Preserving cheese is an art!

Lovers of hard, soft or blue cheeses, here are some tips for storing cheese properly!

How to store Comté or Camembert cheese? Is there a specific rule for storing goat cheese? Are you more of a person who keeps cheese out of the fridge or have you set up a cellar just for your favorite hard cheese?

The conservation of cheese depends on its variety

Did you know that there are at least 1,200 varieties of cheese produced in France according to the National Interprofessional Center for the Dairy Economy ? An incredible choice for this food so characteristic of French gastronomy. To enjoy it properly, you need to know how to store it properly. Some varieties of cheese keep longer and better than others.

Fresh cheeses

The fresher the cheese, the less time it will keep. For example, mozzarella, fresh goat’s cheese or brousse will keep for two weeks maximum.

Soft cheeses

These are also fragile. We distinguish the soft cheeses with bloomy rind. These are cheeses that have a little white down like Camembert or Brie. Cheeses with washed crustas for them, are recognized by their more pronounced smell and taste! We find for example the munster or the époisses. These cheeses can be kept out of the fridge, in their original box for two or three days. The little extra: wrap the box in a damp cloth.

• Shelf life of soft cheeses: one to three weeks.

Pressed cheeses

Pressed cheeses can be kept for longer. Examples include Cantal, Saint-Nectaire and Morbier, which are cheeses with uncooked pressed paste.

• Shelf life of uncooked pressed cheeses: five to seven weeks.

The kings of conservation are cooked pressed cheeses, or hard dough. Parmesan, Beaufort, Comté and Abondance have a lot of endurance!

• Shelf life of hard cheeses: several months in a cellar.

How to properly wrap your cheese

Be sure to wrap each cheese separately. Boulette d’Avesnes and Gruyere are not in the same league! Individual packaging allows each cheese to retain all its flavor. And to avoid slightly strange cocktails.

The golden rule for healthy cheese storage is to:avoid airtight packaging. No more cling film and no question of keeping the cheese in a plastic container. Prefer the original packaging or greaseproof paper. For moldy cheeses like Roquefort, choose aluminum foil.

Preserving cheese in the cellar is ideal. The best temperature for storing cheese is between 8 and 12°C. But of course, not everyone has a great cellar to store their great cheese. If that’s you, don’t panic, a good refrigerator will do the trick.

Not everyone has a cellar like that of the Jura refiners – © Philippe PATERNOLLI

Storing cheese in the fridge

We don’t joke around with cheese, so here are a few rules to follow to properly store your cheese in the refrigerator.

Choosing the right location

Vegetables have their bin, eggs have their compartment, as do bottles. And what about cheese? Salads and other carrots will have to make room for cheese. in the vegetable drawer. This is where the air is most humid and least cold. Good conditions for optimal cheese conservation.

Avoid waste

Pour avoid waste or if you have a great cheese plan that requires you to buy a large quantity at once, do not hesitate to freeze it. Cheese freezes very well.

• Cut it into small pieces or slices to take them out as you go.
• Wrap them in a freezer bag, taking care to remove all the air.
• Leave it in the fridge for a few hours before freezing to avoid thermal shock.

The cheese box, myth or reality?

Is storing cheese in a box a good idea? Connoisseurs agree that no, absolutely not! The lack of air inside tends to dry out the cheese. The box nothe pretty cheese bell to put on the table for a neat presentation, yes.

To ensure the cheese has the best flavor, remember to Take it out of the refrigerator at least an hour before the tasting.

Article updated