- Plan to serve cheese at your
next party? Always serve cheese at room temperature for optimum
flavor!
- Bulk cheese will keep longer
when it's wrapped in a paper towel dampened with vinegar and
placed in a sealed plastic bag. The vinegar will inhibit mold
growth. Re-moisten the paper towel every few days, as needed.
- Cheese should have a fresh,
clean appearance with no cracks or surface mold. Be sure the
packaging is sealed properly, without any openings or tears that
expose the cheese.
- Check the "use by"
or "sell by" dates on packaged cheese. If buying fresh
cut cheese, ask the clerk how best to wrap the cheese for storage
as well as how long the cheese can be kept.
- Because cheese easily absorbs
other flavors, keep it away from other aromatic foods in the
refrigerator.
- Refrigerate cheese between 34°F
(1°C) and 38°F (3°C).
- Cheese loses flavor and moisture
when it's exposed to air, so make sure to wrap hard cheeses,
such as Parmesan, in tightly drawn plastic wrap. Soft or fresh
cheeses, such as mascarpone, are best stored in clean, airtight
containers. Semi-hard cheeses, including cheddar and gouda, can
be wrapped in plastic wrap as well as a lighter wrapping paper,
such as parchment.
- Most cheese is easiest to cut
when chilled. However, some hard cheeses, such as Parmesan or
Asiago, cut better when they are brought to room temperature.
- A chef's knife works well for
cutting most cheeses. If the cheese has a wax or rind, score
it before you begin, ensuring a clean cut line.
- If cheese develops surface mold,
simply cut off about 1/4 to 1/2 inch from each affected side
and use the remaining cheese within one week.
- Cheese may be frozen but is
not recommended since freezing cheese will change the texture.
Semi-soft and hard cheeses will be more crumbly while softer
cheeses will separate slightly. The best candidates for freezing
are firm cheeses, such as Swiss, and hard cheeses, such as Parmesan.
The nutritional value will remain stable.
- When freezing cheese, wrap pieces
tightly in weights of 1 pound or less. Label and date your cheese
before storing it at temperatures of about 0°F.
- It's best to thaw cheese in
the refrigerator and use the cheese within a couple of days.
- The best use for cheese that
has been frozen is in recipes that call for melting cheese, such
as casseroles and hot sandwiches.
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