Proper cheese storage: Tips to extend freshness and flavour
Cheese is an integral ingredient in many favourite dishes. It finds its way into sandwiches and casseroles, and many fans enjoy nibbling it straight from the package. It might seem that after opening, you should just put it in the refrigerator. However, there are ways to preserve its freshness and taste for longer.
Cheese is a key ingredient in the kitchen, used to prepare many favourite dishes. Unfortunately, it often spoils too quickly. Many people don't realize that cheese is very sensitive to storage conditions. Too much humidity can lead to moulding, and excessive exposure to air makes it hard and dry. As a result, it ends up in the trash. However, this is a problem that can be easily reduced.
How to properly store cheese?
Erika Kubick, a former cheese seller and cookbook author, shared the most common mistake made when storing cheese. It is concerned with keeping it in the plastic packaging from the store.
Cheese is a living product that requires oxygen and moisture to stay fresh and maintain its flavor. While it may be tempting to leave it in the plastic wrap it comes in, storing it correctly is just as effortless. According to an expert interviewed by the British portal Express.co.uk, proper cheese storage is straightforward and takes only a few minutes of care.
Keeping cheese in plastic cuts off the air supply, which can make it less tasty and hard as a brick. Plastic also creates a moist environment, which encourages mould growth. The best way to preserve cheese's freshness is to remove the plastic packaging as soon as possible after returning home. This applies to both plastic wrap and a box.
The best way to store cheese is wrapped in parchment paper or special cheese paper, which is reusable. It's important to wrap it tightly to prevent drying out in the refrigerator.
Additional tips
If you notice that the cheese has become hard, just cut off that part with a knife. This will extend the cheese's freshness. If you're concerned that the strong aroma of aged cheeses will penetrate the paper and spread in the refrigerator, use zipper-closure bags.
- Wrap the cheese in parchment or butcher paper.
- Then place it loosely in a zipper-closure bag.
- Before sealing, make sure there's a little air in the bag so the cheese has access to oxygen and moisture.
Using these methods, cheese should remain tasty and fresh and maintain the perfect texture for much longer than usual. The exact shelf life of cheese depends on its type. Fresh cheeses like ricotta will always have a shorter shelf life, while mould-ripened and blue cheeses can remain fresh for weeks.
