Keeping / Storing Cheese...
- Thread starter mugsy27
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Food saver is ideal, imo. So long as it is airtight, you should be good to go.
As far as freezing, I have no idea, it never lasts that long in my house.
As far as freezing, I have no idea, it never lasts that long in my house.
FryBoy
Washing Up
I usually buy a 1/2- to 1-pound chunk of imported Parmigiano Reggiano at a time. If it comes in plastic wrap, I remove the plastic and wrap it in a couple of clean paper towels, then refrigerate it in a sealable plastic bag. I've never had any go bad, but it doesn't last too long around here.
The foodsaver is perfect and no need to freeze. Just keep it in the fridge. Any cheese will be fine in the fridge. and actually, parm is so dry, it won't mold anyway. So what Fryboy does will also work.
Cheese should never be put in direct contact with plastic.
Cheese should never be put in direct contact with plastic.
FryBoy
Washing Up
Gretchen said:
But cheese usually comes in plastic, unless you go to the deli counter or a cheese shop. Is that a different type of plastic?
Regarding the foodsaver, don't you have to suck the air out and reseal the bag with the machine each time? Can you reuse the bags?
Thanks.
fryboy...i plan on cutting the cheese into smaller portings that will last about 3 weeks each and individually sealing them.
gretchen: if cheese shouldnt come into contact with plastic, then how can i vacuum seal it...its plastic! lol
gretchen: if cheese shouldnt come into contact with plastic, then how can i vacuum seal it...its plastic! lol
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
I always have a chunk or chunks of Parmesan, Asiago, &/or Romano in the fridge, & just keep them in Ziploc bags. But as another poster said, they don't last long around here 
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As far as other softer cheeses, I wrap them in plastic wrap & use them asap. But again - good cheeses do not last long enough around here to spoil.
.As far as other softer cheeses, I wrap them in plastic wrap & use them asap. But again - good cheeses do not last long enough around here to spoil
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FryBoy
Washing Up
You can freeze cheese, but freezing may affect its texture. Not a problem if you're using it in cooking, but not great if you're eating it by itself.
Here in Italy I am assured it is fine to freeze parmesan. You keep the bit you are using in the fridge and then freeze in portions, wrapped in foil. Mine doesn't last long enough....but now we are here we are buying MASSIVE bricks of the stuff, maybe I'll try it.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
I sometimes use my foodsaver for cheese, but I do not put it in bags. I use the canisters instead.
I have also heard about not wrapping your cheese in plastic wrap because it needs to breath. I have tried other methods recommended by cheese shops, but when I have tried other things I find the cheese gets moldy very quickly. When I use plastic wrap it seems to last longer. I know the cheese police would arrest me for that, but I do what I find works for me.
I have also heard about not wrapping your cheese in plastic wrap because it needs to breath. I have tried other methods recommended by cheese shops, but when I have tried other things I find the cheese gets moldy very quickly. When I use plastic wrap it seems to last longer. I know the cheese police would arrest me for that, but I do what I find works for me.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
I'm a hardcore cheese person & have been buying different types of cheese from specialty cheese shops (back when there were a lot of them around) & markets for many many years.
And the business about the plastic wrap is nothing but an old wive's tale. Every cheese shop I've frequented advises that you wrap your cheeses in plastic wrap before storing in the fridge. Air either molds the cheese &/or dries it out.
Believe me, if the "cheese police" arrest you, they're not playing with a full deck & you'll definitely be bailed out before the case goes to trial - lol!!
And the business about the plastic wrap is nothing but an old wive's tale. Every cheese shop I've frequented advises that you wrap your cheeses in plastic wrap before storing in the fridge. Air either molds the cheese &/or dries it out.
Believe me, if the "cheese police" arrest you, they're not playing with a full deck & you'll definitely be bailed out before the case goes to trial - lol!!
I don't agree about the plastic. It either molds or gets slimey. I don't understand not using the vacuum on the foodsaver for cheese. I have saved enough in cheese alone to pay for the FoodSavers I have had. The canister is fne too--just takes up more room.
For a hard cheese like parm, plastic wrap won't make any difference. And if it is stored closed in an air tight bag, it will also be OK. It is a very dry cheese and holds up well.
Store blue cheese in plastic wrap and you will be a believer in not doing it--for long periods of time.
And cheese sellers I frequent do not use plastic wrap but something on the order of parchment paper or wax paper.
For a hard cheese like parm, plastic wrap won't make any difference. And if it is stored closed in an air tight bag, it will also be OK. It is a very dry cheese and holds up well.
Store blue cheese in plastic wrap and you will be a believer in not doing it--for long periods of time.
