How best to store cheese long term?
I like cheese. It's delicious. Sometimes it goes on a huge sale and it's a lot cheaper than normal. I want to be able to stock up in these times.
I am wondering what the best way to store cheese is of different types (the 8oz blocks of softer cheeses or hard blocks of fancier cheeses).
It seems like I could freeze them, but I've had bad luck with cheeses becoming crumbly. Harder cheeses feel like you could refrigerate them forever without them going bad, assuming you either don't touch them or they stay unopened.
Is there a good way to store cheese without it going bad? And how long does it stay good if you store it?
Best Answer
Sealed hard cheeses will indeed keep forever at 15 Celsius and below, unsealed they can go mouldy or so dry you can't cut them.
Soft cheeses can't be stored past their expiration date, they are a perishable product. (As always, the "freezer stops the clock" rule applies, but you already said you don't like the resulting texture).
In short, unless you have a dedicated cheese cellar, you can't do better than your fridge.
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Quick Answer about "How best to store cheese long term?"
A layer of wax paper or parchment paper folded tightly around the cheese, then placed in an unsealed plastic baggie, is probably your best bet. For blues, regular aluminum foil like you'll find at the grocery store or on Amazon.com can also be an effective packaging.How do you preserve cheese for years?
You can help cheese keep fresh longer by storing it in your refrigerator at 40\xb0F or lower immediately after each use. It should also be stored either in its original wrapper or a tightly closed container to keep out moisture and other contaminants.How do you prolong the shelf life of cheese?
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.How do you store cheese so it does not mold?
The best way to store your cheese is in cheese paper. The next best thing (and probably the easier way, if you don't have cheese paper handy) is to wrap your cheese first in parchment or waxed paper, and then loosely in plastic wrap or a plastic baggie.Ways to Store Cheese Long Term
More answers regarding how best to store cheese long term?
Answer 2
I watched a survival show once and the presenter showed that melting wax and encasing the already opened cheese in wax would keep it safe for eating.
Answer 3
When there is a good price on cheese we buy a lot. We will cut the cheese into sizes that were would use for the month. Then vacuum seal them and put them in our fridge. They have lasted for more than 2 years, and taste the same as when we bought it. You can also freeze it, if it has a high fat content. Saw this on a Rachel Ray show. We have had a vacuum sealer for more than 20 plus years and has done the job remarkably well.
Answer 4
It is best to seal cheese in a Ziploc bag with the air pushed out with a damp cloth over the cheese to prevent it from hardening, then seal. Hard cheeses can have the crusted dried out part cut away and the rest is still good to eat. Cheese is best served at room temperature so be sure to cut what you would eat in one sitting and put the rest in the fridge in a sealed bag with a damp cloth over the cheese itself. This is assuming it is a high quality cheese. As for the soft cheeses, I'm not too sure about keeping them if they get moulded.
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Images: Rachel Claire, Tim Douglas, Tim Douglas, Nicole Berro