Cheese holds a special place in British kitchens, from crumbly Lancashire to creamy brie. Yet many households find their favourite wedges going mouldy or drying out too soon. Storing cheese well means more than just keeping it edible. It helps retain the unique flavours and textures that make each variety distinct.
Its lifespan extends considerably for those willing to slice away mould spores when the remaining portion appears perfectly edible, though there’s a superior method. Sarah Taylor, a food hygiene specialist at High-Speed Training, has disclosed the best techniques for storing cheese – and it’s not what you’d expect.
Most individuals grab plastic wrap, commonly called cling film, attempting to preserve what’s left of a cheese block. However, Sarah cautioned against this approach.
She said: “Each cheese is unique, and so they each have different requirements in order to keep them at their best.”
Cheese is a living food that needs to breathe. When wrapped tightly in plastic, it’s deprived of oxygen and can develop unpleasant odours or slimy surfaces. Hard cheeses may sweat and become greasy, while soft cheeses risk turning mushy.
The food safety specialist elaborated: “Hard cheeses such as parmesan have a low moisture content, and as bacteria require food and moisture to survive, cheese with a lower moisture content tends to keep longer.”
Because of this minimal moisture level, hard cheeses fare better when covered in cling film rather than waxed cheese paper (or baking parchment), since the paper permits air circulation, leading the cheese to dehydrate.
Nevertheless, soft cheeses like brie, containing higher moisture levels, require ventilation. When soft cheeses cannot “breathe”, they may gather ammonia gases, which can modify the taste and spoil the delightful savoury delicacy.
Sarah concluded: “Therefore, soft cheeses should not be tightly wrapped in cling film as they will sweat.”
Instead, soft cheeses should be wrapped in waxed cheese paper, baking parchment, or reusable waxed cloth and then placed in an airtight container.
The expert also recommended: “If you have a particularly tricky cheese, add a piece of dampened kitchen towel to the container and this will help regulate the atmosphere inside the container.”
Proper cheese storage has the additional advantage of containing the odour, which frequently permeates throughout the fridge without a container.
Regarding the ideal storage spot within the fridge, Sarah revealed: “Cheese benefits from consistency, for that reason you should keep it at the back of the fridge where the temperature and humidity are the most regulated.”
She warned against particular storage locations, stating: “Try not to keep cheese in the fridge door as the constant opening and closing subjects it to hugely varying temperatures.”