Storing Cheese

If you freeze cheese, store only for six months.

When you store cheese in the refrigerator, it should be stored in its original wrapper, tightly wrapped, or in a container.

Cheese keeps best in the refrigerator. The length of time you can keep cheese depends on what kind it is and how it is wrapped.

Perishable cheeses…

Soft cheeses are highly perishable. Soft cheeses include cottage, cream and Neufchatel. Hard cheese, such as Swiss and cheddar keep much longer. If you wrap them so that they don't dry out.

Cheese should be stored in its original wrapper whenever possible. You should cover the opened surface tightly with waxed paper, foil or plastic wrap to protect it. You can also store cheeses in tightly covered containers.

Cheeses with strong odors, such as Limburger, should always be stored in a tightly cover container. If you're going to store a piece of cheese for a long time you may want to dip the cut surface in melted paraffin.

Mold is an important part of some cheeses and may be eaten on cheeses such as Blue and Roquefort. Hard cheeses, such as Swiss and cheddar, are ripened by mold so when you find it on these cheeses you should trim it off. If the mold gets to the inside of the cheese, you should throw it away.

Some cheeses freeze well.

Generally, it's not recommended that you freeze cheese because it become crumbly and mealy. However, some varieties of cheese may be frozen in small pieces of about a pound or less. You can freeze brick, cheddar, edam, Gouda, Muenster, Port du Salut, Swiss, Provolone, Mozzarella and Camembert.

If you want a crumbly textured cheese to use in salads or salad dressings, you can freeze a little Blue, Roquefort or Gorgonzola. To freeze cheese, wrap it tightly and freeze it quickly at zero degrees. You shouldn't store it longer than six months.

For more information on storing cheese, contact your local county Extension office.