Whether we like it or not, cheese is and will always be the protagonist of a large number of dishes, appetizers and even desserts. It is one of the great allies of a healthy and balanced diet, and constitutes a perfect accompaniment to practically any self-respecting recipe.
Now, as you already know, there are so many varieties of cheese that their classification is quite complicated. You can distinguish between spread, semi-cured, cured, fresh… And a long etcetera. But, be that as it may, to enjoy it you must know how to keep it in the best conditions. If we know how to treat it, we can prevent it from spoiling so easily and, when it starts to spoil, we can recover it and continue using it. Do you know how to preserve cheese according to the type? We tell you!
Two types of cheese and how to preserve them correctly
- To consume the cheese in the best conditions, it is recommended to take it out of the fridge about three quarters of an hour before eating it, the same as with ham. You must let it lose its cold and come to room temperature without melting, but at its right point. The ideal temperature to consume this food is between 18 and 22 degrees, and may vary depending on the type of cheese it is.
- What if you forget? You can microwave an empty plate for 30 seconds and place the sliced cheese on top for 15 seconds, then flip it over. With the temperature of the plate we will get the cheese to warm up without putting it directly in the microwave and, most importantly, without burdening us with the characteristics that make it unique.
- Along with the importance of temperature is that of preserving it respecting its characteristics and extending its life as much as possible. For this reason, it never hurts to know how to store it properly and, to make it easier for us to understand it, we have made a classification based on two types of cheese: fresh cheeses and semi-ripe or mature cheeses.
1 Fresh cheese
Fresh cheese is that type that is unripe Ned but is ready to eat after the manufacturing process. It has a creamy texture and, within our classification, it is one of the ones that lasts the least time. In this sense, we can find mozzarella, ricotta cheese and, with a soft maturation and an even creamier texture, brie or camembert cheese.
Thermal insulator
To extend the life of this type of cheese, there is nothing better than hermetically insulating them and being aware of the state of humidity they present. Keep in mind that it is recommended to keep these cheeses at a temperature between 4 and 8 degrees. Many usually come in a perfect container and it is not necessary to remove them, just worry about closing the lid well or wrapping them in plastic wrap to keep them for much longer.
In the case of mozzarella, for example, you must take into account the liquid that comes in the bag. If you buy a ball of mozzarella, it is best to pour the liquid and the remaining cheese into a container that is as small as possible so that the liquid covers the piece well and do not forget to cover it tightly. The idea is to be able to keep them before they smell bad or rust. The days that they can last will depend on how they come packaged, what type of cheese it is and what processes it has undergone.
Can they be put in the freezer?
Fresh cheese can be put in the freezer but, yes, only if you are going to use it later to make a sauce or cream in which the texture of the cheese goes unnoticed. The reason? This texture changes, loses some aroma and flavor, and releases a little water. Freezing it will not help you to consume it directly, but it will help you to use it in dishes and complements whose ingredients must be mixed well.
2 Ripe or semi-ripe cheese
The cheese known as mature or semi-mature is one that, after the production process, must be kept in certain environmental conditions for a certain time in order to achieve some physical changes in it. In this classification you can find cheddar, Edam, Gouda, emmental or parmesan cheese. You should also know that the perfect temperature for this type of cheese is between 8 and 12 degrees, and that there are multiple ways to preserve them properly.
On the other hand, it is very important to look at the characteristics that the cheese has at the time you have purchased it, such as having holes. In this sense, humidity conditions are also included, because the more humidity there is in the fridge, the easier it will be for mold to grow and the less the cheese will endure.
But, as we mentioned a few lines above, the good thing about this type of cheese is that it is very easy to know or see when it is going bad. The first thing you should do is observe the birth of some white spots that will later become mold. If you catch it in time you may be able to ‘revive’ the cheese simply by removing those areas with a knife.
Tupperware or plastic wrap
First, you can place the piece of cheese in a Tupperware container at the bottom of which you will place several pieces of absorbent kitchen paper that you will change daily. This will help remove moisture from the cheese and keep it mold-free for a few days longer than you thought.
On the other hand, you can also wrap the wedge of cheese in a very tight piece of plastic wrap, taking care not to leave any part exposed. If necessary due to its smell, you can put that piece wrapped in an airtight Tupperware to prevent it from spreading through the fridge and further insulate from humid conditions.
The cheese makers
I am sure that, after reading everything we have told you so far, you have thought: and if I am going to keep them in the fridge, why do cheese makers exist? Indeed, the cheese makers are another good solution to preserve these foods. There are cheese vats of different sizes and they are designed to regulate the degree of condensation and humidity inside. That is why they manage to extend the life of the cheeses for longer, keeping them fresh as the first day, isolating the odors that may cause and delaying the birth of mold.
The cotton cloth
One of the oldest tricks that exist to preserve this type of cheese is that of the cotton cloth. Surely you have heard it more than once from your grandmother, and that is that putting the cheese in a cloth can help to preserve it. But we will not be isolating it and the smell can spread much more easily.
Vacuum pack it
Finally (and this is a trick that will save you some money), when we buy it in the supermarket we can ask for it to be vacuum packed. Instead of buying a wedge, we can buy a whole cheese (higher initial outlay but cheaper in the long run). What we will do is take a wedge in the normal way and ask for the rest to be vacuum packed in several wedges. In this way we will be able to extend the life of our cheese since, under these conditions and without breaking the vacuum, no air will enter and there will be no fermentation.