Cheese is an important ingredient to have in your fridge, as it is used to make many of our favourite dishes, like a quick sandwich or a big bowl of pasta. However, it can be quite a pricey product, so it can be frustrating to be in the middle of making food only to discover that the cheese has become spoiled.
Most people can be shocked to discover that cheese can actually be a delicate food that will expire before its time if it is not stored properly. When it is exposed to too much air, it will have a crusty, hard texture, but on the other hand, it can become mouldy if placed in an area with too much moisture.
The cheese experts at Rennet & Rind have pointed out that cheese is a “living breathing food” and requires extra care rather than simply being thrown in the fridge.
However, it only takes five minutes to store cheese correctly as you simply need to protect it from drying out or becoming too damp.
The expert explained: “Humidity is the key factor in keeping cheese fresh. Too little, and your cheese will dry out; too much, and it could become soggy or mouldy. Think of cheese as a moisture-rich food. That moisture naturally wants to escape to drier areas, which is what happens when cheese is exposed to fluctuating humidity in your fridge.”
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To keep it fresh, you just need to remove it from its original plastic wrapping and store it in a container in the fridge to protect it from humidity.
If cheese is left in plastic packaging, it will not get enough oxygen and will create a very humid environment, so it is more likely to become slimy and mouldy.
However, if cheese does not get enough air, it will dry out, forming a horrible crust that is flavourless and impossible to cut through.
How to properly store cheese
To begin, you will need a container with a lid, some baking paper and maybe a clean tea towel.
The expert said: “Use a large airtight container to create a stable, sealed environment for your cheese.”
They added: “Wrap the cheese paper tightly against the cheese, ensuring minimal exposure to air.”
Storing cheese in a container prevents it from being exposed to the cold, humid air in the fridge, while cheese paper is a breathable material, so it will still have enough oxygen and moisture.
However, you do not have to buy special cheese paper, as baking paper in your kitchen will work just as well to protect the cheese.
If you wish, you can also place a damp tea towel in the container to prevent it from drying out, but make sure it does not touch the cheese.
The expert said: “This trick increases the humidity in the container to around 85-90 percent keeping your cheese moist and preventing it from drying out.”
If you follow this storage method, then the cheese will stay fresh for much longer than it normally would, so you can cut down on food waste as well as your shopping bill.