And cheese sellers I frequent do not use plastic wrap but something on the order of parchment paper or wax paper.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
must be tough on the old dentures, huh gobo?
i am also a plastic cheese wrapper. it's not my fault; it's genetic.
my dad was famous for this. wrapping the smallest piece of leftover cheese, usually cheddar, in layer after layer of plastic wrap. the innermost layers had been used to re-wrap the cheese as it got smaller. the outer layers were fairly new.
then, the plastic was often secured with rubber bands, then a few layers of aluminum foil were wrapped around, obeying the same rules as the plastic wrap.
if you took a cross section of the wrapped cheese tidbit, you could approximate when he bought it by counting the "rings" of plastic and foil.
i am also a plastic cheese wrapper. it's not my fault; it's genetic.
my dad was famous for this. wrapping the smallest piece of leftover cheese, usually cheddar, in layer after layer of plastic wrap. the innermost layers had been used to re-wrap the cheese as it got smaller. the outer layers were fairly new.
then, the plastic was often secured with rubber bands, then a few layers of aluminum foil were wrapped around, obeying the same rules as the plastic wrap.
if you took a cross section of the wrapped cheese tidbit, you could approximate when he bought it by counting the "rings" of plastic and foil.
karadekoolaid
Head Chef
HA! That's a good one - I can see it now , BuckyTom Seniors Cheese Strata!! Love it!
I freeze Parmesan, because we usually buy a huge piece of about 2 kgs. Cut off what you're going to use and freeze the rest. Since we use it for grating ( over pasta) or cooking, no problems.
As for other cheeses and plastic wrap - it's true, the plastic wrap doesn't let the cheese breathe, so it can easily get slimy and even mouldy. Ideally it should be wrapped in waxed paper, but I think on a practical level that's just not on these days. I buy loads of cheese weekly - it never gets much of a chance to survive more than 7 days!
Love it! I freeze Parmesan, because we usually buy a huge piece of about 2 kgs. Cut off what you're going to use and freeze the rest. Since we use it for grating ( over pasta) or cooking, no problems.
As for other cheeses and plastic wrap - it's true, the plastic wrap doesn't let the cheese breathe, so it can easily get slimy and even mouldy. Ideally it should be wrapped in waxed paper, but I think on a practical level that's just not on these days. I buy loads of cheese weekly - it never gets much of a chance to survive more than 7 days!
Freezing parm may not hurt it as Clive says because you are probably grating it anyway. Freezing other hard cheeses like cheddar will definitely change the texture--gets grainy. Still may be OK for cooking but you can't really slice it.
But parm is such a dry cheese I would not see the need to freeze it at all. Just well wrapped if you don't have a foodsaver.
But parm is such a dry cheese I would not see the need to freeze it at all. Just well wrapped if you don't have a foodsaver.
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What I have found in Italy is that the Parmesan and Grana is actually less hard than I have bought in UK cheese shops. In fact you can buy bags of big bite-sized, or two or three bite sized, chunks to munch on as a snack. Its not a "moist cheese" but definately less dry than I am used to from even the best UK cheese shops. As a result I would worry more about it "drying out" in the future than I have done in the past.
Incidently we bought a buffalo mozzerella from a slow food specialist yesterday and he begged us NOT to refrigerate it, but to leave it out and then eat it very fresh. We ate it last night and it certainly was delcious, although it was 39 degrees here yesterday and I was very worried that we were risking our health. We are still here this morning though.
For British cheeses in UK I try and buy pieces we will get through quickly and refridgerate tightly wrapped in plastic in thee cheese drawer of my fridge. I take them out a few hours before serving and put them in an old fashion cheese plate. The best way of keeping cheese was when I had an old cool larder, then they lasted, again in plastic wrap, in the cheese plate for a good while.
Incidently we bought a buffalo mozzerella from a slow food specialist yesterday and he begged us NOT to refrigerate it, but to leave it out and then eat it very fresh. We ate it last night and it certainly was delcious, although it was 39 degrees here yesterday and I was very worried that we were risking our health. We are still here this morning though.
For British cheeses in UK I try and buy pieces we will get through quickly and refridgerate tightly wrapped in plastic in thee cheese drawer of my fridge. I take them out a few hours before serving and put them in an old fashion cheese plate. The best way of keeping cheese was when I had an old cool larder, then they lasted, again in plastic wrap, in the cheese plate for a good while.
BreezyCooking
Washing Up
There's nothing wrong with plastic wrap if you're going to use your cheeses quickly - within a week for soft varieties, longer for hard grating types. I've never had a slime or mold problem - not with soft or soft-ripened cheeses, bleus, whatever. In addition, using plastic wrap prevents the cheese from absorbing fridge odors from other foods & vice versa.
It would be an absolute waste for me to vacuum seal the cheeses I buy every week - we enjoy them on a daily basis. What a pain in the you-know-what that would be.
It would be an absolute waste for me to vacuum seal the cheeses I buy every week - we enjoy them on a daily basis. What a pain in the you-know-what that would be.
