How can we keep cheese fresh in the fridge?

 

Cheese belongs to vulnerable foods and it can spoil in a short time, especially if they are not properly preserved. See what you can do to keep the cheese of your choice in the refrigerator unchanged. Our company, IDK, knows everything about cheese and how can we keep cheese fresh as we specialize in dairy equipment.

If you love cheese, surely when you stand in front of the shop window you bow down and buy different items and in large quantities, often larger than you can consume. IDK dairy equiment advises consumers to buy small amounts of cheese, as the fresher we keep it in the fridge, the better for its taste and health.

Moisture

To neutralize the moisture that occurs in the plastic or glass container where you store the cheese, especially in its lid, it is enough to put in it 1-2 cubes of sugar.

Drying

There is of course the possibility that the cheese will dry over the days. In this case, wrap it in a clean cloth dampened with white wine: The cheese will become soft again in texture. But if it is a white cheese preserved in brine, like feta, the only way to keep it fresh is to let it swim in its brine, without spilling it. You can rinse it, if you want, before putting it on the plate.

Cheese packaging

The best packaging of cheese is the one with which we buy it. But if you do not like the plastic wrap that the grocery paper has inside, you can immediately wrap the cheese in a greaseproof paper, doubled on the outside with aluminum foil. Very hard cheeses can be kept wrapped directly in a foil.

When we buy cheese from the supermarket or grocery store, they wrap it in a special paper. Nevertheless, we must take them out of them when they are put in the refrigerator, otherwise the cooling does not easily penetrate the paper and there is a risk that they will spoil faster but also acquire a very strong taste and smell. If we want to wrap them with something, we can use a transparent film suitable for food.

But, avoid removing the inedible cheese coating, as it acts as a protective layer that retains the flavor. We do not clean cheeses with an outer shell or crust (for example gouda, gruyere, etc.) only when we are going to consume them. It is also recommended to open the cheeses sold in special packages (for example mozzarella, chèvre etc.) only when we are going to consume them.

Temperature

Ideally, the cheese should be kept at a refrigerator temperature between 2-4 degrees Celsius until the expiration date unless the manufacturer’s airtight package is opened and away from foods that have strong odors. One solution is to isolate it in the vegetable drawer.

Grated cheese

Some hard cheeses, such as kefalotyri or cheddar, when grated, can exceptionally be stored in the freezer, tightly wrapped in a plastic food bag, without losing their flavor: They will certainly last much longer. This of course only applies if they are to be used in cooking. When the recipe calls for it, you can add them directly to the food in the pot or oven.

Smell

If the smell of the cheese is very strong and takes over eveything as soon as you open the lid of the cheese, a little fragrant thyme in one corner of the container will solve the problem. Do not forget to take the cheese out of the fridge at least half an hour before eating it. The reason is that a very cold cheese loses much of its authentic taste.

Location in the fridge

Cream cheeses should be kept in airtight containers. The rest can be placed in food storage containers, preferably glass. If we use a plastic container, we should lay kitchen paper on the bottom, which is good to change every 1 or 2 days. In general, these containers should be placed on the high shelves of the refrigerator, and especially white cheeses that are more fragile and need lower temperatures.

Storage of the cheese

Store each cheese in a separate container. For example, if we place cheeses with a strong odor together with softer cheeses, they will absorb odors and their taste will be altered. It is also good to avoid combining soft cheeses with high acidity such as feta with hard cheeses such as kefalograviera so as not to alter the taste of everyone earlier than we would expect. Do not mix different cheeses in the tapers. If you put roquefort together with gruyere, the mold from roquefort will also affect the gruyere. Also, if you put soft cheeses together, their taste is altered.