Since cheese is now seen as a luxury item in the shopping basket, it is important to know how to store it so that it lasts as long as possible. While some cheeses owe their amazing flavors to the magic of intentionally placed microorganisms like mold, your average cheeses are best eaten mold- and sweat-free. Express.co.uk spoke to Sarah Taylor, food hygiene expert at High Speed Training about the best way to store cheese to ensure the highest quality and promote longevity.
Sarah said: “The best cheese is much like fine wine – it is obtained through careful control of the milk produced, the cheese making process and the storage methods applied to age it well – cheese is an art form based on exact science.
“Artisanal – or country – cheeses are made on ‘wheels’, which are then stored for ripening.
“Once these wheels are cut, the cheese can no longer ripen in the same way and proper storage is essential to be able to appreciate the cheese in all its intended glory.
“Although it’s best to eat cheese soon after it’s cut from the wheel, sometimes storage is necessary, so how should you store cheese to get the best out of it?” And are there certain cheeses that need to be stored differently?’
She continued: “Each cheese is unique and therefore each has different requirements to keep them at their best.
“Hard cheeses like Parmesan have a low moisture content, and because bacteria need food and moisture to survive, cheese with a lower moisture content keeps longer.
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“Because of this low moisture content, hard cheeses are better wrapped in stretch film than in waxed cheese paper (or baking parchment), as the paper lets air in and the cheese will dry out.
“Soft cheeses have a higher moisture content and need to be able to breathe, if soft cheeses can’t breathe they can build up ammonia gases which can taint the flavor and ruin your carefully selected cheese.
“Therefore, soft cheeses should not be tightly wrapped in cling film as they will ‘sweat’.
“Soft cheeses are best wrapped in waxed cheese paper, baking parchment or reusable waxed cloth and then placed in a dish container.
“If you have a particularly hard cheese, add a piece of damp kitchen towel to the container and this will help regulate the atmosphere inside the container.
“Storing cheese in an airtight container will also help prevent the smell from escaping,” Sarah added.
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For anyone wondering if there is an ideal place to store cheese in the fridge, the expert revealed: “Cheese benefits from texture, for this reason you should keep it in the back of the fridge where the temperature and humidity are most regulated.
“Try not to keep cheese in the fridge door as the constant opening and closing exposes it to highly fluctuating temperatures.”
And what about eating cheese that is slightly moldy – cheddar cheese for example?
Sarah said: “The puffiness in some cheeses, such as stilton, is intentional.
“A blue and white vein mold is introduced into the cheese to develop the flavor and forms along the cracks and air pockets in the cheese. Blue (and white) molds are different strains of the penicillin genus.
“The Penicillium roqueforti strain was chosen specifically for cheese because it adds flavor, while Penicillium camemberti is used for surface-ripened cheeses such as Brie and Camembert.
“These penicillin molds are completely harmless to eat because they do not produce the same mycotoxins that can be produced by other foods.
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“However, for some cheeses, mold is not a positive flavoring and like any other food it can make you feel sick.
“Cheese with a high moisture content, such as soft cheese, have a higher risk of going moldy faster because they provide a favorable environment for bacteria to grow.
“Bacteria need food and moisture to survive, and although most bacteria are harmless or essential to our healthy digestive systems, some can be unpleasant.”
So how can you fight mold? Sarah explained: “You should try to control the risk of unwanted bacterial growth by limiting the flow of oxygen to the cheese and by regulating the temperature. This is where food hygiene training protocols need to be followed, especially in businesses and the food industry.
“Many soft cheeses bought in supermarkets are available in foil tubs (e.g. Philadelphia and equivalents), or packaged in portions in liquid (e.g. mozzarella) and even wrapped in wax paper and in small wooden collars (e.g. Camembert, ready for the oven). These materials are carefully selected to allow the cheese to be stored in the safest way for each of their own requirements.
“Wooden collars work really well to allow a cheese like Tunworth to breathe while preventing the growth of bacteria, you can also buy cheese caves that replicate old country shops.
“The modern approach to the cheese cave protects the cheese and stores it at 75 percent humidity, they can be stored on the counter or in the refrigerator.
“When storing your cheeses, it’s important to follow the manufacturer’s directions and consume them before their expiration date.”
For anyone who can’t consume their cheese before the expiration date, Sarah said you can freeze it.
“This will extend the shelf life, but the process of freezing the cheese will affect the texture and taste of the product,” she added. “Cheeses with a high moisture content, for example soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert, are at risk of forming ice crystals when frozen, and cold temperatures can also suck the moisture out of them, causing them to dry out.”
“It’s not recommended to freeze any cheese you want to eat on a cheese board, but freezing a block of cheddar that you intend to grate and use as an ingredient in your cauliflower cheese recipe is fine.”
“If you choose to freeze cheese, wrap it in waxed cheese paper or parchment paper and place in an airtight container before placing in the freezer, and use within six months.”
Find out about food hygiene courses or read more about reheating food safely at
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