Cheese
Shelf Life of Cheese
While you should always respect the “best before” date, here are a few basic guidelines to keep in mind once you’ve opened your cheeses:
- Fresh cheese: a few days to 2 weeks or more
- Soft cheese: 2 weeks in plastic wrap
- Semi-soft cheese: 2-4 weeks
- Firm cheese: 5 weeks to a few months
- Hard cheese: over one year
Canadian light cheeses have higher moisture content. And since micro-organisms need moisture to breed, this means that light cheeses have a shorter shelf life. How much shorter? That depends on the cheese. However, do check the “best before” date on the packaging and monitor light cheeses more closely.
The shelf life of fresh cheeses is the shortest of all cheese categories: 2 weeks or more according to the cheese. So put your trust in the “best before” date on the package.
Soft cheeses are at their best when they emit an aroma of mushrooms and the rind yields slightly when pressed under your finger. A very strong smell or an ammonia-like odour is a sign that the cheese is overripe.
Firm cheeses keep very well, from a few weeks to several months. In fact, cheeses continue to ripen and to develop different tastes.
Stored properly, hard cheeses can keep for up to a year. Just make sure to change the wrapping regularly because these cheeses can absorb the strong odours of certain vegetables.
What to do about mould
Sometimes little whitish spots appear on the cheese, signalling the onset of mould. If the cheese is firm, semi-soft or hard, you can eat the cheese anyway, as long as you cut away the affected part. Remove at least 1/4-inch of the mouldy cheese and wrap this up in plastic before putting it in garbage, then wrap the rest in plastic wrap. However, if the rind is dry and yellowed and smells like ammonia, the cheese should be discarded. Any soft or fresh cheese that shows signs of mould should be thrown out.
