Proper cheese storage is important if you want to maintain freshness and flavour. When improperly stored, cheese can become hard or even start to grow mould. This is obviously not ideal and you could end up tossing out a block of cheese that you otherwise should have savoured. Here’s how to properly store cheese in order to keep it fresh.

Avoid plastic wrap

While you buy most types of cheese wrapped in plastic, it’s not the ideal cheese storage material. Cheese breathes, sweats and ages. You need to allow it to do so. Wrapping your cheese in plastic will most certainly not help with this process. It suffocates the cheese and this changes the flavour and bacteria starts to grow. Instead, follow the steps below.

What you need

  • Cheese paper (like parchment paper)
  • Scissors
  • Masking tape
  • A marker

Cheese storage method:

  • Start by cutting the cheese paper to size according to the size of your block of cheese. It should be about two or three times the size of the cheese.
  • Place the cheese diagonally on the paper. The thicker end should be at the one corner with the thinner end facing the centre.
  • Fold the corner over the fat end of the cheese, crease and flatten along that side.
  • Now pull the other side over, crease and fold.
  • Do this with all sides of the paper until your cheese is tightly wrapped.
  • Use masking tape to secure the loose end in place and make sure it does not unwrap by itself.
  • Write the type of cheese and the expiration date on the masking tape strip.
  • You can place the cheese in a ziplock bag if you like but it’s not a must.

Now you know allow about proper cheese storage and you don’t have to worry about your cheese rotting in your fridge before you have the chance to enjoy it. Remember to pass these tips on to your friends and family too!