How to store cheese in the refrigerator for a long time: discussing packaging, freezer and mold

It would seem that where only cheese is not used in cooking: pizza, salads, snacks, casseroles and even soups - and still have to throw away a moldy piece lying about in the fridge. Even if you love cheese and are sure that it does not lie down, you will still be useful to learn how to store cheese in the refrigerator so that you do not have to arrange cheese days for the disposal of a practically spoiled product.

Choosing the right container for storing

The science of how long to store cheese begins with exactly what it is stored in order to extend its life. Most often the product is sold wrapped in polyethylene film, but how much this option package can be considered optimal?

It is said that cheese "breathes" and that it can not be tightly wrapped with airtight material. Storing the product in film at home will not help prolong its life: such packaging is fraught with the rapid appearance of mold and, consequently, damage to the product. Of course, if you are not going to store a piece for a long time, then you can and do not replace the film with the other packaging.

But if the cheese will stay in the refrigerator for several days, it is better to wrap it in baking paper or parchment paper. Perhaps, you remember, in the Soviet Union it was sold exactly that way, and, apparently, not without reason. Such a package will allow him to breathe much better than film or foil, and the piece will remain fresh and useful longer.

It's only when storing cheese that it's worth remembering that it has the property of drying out and reacting to excess moisture, so it's superfluous to put a piece wrapped in paper into a free plastic zip bag. Of course, you can use a vacuum package to extend the life of the product, but are you going to store it for so long?

And yes, do not cut the cheese beforehand if you are not going to store it in the freezer. So the period of storage will sharply decrease, and the taste qualities will no longer be compared with the original ones.

Advice

The paper is not capable of preventing the absorption of cheese odors, so for a long-term storage in the refrigerator, you can put a piece in a plastic zip package. This will not only preserve its original smell, but also help to avoid early mold.

And what if you put it in the freezer?

As we already mentioned, cheese is a living product, and its storage time is not long. Can I try to extend it with a freezer? Connoisseurs of cheeses will surely tell you that this is a crime against taste buds, because when you freeze, the product "dies", losing the lion's share of taste, smell and structure. So, after freezing the cheese crumbles and gets a "rubber" taste.

But after all, most cafes and pizzerias use pre-grated frozen cheese, and the dishes served do not become less delicious! And they certainly know how to properly store cheese for as long as possible! So you can safely make blanks, if you got a lot of cheese in your hands and you do not know where to put it. In the end, the freezer is certainly better than a trashcan!

advice If we are talking about pickled soft cheeses, it is unfortunately impossible to store them in the freezer. Such varieties have a short shelf life and are stored either in brine or in sealed packaging until the end of use. Overdrying such cheeses will not affect their use, but the taste will not be the most pleasant.

Is it possible to eat cheese if mold appeared on it?

Given the fact that when storing soft cheeses in the refrigerator, the optimal period is considered to be three days, and for solid, the time is only increased to seven, after a week a spot of mold can form on the piece. Of course, there are many terrible stories about how mold affects the human body, but the fact remains: we all consume it from time to time, just not noticing only the hearth that begins to form. This means that if the cheese, of course, is not yet half a month, and if you are not too squeamish, then you can simply cut off the moldy crust and use a slice as soon as possible, and preferably in a dish that involves heat treatment.

This lifhook is not very suitable for people with very sensitive digestion, but for others, such a product is unlikely to cause food poisoning.

Advice Early mold on cheese, which has not yet technically deteriorated and has not expired, may appear due to too high humidity, which is not so rare for a closed climate in a refrigerating chamber. The moisture regulator can be a slice of a refined sugar or other powdered absorbent, which is put in a bag along with the cheese so that it does not mold from high humidity.

Some tips at last

What we want to share now has little to do with the tricks of storage and yet it can save you a headache. After all, it is important not only how you store cheese at home, but whether you will use it wisely.

• Love or liking.

Try to determine your relationship with the cheese and buy products according to them. Do you know that in your family you eat this product every day? Then it is unlikely to have time to deteriorate - you can buy a whole wheel. Already figured out that sometimes you are attacked by an irresistible desire to eat a piece, but it quickly passes? Then why buy a 300 gram piece, then throw it out? Buy cheese for pizza with a margin, but until the second portion of the hand does not reach? Really evaluate your strength and ask to weigh exactly as much as you can use for a short period, say, one day, without the need for storage.

• Respect the food.

Think about how much effort was spent to produce cheese, and how many people can not afford it. It's time to start taking food more seriously, because throwing away food, without thinking that you can save them, is a real disrespect for other people, work and nature.

• Do not buy a new one until you use the old one.

This method will help to avoid spoilage of any products, and especially with a short shelf life. Your task is to look at the contents of the refrigerator, choose more or less compatible products that have been there for a long time and will soon become candidates for emission, and prepare a dish-improvisation from them. And chur for additional goods in the store does not run!

Do not complicate your life by trying to apply complex tips for storing cheese at home: it's enough to know just a few tricks and a little to revise your attitude to buying and cooking to rid yourself of this headache. We hope you will never need to throw out such a wonderful product as cheese!