How to Wrap and Store Cheese
Here's how to store your cheddar collection. [Photograph: steve p2008 on Flickr]
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I've had a number of SE'ers here ask for my advice on storing cheese, and luckily it's not too hard to keep your cheese happy until it's consumed. I've got a particular wrapping technique for cheese storage that I hope everyone will find useful.
When I worked as a cheesemonger, we always advised our customers never to store their cheeses in direct contact with plastic, and not to wrap them too tightly. There's some science behind this, as kitchen scientist extraordinaire Harold McGee writes in his indispensable kitchen reference, On Food and Cooking. There are, McGee says, three essential reasons to avoid tight plastic wrap. First, any kind of tight wrapping will promote the growth of bacteria, including those not native to the cheese, which can cause food-safety issues or off flavors. Second, tight wrapping prevents the dissipation of natural off odors, like ammonia, which is produced by bacteria native to the cheese. Finally, cheese, being mostly oil and fat, is able to absorb flavors and chemicals from the plastic, which you definitely don't want.
So what's a better alternative? At Cowgirl Creamery, we sold cheese wrapped in waxed paper, which I recommend, as does McGee. If you're worried about your cheese drying out, you can then wrap it loosely in plastic wrap or place it in a plastic bag that's not fully sealed, but remember to leave a way for ammonia and other unpleasant chemicals to dissipate. Here's a pictorial guide I put together on what I consider cheese-wrapping best practice.
How to Wrap and Store Cheese
Say you've bought an excellent cheese—in this case Moonglo, a lovely washed-rind goat's cheese from Prairie Fruits Farm that, for some reason, the shop has seen fit to wrap completely inappropriately. You've got to deal with that.
You're going to need a piece of waxed paper, a piece of cheese, a roll of scotch or masking tape, and, possibly, a small plastic bag. The waxed paper should be a rectangle about twice as wide as your cheese wedge is long; the length should be 3 to 4 times that measurement. This is not an exact science, so don't stress out about it too much.
Place your cheese on the paper about two-thirds of the way up. Place the cheese cut-side down on the paper, so that the sharp, narrow end faces right and the thick, blunt end faces left. Unless your cheese wedge is from an exceptionally large wheel, it should have rind on at least one of the top or bottom sides.
Pull the bottom right-hand corner of your waxed paper up over the piece of cheese so that it pulls tightly against the bottom of the cheese and lays flat across the top.
Still holding the paper tightly over the cheese, pull the right-hand side of the paper over to the left, forming a tight crease over the pointy end of the cheese (on the right side). Use a small piece of tape over the side you just folded over to secure the first two folds.
At the top of the cheese there is now a double sheet of paper kind of flopping over. Take that piece and crease it sharply over the top side of the cheese, so that it runs flat along the top of the cheese and then meets and runs flat with the paper that is underneath the cheese.
Fold the now-triple piece of paper at the top of the cheese back over the cheese, and secure it with a piece of tape. Your cheese should now be starting to look something like a culinary Christo piece.
The only loose flaps of paper should be those sticking out over the blunt end of the cheese. Just like you're wrapping a birthday present, fold two corners in, and the other two corners over them, and secure the whole mess with another piece of tape. Hey! Your cheese is wrapped. Sweet.
If you're at all worried about the cheese drying out, stick the whole thing in a plastic bag, but don't seal it or seal it only part of the way.
Your cheese, wrapped this way, should be good for 5 to 8 days. But, if you're anything like me, it won't have to last.
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24 Comments:
i always heard to wrap it loosely in foil?
any truth to that?
gastronomeg at 1:53PM on 02/02/10
what if we want it to last 2 weeks?
bbb at 2:03PM on 02/02/10
The Dairy Farmer's of Canada also like the foil technique.
I interviewed them about storing cheese last summer: http://danamccauley.wordpress.com/2009/09/02/cheese-storage-tips/
Their spokesperson also likes parchment paper as a wrapper.
That said, I often use an all natural, soy based wax paper for my cheeses at home and it works very well.
Dana McCauley at 2:07PM on 02/02/10
Thanks so much for this post..1)I LOVE Prairie Fruits Farm cheese..and I have been to the farm and seen HOW MUCH great care goes into making the cheese...2) I have broken all your rules so on my shopping list is waxed paper...3) The problem with great cheese in my case, is that it does not stay in the refrigerator very long, it is too good...
Jbout at 2:31PM on 02/02/10
Question: We only have one cheese shoppe in town. They keep the cheese in a refrigerated case. You can buy whatever amount you want. They take out the wheel, cut off your piece, and just put it back in the case with some loose plastic wrap over the exposed ends. Is it safe to assume that all of that cheese is fresh stored that way? Should you always ask what cheese is freshest?
dongale at 2:35PM on 02/02/10
Most excellent post! Thanx for the tips. It's the Rogue Valley Creamery Blue for me. All of them.
Raoul Duke at 2:47PM on 02/02/10
@dongale: That's a pretty good way to keep the cheese, especially since they leave some of the rind exposed, rather than wrapping the whole cheese in plastic. Refrigerated storage can cause cheese to dry out rather quickly, since the air is usually dehumidified at the same time as it's cooled, so it's worth asking if you can taste any particular cheese that you're interested in to make sure it's still appealing. A cheese shop should be happy to give samples, and since they're cutting the cheese to order (which is the best way to keep the cheese fresh - a good sign) they are used to getting the cheese out and handling it anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Jake Lahne at 2:49PM on 02/02/10
Great post! I was wondering about this about a month ago when I bought some Bleu that didn't quite taste up to par after a few days in the fridge. I now know why!
