How many times have you found that a block of cheese has gone bad in the fridge? One day it's nice and perfectly fresh, ready to top your dish, and then a few days later, it's covered in mould?
While we know that cheese needs to be refrigerated, not many of us know that the storage conditions can vary depending on the cheese.
So we went to find the answers and got them from The Gourmet Cheese Detective, who has details on how you go about storing different cheeses.
While we know that cheese needs to be refrigerated, not many of us know that the storage conditions can vary depending on the cheese. Picture: Supplied- Fresh cheeses like mozzarella should be stored in the sealed plastic containers in which you purchase them. Don't pour out the liquid and turn the cheese each day so all sides remain moist. These soft fresh cheeses will last about seven days. If a fresh cheese begins to smell like old, sour milk - toss it out.
- Bloomy-rind cheeses such as Brie and Camembert are not as moist as fresh cheeses but still have quite a high moisture content. This style of cheese should last in your fridge perhaps two weeks. If you see an ugly, pinkish, and slimy mould on it - it has gone past the point of no return - toss it out.
While we know that cheese needs to be refrigerated, not many of us know that the storage conditions can vary depending on the cheese. Picture: Supplied
- Aged goat cheeses are often sold in individual portion sizes. These keep very, very well. They won't die on you, but if you leave them long enough in the fridge they will begin to dry out and harden, with the flavour becoming more intense.
- Hard, aged cheeses like farmhouse cheddar and gouda have already been aged for a good long while. These are hardy and durable cheeses with very little moisture content. But eventually, even properly wrapped in paper and then loose plastic, these cheeses will show some bluish-green mould. Don't panic. Don't toss them out. Just make a cut half in from the mould and throw out the mouldy bit, or scrape the mould off. What lies underneath will be perfectly good.
- Blue cheeses wrapped in foil will keep well, but be aware that their flavours will become more pungent and assertive with age - which may or may not please you. Figure on two weeks storage in your fridge. It is really important to wrap these cheeses well in foil because of their high moisture content; you need to lock in that moisture.