How to store cheese in the refrigerator

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-12 17:37

In order for the cheese to remain fresh and tasty for a long time, without losing its structure, it is important to store it correctly. Cheese lovers are often faced with the fact that the product becomes dry and loses its taste. To prevent this from happening, it is important to figure out how to keep the cheese tasty and fresh in the refrigerator for a long time.

No polyethylene

Contrary to popular belief that cling film or polyethylene bags are an excellent way to store a product, we note that this is not the case! Cheese is a living product that must breathe, it can age and even sweat.

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If the cheese is wrapped in polyethylene, it loses the ability to breathe, as a result of which pathogenic microorganisms start in it, the product begins to smell bad and simply disappears. The taste of such cheese becomes disgusting the next day.

You can keep hard cheese in the refrigerator fresh and tasty for a long time without using bags. In addition, the product can saturate the taste of plastic, you are unlikely to want it, there is cheese with a taste of film. Immediately after purchasing a "sandwich" delicacy, it must be laid out from the package.

Determination of the type of cheese

First of all, you need to understand what product you brought home. The higher the fat content of the cheese, the quicker healthy mold will appear on it. Not all cheeses are made from cow's milk. You can often find varieties of goat milk products on the shelves. Such cheeses are rich in vitamins, microelements, besides, they are distinguished by a high percentage of fat content.

The shelf life of each variety is different, so we will consider the main criteria for determining the variety of the product:

1. Hard cheese, Parmesan or Edam. It has a high density, there are no large holes on it.
2. Semi-hard cheese Maasdam. Due to its soft and homogeneous consistency, as well as its firm and elastic structure, the cheese is distinguished by its tenderness. There are holes of different sizes.
3. Soft cheese Mascarpone. The structure is elastic and soft. The aftertaste is creamy. Sometimes you can find variants with a mushroom flavor. Cheese lovers are especially interested in how to keep cheese in the refrigerator for a long time. After all, Mascarpone needs to be eaten fresh, immediately after purchase.
4. Suluguni cheese - pickled. The product is made following a special technique; it ripens in a special brine.
5. Processed cheese curds. The composition of such a product includes butter, cottage cheese, condensed milk, melters.
6. Blue cheese. During the manufacturing process, a special ingredient is added to the mass. This is food mold. It can be blue, light green or red.
7. Homemade cottage cheese. Prepared from sour milk in a water bath.

How to store cheese

Experienced hostesses recommend using special cheese paper. However, it is not always possible to buy it in a regular store, and not everyone has heard of it.

One of the most basic methods is parchment or wax paper. But the product wrapped in paper can then be put in a plastic bag. The first layer of paper will prevent the appearance of unpleasant odors and the development of pathogenic microflora.

Specify variety name and date

When wondering how to preserve cheese for a long time, one should not forget about such a moment as the labeling of the packaged product. This is especially true for those people who always have several types of cheese in the refrigerator. Always write the type and date of cheese after wrapping it in paper. Only in this case, you can find out how much it is on the refrigerator shelf and how long it can be kept there, this will allow you to monitor the freshness of the product.

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Learning how to properly wrap cheese

For reliable and correct packaging of the treats, you will need: scissors, parchment or waxed paper, tape, a marker. So, let's get down to wrapping, step by step instructions:

1. A small square should be cut out of paper, about three times the size of the purchased piece of cheese. The product is placed diagonally on the surface of the paper, so that the thickest part of the product falls into the corner of the paper, and the thin one coincides with the center.
2. Next, the product is wrapped so that the sides are folded alternately. It's like wrapping a gift. Using tape, the sides of the paper are fixed.
3. After the cheese is packed, you need to stick a sticker on it with the date of packaging and the name of the product.

This method will allow you to keep the cheese in the refrigerator for a long time without the appearance of pathogenic mold. You do not run the risk of feeding your household a spoiled product.

Shelf life depends on the type of cheese

There are mature and fresh cheeses, pickled and soft. Each species has its own expiration date. For example, fresh cheeses can be stored for no more than a few days, but a mature product will not lose its taste even after several weeks. Brine species can be stored for up to 10 days. Soft varieties - no more than 5 days. Blue cheeses should not be refrigerated for more than two weeks.

Remember: the harder the structure of the cheese and the longer its aging, the longer the shelf life of the product will be.

Compliance with temperature conditions

To keep hard Parmesan, Adyghe or Edam cheese in the refrigerator for a long time, it is important to keep the temperature constant. Ideally, it ranges from 1 to 7 degrees. But low temperatures are ways to destroy the product, ridding it of taste, smell, structure.

Fortunately, there are refrigerators on the market with built-in compartments to keep any type of cheese fresh. If you do not have this opportunity, then you can use the vegetable compartment.

A few tips for those who do not know how to keep the product in the refrigerator for a long time:

1. If after buying cheese you see mold on it, do not be scared. To solve the problem, you can separate the normal piece from the mold and put it in the refrigerator. If soft cheese has deteriorated, then it is strictly prohibited to eat it.
2. Never freeze cheese. After that, it will lose its aroma and taste, although it can be used in cooking.
3. Every time you cut a piece of cheese, it is important to wrap it back in its packaging. This will keep the product fresh for a long time.

We hope our tips will help you solve your favorite food storage problem!

Bonus

So, what you need to pay attention to for proper storage of cheese:

grade;

• correct packaging;
• no polyethylene;
• temperature regime;
• compliance with storage rules after each use;
• getting rid of mold;
• no freezing.