Runding at 2:53PM on 02/02/10
The post which Dana McCauley linked to also points out, quite rightly, that blues should be stored away from other cheeses. I didn't even think to mention it, but it is definitely worth emphasizing that blues need to be kept separate. The Penicillium spp. that live on blues are quite aggressive, and will be happy to grow on other cheeses if you let them, which may or may not produce good results.
Jake Lahne at 3:08PM on 02/02/10
Wonderful post! I learned something new today and that always makes me happy. Thanks!
sbelle at 3:12PM on 02/02/10
Some cheeses are quite acidic so should not be stored in foil unless you fancy a dose of Alzheimer's Disease. A ceramic cheese bell in a cold pantry works quite well.
braciole at 3:21PM on 02/02/10
@Jake
Thanks for the info. One question, though: is this relevant/necessary only for softer/fresh cheeses? Do hard, aged cheeses (parm reg, pec romano, etc) need this since they're (I assume, at least) not living and letting off gases, and probably aren't very good hosts for bacteria? An issue I often have is that strongly flavored/aromatic cheeses, like romano, tend to funk up my fridge if they're not stored airtight. What are your thoughts?
ryansm at 3:22PM on 02/02/10
@ryansm: I've never had any particular problems with Pecorino Romano or other hard cheeses smelling up my fridge - that problem usually comes from soft, washed-rind cheeses like Red Hawk or Epoisses. Very aged cheeses are certainly lower moisture, so you could probably store them in a closed container or a closed bag, maybe with some loss of cheese life-time (they last quite a while anyway), but I would still recommend wrapping them in a non-plastic material first, so as to avoid flavor migration from the plastic. Try out the wax paper and see if you're still having problems with fridge odor.
Jake Lahne at 3:32PM on 02/02/10
This is so helpful. I've read so much conflicting info on how to wrap cheese -- including foil, etc. -- but this makes great sense. I'm headed home to rewrap a bunch o cheese.
MadameFromage at 3:40PM on 02/02/10
Hey, you just taught this old dog a new trick- Who'd a thunk it- thanks for the tip Jake.
Tupper Cooks! at 3:41PM on 02/02/10
Glad to be of help Jake!
Dana McCauley at 3:55PM on 02/02/10
Ha Ha...Jake said "cutting the cheese"...sorry couldn't resist
jotthedot at 3:56PM on 02/02/10
My grandmother always wrapped her locatelli in wax paper then in foil.
I also do not subscribe to the aluminum alzheimers connection since your drinking water has more aluminum than any foil/cheese (which would be cold and not a cooking situation).
JerzeeTomato at 4:04PM on 02/02/10
Great article.....I've been carfeully wrapping cheese in wax paper and then putting the wrapped cheese in a ziplock (1 ziplock for 1 block of cheese, no mixing) for years now and it does indeed make a huge difference....my usual stock of pecorino romano, montegrappa, parm-reggiano and whatever else I got (Spanish Mahon is my latest addiction and it is friggen delicious with a nice Priorat or Montsant or on top of a pizza) last much longer and retain its texture well.
I love these types of articles....great stuff! --K
Pizzablogger at 4:05PM on 02/02/10
Superb article! As a cheesemonger, I always advocate wrapping cheese in parchment or wax paper then in foil or plastic wrap. Sadly, most retailers (including mine) present their cheeses in plastic wrap or cryovac. This stems from a marketing viewpoint. Customers have an easier time picking cheeses when you can see the cheese. That and its so much more appealing and that (my bosses say) drive sales. The penance I pay to the cheese world for wrapping cheeses in plastic is to be sure it doesn't stay on the shelf for more than 5 days. Considering that I sell 1500 pounds of cheese a month, I hope it counts.
bobdobalane at 6:58PM on 02/02/10
Excellent advice with clear instructions - thank you. It goes without saying that if you do store cheese, suitably wrapped, in the fridge remember to remove it from the fridge in sufficient time for it to reach room temperature.
And I tend to prefer white wine with cheese rather than red - it can be quite a battle with red wine!
The Wine Maestro at 4:25AM on 02/03/10
I've tried this several times but my cheese always ends up super hard and dry and with sour white patches because I've left the plastic bag partly open that the wax paper-wrapped cheese is inside. Maybe it's because we're not eating it fast enough or something? How long can cheese be expected to last if kept this way?
rockandroller at 10:53AM on 02/03/10
Wax paper is coated with petroleum derived wax which may include other petrochemicals.
The best way to wrap cheese is with an organic cotton handkerchief that has been thoroughly impregnated with pasteurized salted un-fermented organic butter. While fermented butter tastes better you don't want butter culture to invade the cheese. Likewise the salt helps to keep down microbial growth.
MonkBoy at 8:17PM on 02/03/10
I have a bag of shredded cheddar that developed white spots on the shreds. What is that?
pkcarlson at 7:45PM on 05/24/10