Best Ways To Store And Use Cheese

Best Storage

The fridge is the best place to store cheese.

Both hard and soft cheeses should be well wrapped and stored in an airtight container in the fridge to avoid drying out. Cream cheese, ricotta and cheeses stored in brine should be kept in their original container and sealed closed. Store your cheeses in the lower shelf of your refrigerator, far from foods with strong odours to avoid absorption of unwanted tastes and smells. The deli drawer works well for storage. Because cheese is a high-risk item, be sure to follow the best before date.

Ensure your fridge is set between 0 and 4°C.

Can I Freeze It?

Yes to hard cheese.

Freeze your hard cheese! If you are buying a big block of hard cheese to make the most of a store bargain, grate it first and freeze to use later. This is good for cheese on toast, as a topping for baked beans or in an omelette.

No to soft cheese.

Soft cheese doesn’t freeze well, but it can be added to savoury sauces. Try making a pasta sauce with your soft cheese and then freezing the sauce for another day.

Fresher For Longer

You can freeze hard cheese for up to two months. Make sure the cheese is carefully wrapped and placed in an airtight freezer bag.

Use It Up

Stale, hard cheese can be grated into mash or used over pasta dishes or chili.

Cream cheese can be used to enrich a frittata, omelette or mashed potato.

Did You Know?

Little white spots sometimes appear on cheese, signalling the onset of mould. If the cheese is firm, semi-soft or hard, you can eat the cheese if you cut away the affected part, removing at least 1/4-inch of the surrounding area. However, if the rind is dry and yellowed and smells like ammonia, you should discard the cheese. If the cheese is soft or fresh and shows signs of mould, you should also put it in the compost.

Source: (BC Dairy Foundation)