Cheese is undoubtedly one of the most delicious and useful dairy products one may find in the supermarkets these days. Some people eat cheese from time to time, while others cannot live a day with this delicious dairy product. People, who belong to the latter category, often like to store their favorite types of cheese for several weeks or even months. However, many of the just don’t realize how important it is to store cheese properly, in the result of which the product often gets spoiled.
When stored incorrectly, cheese dries out, which is especially manifested in its taste and look. Listed below are five tips on how to avoid these frustrating problems.
Proper Cheese Packaging
If you wish to prolong the shelf life of cheese, make sure its pieces are packed separately. Traditional kitchen wrap is not the best option in this case, because it does not allow the cheese to breathe well. As a result, this has negative effects upon its taste properties and may even trigger the spread of harmful bacteria. An alternative method is ordinary baking paper, which ensures proper breathing properties and prevents the cheese from preliminary drying.
Store Cheese in a Fridge
If there is no cool basement in your house, then you should obligatory store cheese in a fridge. This is quite an important issue because an ideal storing temperature ranges between 6 and 8 degrees above zero. The humidity, in its turn, should constitute not more than 90%.
Avoid Temperature Differences
When storing cheese, make sure it is kept at the same temperature. This product does not like any temperature differences, which triggers the change of taste and the condition of the product. To avoid this problem, it is recommended to store cheese on the lower shelf of the fridge – preferably, in the fruit and vegetable compartment.
Individual Storage
All types of cheese soak other scents, which means that they should be stored individually. Different cheese sorts should also be kept in separate packages to preserve their unique aroma.
Preserve the Rind
Cheese rind protects the product from the negative influence of the unfavorable conditions and helps preserve its natural aroma. This means that you should not hurry to get rid of it the sooner the better. By the way, the rind of some sorts of cheese may be edible, so take your time to find that out in advance. And one more thing! Do not cut the whole piece of cheese right from the start, because it may dry out very quickly. Instead, cut the piece you are going to eat right now.
Experts point out that hard cheese may be kept for 7-10 days, while soft cheese sorts are stored for 3 days only. Keep that in mind when buying this dairy product next time!
