur. When it has gone bad, it will taste overly bitter or sour, or have a musty quality to it, like drinking water from a moldy pipe. And if a mild cheese all of a sudden has some character to it, don't assume you just aged your own cheese. Just throw it away.
Cheese keeps best when it is wrapped in waxed paper. This strikes the right balance between stopping the cheese from drying out and preventing too much moisture from building up. Cling film tends to trap moisture, which can encourage mould to grow on the surface of the cheese.
USE CHEESE PAPER OR ALUMINIUM FOIL
To make sure your favorite cheese stays fresh, wrap it in cheese paper. This keeps the cheese from drying out and allows it to breathe, ensuring it will last longer. Once wrapped, you should place your cheese in an airtight container to make sure it gets the right amount of moisture.
To keep cheese moist—but not mold-prone—first wrap it tightly in waxed or parchment paper and then loosely in aluminum foil.
Semi-hard and hard cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere): Wrap in plastic wrap. Soft, semi-soft, and stinky cheeses (goat, Camembert, Brie, Limburger): Place in a resealable plastic container. Fresh cheeses in water (mozzarella or Feta): Leave the cheese in the original packaging, changing the water every couple of days.
For a healthy portion, stick with 1 or 2 ounces. “Savor cheese, but stretch it,” Salge Blake says. Use a cheese knife (it yields thinner slices), and pick a flavorful variety like Parmigiano-Reggiano, Stilton, or feta so that you'll be satisfied with a smaller helping.
Ditch the plastic wrap.
Alternatively, you can swaddle your cheese in a damp paper towel and then wrap it in aluminum. Or, fold it loosely in wax paper and place it in a porous container, like leftover plastic takeout containers with a few holes poked in the lid.