[Koukouvagia]

My suspicions tell me that cheese stays good for a long time once I open the container. But how long is that? If it is packaged I look at the expiration date but I think it implies "open by this date". I'm craving blue cheese but my danish blue was opened a month ago - can I still eat it?

So how long can I keep my:

Blue cheese
Parmesan
Cheddar
Provolone
Swiss
Gouda
Goats Cheese
Feta
Brie

... and how should it be stored to ensure maximum flavor and longevity?

[ED BUCHANAN]

My suspicions tell me that cheese stays good for a long time once I open the container. But how long is that? If it is packaged I look at the expiration date but I think it implies "open by this date". I'm craving blue cheese but my danish blue was opened a month ago - can I still eat it?




X-date on package means the last day it can be sold at retail. Hard cheeses will last longer in most cases. Soft cheeses have more moisture content therefore can go bad faster. Feta last a long time cause its in water or should be. I find keeping them real cold but not frozen keeps them longer, they can for cooking purposes be frozen fairly well except Brie and goat. These two do not freeze well. Re. your bleu. I dont know but if it is real bad, it will smell like amonia.

[shel]

Cheese in a container!? My goodness, girl, what kind of cheese are you buying? What kind of containers does the cheese come in?

Sometimes I see sliced cheese or brick cheese in a supermarket or a place like Trader Joe's that's in a plastic wrapping. Is that what you mean?

In any case, cheese can stay around a while after opening when properly wrapped and kept refrigerated. The wrapping - especially plastic wrap(!) - should be changed often. For many cheeses it is suggested not to buy more than you will consume in a week or two. Not so much because the cheese will go bad, but because it will lose texture and flavor, although it's still safe to eat.

Here's one point of view on storing cheese. Mind you, this is for real cheese - not that Kraft Parmesan in the green container.

Storing Cheese: The Splendid Table

Storage temp should be between 35- and 45-degrees

I've never really known a cheese to go bad (except maybe sliced supermarket cheese, but I can't remember when I last purchased some) but cheese doesn't stay around here very long. I only buyt what I'll eat in the next few days or week. If cheese gets a little moldy, just cut of the moldy part and enjoy what's left.

If you've got a bunch of cheese in small pieces or odds and ends sizes, don't toss them - make a Fromage Fort. If you'd like some recipes/techniques, let me know.

Originally Posted by Mapiva

My suspicions tell me that cheese stays good for a long time once I open the container. But how long is that? If it is packaged I look at the expiration date but I think it implies "open by this date". I'm craving blue cheese but my danish blue was opened a month ago - can I still eat it?
So how long can I keep my:
Blue cheese
Parmesan
Cheddar
Provolone
Swiss
Gouda
Goats Cheese
Feta
Brie
... and how should it be stored to ensure maximum flavor and longevity?

[ED BUCHANAN]

Cheese in a container!? My goodness, girl, what kind of cheese are you buying? What kind of containers does the cheese come in?

I assume M. is buying all cheese in supermarket. Brie comes in cans, feta comes in plastic bubbles as do most of the others..American is not even cheese anymore the plastic between slices melts better then the cheese. Even wholesale the cheeses are starting to come in plastic of somesought. The days of 'Ye Olde Cheese Shoppe' are over in most places as is the fish store. Again some call it Progress. In food service commercially soft cheese does go bad, from bad handleing, temperature, non rotation and getting lost in walk-in fridge.

[amazingrace]

Store cheese? Don't you just eat it?

[DMT]

We've started using our FoodSaver appliance for repackaging cheddar cheese that is opened, and not completely consumed right away. I'd presume that the following information would be applicable to any "hard" cheese...

On weekends, I enjoy some sharp cheddar on assorted crackers, topped with salami or pastrami. However, I don't eat the whole pound in one sitting (more like an eighth), and have had some mold over to the point that it just wasn't worth the effort to trim it off.

The FoodSaver vacuums out all (well, most all) of the air, reducing the potential for spoilage or mold growth.

Case in point, we had a small block of cheese that we took out of the original wrapper, cut some off and repackaged and sealed the remainder, repeating this resealing process three times in a month's period of time. The only trick is to make the bag big enough to allow for opening and resealing multiple times...

No evidence of mold at all, which pretty much astounded me.

Your mileage may vary...

[shel]

Originally Posted by ED BUCHANAN

I assume M. is buying all cheese in supermarket. Brie comes in cans, feta comes in plastic bubbles as do most of the others..

I can't say I've ever seen cheese in cans or in plastic bubbles. The cheese shops and markets I've visited all seem to have their cheese sliced from bricks or wheels. Maybe I'm missing something. I don't shop in Safeway-type stores, so maybe that's the reason.

I have seen cheese in plastic wrappers - usually sliced cheese such as found at Trader Joe's.

[Koukouvagia]

I buy cheese wherever. I buy sliced swiss at the deli. I buy provolone from the dairy section at the supermarket, probably a brandname because I like the smokiness. I buy shrinkwrapped gouda and blue cheese from the gourmet cheese section at the market, feta from the greek specialty store and I get goats cheese from wherever I can find it, usually in pretty little packages at Wholefoods. Parmesan will come from my local italian specialty store off a wheel. Why does it matter where my cheese comes from? I obviously ain't talkin about Kraft singles.

I've heard raves about The Cheese Store (i think that's what it's called) here in NYC but haven't been to visit it yet. Anyone know of it?

So then my hankering for blue cheese can be satisfied by my month old plastic wrapped danish blue?

[ED BUCHANAN]

Originally Posted by shel

I can't say I've ever seen cheese in cans or in plastic bubbles. The cheese shops and markets I've visited all seem to have their cheese sliced from bricks or wheels. Maybe I'm missing something. I don't shop in Safeway-type stores, so maybe that's the reason.

I have seen cheese in plastic wrappers - usually sliced cheese such as found at Trader Joe's.

Walk thru your local supermarket one day. I dont say buy anything, but I think you will be surprised as to how the other half buys and what they buy.

[Pete]

I think your month old blue should be fine. A couple of good points, already brought up,to remember:
1. Soft cheeses go bad more quickly than harder cheeses.
2. Rewrap your cheese in fresh plastic wrap each time you use it.
3. Slight amounts of mold can be trimed off the outside of the cheeses.
4. For most cheeses, a smell of amonia means it has gone past it's prime. Even the world's stinkiest cheeses shouldn't have a strong amonia smell though they may smell very strong.

[siduri]

I find that cheese that goes bad shows it pretty well.
True that blue cheeses are already moldy, and some already stink, so how do you tell? I can tell when the mold is a different color. Red or orange mold on blue cheeses is a bad sign. It makes them taste bad and smell worse.
Other moldy type cheeses, like brie, can go bad, and the white mold covering turns yellowish. (Maybe it's just ripe, but it doesn;t taste right to me.)
Other cheeses begin to get mold, which they're not supposed to do.
Parmigiano usually only gets too hard to grate.