Just like other dairy products, hard cheese can also get spoiled. It doesnt matter if it belongs to one of the best cheese production company. It will still get spoiled. You may have seen brie cheese getting spoiled. Similarly, hard cheese also spoils if it is not stored properly.
The shelf-life of hard cheese is a bit longer than the brie cheese because it has low water content. Moreover, the shelf-life of hard cheese also depends upon its expiration date and the way it is stored. Good storage conditions will help the hard cheese to last as long as possible.
Contents
- How to Store Hard Cheese?
- Can You Freeze Hard Cheese?
- How Long Does Hard Cheese Last?
- How To Tell If Hard Cheese Is Bad?
- Sources
- FAQs
- How can you tell if hard cheese is bad?
- Can I eat expired hard cheese?
- How long does hard cheese last in the fridge unopened?
- Can you eat expired cheese if it hasn’t been opened?
- Does cheese expire in fridge?
- What happens if I accidentally ate expired cheese?
- Can vacuum sealed cheese go bad?
- Does unopened cheese go bad after expiration date?
- How do you store hard cheese long term?
- How long after expiration date can you eat cheese?
How to Store Hard Cheese?
If you want your hard cheese to last for a long period, you need to take good care of its storage conditions. If it is stored well, it will last for a longer period. The storage conditions for hard cheese are quite similar to the brie cheese.
If you have bought a large amount of brie cheese and are planning to store it for a long period, you need to take care of the following things.
Wrap it in a cheese paper
Cheese sweats, ages, and breaths as well. If the cheese is packed in a plastic wrapper, it will not allow it to breathe. It will result in the growth of bacteria, and the taste of the cheese will disappear.
If you have bought a package of hard cheese and it is packed in a plastic wrapper. The first thing you need to do after bringing it home is to change its wrapper. Cheese wrapper will be best for hard cheese as it allows the cheese to breathe and protects it from drying out.
Store it in the fridge
The fridge is one of the best places for storing food products, especially dairy products. Hard cheese doesnt require too much cold temperature for its storage. But you can store it at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Before putting the hard cheese in the freezer, make sure that it is wrapped in the cheese paper or tightly closed container to keep out moisture and other contaminants. Hard cheese keeps longer than soft cheese because bacteria cant grow faster in a dry environment.
Store in freezer
If you plan to store hard cheese for long-term use, a freezer is the best option. You can store hard cheese in the freezer for many months, and it will not lose its peak quality as well.
Can You Freeze Hard Cheese?
Freezing cheese is not surprising at all. Like brie cheese, hard cheese can be kept in a freezer for many months. Hard cheese also freezes well and retains its peak quality even after it is thawed.
Before freezing the hard cheese, you need to cut it in chunks and then wrap then in a freezer wrap. It would be best if you transferred the frozen hard cheese into the fridge first before using it. The shelf-life of hard cheese is increased up to six months by freezing it.
How Long Does Hard Cheese Last?
The shelf-life of hard cheese is a bit longer than the soft cheese. The shelf-life of hard cheese much depends on the storage conditions. If it is stored properly, it will last for as long as possible. Generally, the harder is the cheese, the longer it will last.
Hard cheese like Parmesan, Asiago, and Romano can last up to four months in the fridge. But if it is kept in the freezer, it will last for eight months. Simultaneously, firm cheese like Cheddar can retain its peak quality up to six months unopened and almost four weeks after opening.
The expiry date is printed on hard cheese. This date is just an estimate, and it can even last for few months after passing that date. It is better to use the cheese before the expiration date because it will retain its peak quality until the date labeled on it.
How To Tell If Hard Cheese Is Bad?
Like other dairy products, it is not very difficult to differentiate between fresh and spoiled cheese. There is a change in the taste, color, and smell of the cheese once spoiled. To tell whether the cheese is best to use or not, you need to follow things.
- If you notice any mold formation on the chunks of hard cheese, that area is probably spoiled. You can also cut the spoiled part away and preserve the rest.
- The color change is also a sign of spoilage. If you notice that the cheeses color is a bit darker than the original, it is rotten. You need to get rid of it at once.
- If you are not sure about the taste and color, give the cheese a good sniff. Throw it away if it smells rotten.
- Check the date on the hard cheese box. If the date has passed more than two months, then avoid using it.
Sources
- Does it go bad
- Can it go bad
- Eat by date
FAQs
How can you tell if hard cheese is bad?
Look for visual cues such as an extra slimy surface; dark, dry, and cracked areas in a hard cheese; or yellow splotches on a blue cheese (remember, unintended mold doesn’t necessarily mean the entire wheel is done for). If the cheese is unopened, bloated packaging can also be an indicator.
Can I eat expired hard cheese?
Hard cheese can last for months after its expiration date
An expiration or “use by” date does provide a general guideline for when food should be consumed, but it is not a hard and fast deadline. Hard cheeses, in particular, remain safe to eat because of their low moisture content.
How long does hard cheese last in the fridge unopened?
REFRIGERATOR: Approximate storage times are: (1) Hard cheeses (block): 6 months, unopened packages; 3 to 4 weeks after opening. Shredded hard cheeses: 1 month after opening. (2) 1 week for soft cheeses; 2 weeks for cream cheese.
Can you eat expired cheese if it hasn’t been opened?
While cheese is naturally stinky, and some can even last without refrigeration, eating it after its expiration date is generally a bad idea, especially because it can be hard to tell when it’s actually past the point of safe consumption.
Does cheese expire in fridge?
When stored properly in the fridge, an unopened package can last between two and four months. An opened package of Parmesan or block of cheddar, however, is good for about six weeks in the fridge.
What happens if I accidentally ate expired cheese?
or other digestive problems.Like any expired food, eating cheese that has gone back can cause food poisoning and
Can vacuum sealed cheese go bad?
Cheese vacuum sealing
Over time, the moisture in the cheese will cause it to deteriorate. So, if you’re going to vacuum seal your cheese, wrap it first in wax or parchment paper. The paper will absorb the excess moisture and keep your cheese from deteriorating for at least a few months.
Does unopened cheese go bad after expiration date?
If stored properly, they should keep up to their code date, but they shouldn’t be eaten after the code date has passed.
How do you store hard cheese long term?
Place the wrapped cheese in a more humid section of your fridge, like the vegetable drawer, so it doesn’t dry out. If storing cheese on the counter in a traditional cheese dome, be sure to lift the dome for fresh air supply to get to the cheese so it doesn’t suffocate.
How long after expiration date can you eat cheese?
I’d say two to four weeks after the expiration date is the basic time frame. Again, you have to be able to also use your judgment to see if it’s still good,” she noted. How to store it: Freier often wraps her cheese in breathable parchment-type paper, then places it inside a Ziploc bag.