How to Store Cheese and Prevent Mold

Cheese storage time depends on its type, packaging, whether it has been opened and the temperature. There is no 1–3-week period that applies to every cheese. Follow the package instructions for storage and use after opening.

How Should Cheese Be Stored to Limit Mold?
Keep cheese that requires refrigeration at or below 4 °C / 40 °F. Use packaging appropriate to the product; do not put every hard cheese in breathable paper or every soft cheese in brine unless the manufacturer specifies it. For cheese sold in brine, follow the instructions concerning its own brine. Do not add homemade brine to products such as lor or cream cheese that are sold without it. Use clean knives and containers, and keep different cheeses from touching.

What Are Common Mistakes?
Leaving cheese on the counter for long periods, keeping it in damp or dirty packaging and going beyond a use-by date based only on smell are inappropriate. Do not choose storage methods by firmness alone; do not treat a semi-hard or processed product as equivalent to every whole hard cheese.

How Should Shredded Cheese Be Stored?
Keep shredded cheese in clean, closed packaging at the temperature stated on the label. A one-week period cannot be given for all products. If freezing is suitable, portion it according to the manufacturer's instructions; its texture may differ after thawing. Freezing does not make a moldy product safe.

What Should You Do If Mold Appears?
Discard all moldy soft, shredded, sliced or crumbled cheese. Only on a whole hard cheese, cut away a small moldy area with at least 2.5 cm around and below it; keep the knife away from the mold and use clean wrapping. Do not apply this procedure to a product with other signs of spoilage. Do not confuse mold normally used in manufacture with mold that develops later; if unsure, do not eat it.