Storing Cheese

In terms of storing cheese, the smartest thing you can do is to purchase only the amount of cheese that you will be using within a few days. If you must store them longer, wrap the cheeses individually and tightly in clean plastic wrap. Store in a location where the temperature is consistent, such as the vegetable bin of the refrigerator; use it as soon as possible.

The shelf life of any cheese depends on the type of cheese. The softer the cheese, the shorter its life. Very soft cheeses should be used within a few days. More substantial fresh cheeses will usually keep for one to two weeks after opening. Semi-soft cheeses will usually last for about a month.

Harder cheeses will last for months; in fact, they will continue to age, albeit slowly, in your refrigerator. Extra-hard cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano can be kept for extended periods, even years, if properly wrapped.

Mold on Cheese
Mold spores are airborne and a natural part of the environment. If cheese is left unwrapped, especially in a humid environment, it will mold quickly and naturally. If your cheese develops a bit of extra mold, don’t worry, just cut it off with a clean knife. If there is a lot of mold, it is a good practice to clean your knife intermittently while cutting away the mold so that you don’t re-inoculate the cheese with mold as you cut. The general rule is cut ¼ inch to ½ inch deeper than the mold so that the contaminated cheese is cut away and discarded.