Cheese should only be stinky if it’s supposed to be stinky.
Has it gone bad?
Is it supposed to smell like that?
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Are those little splotches supposed to be there?
It’s best to think of cheese as a living thing, much like fresh produce.
The cultures or molds that give cheeses their distinctive flavor are living organisms that can die and start rotting.
Below, we break down how to tell if cheese is bad.
How Long Does Cheese Last in the Fridge Unopened?
Many aged cheeses, in particular, may still be good to eat after the best-by date.
How Long Does Cheese Last in the Fridge Once Opened?
Once it’s opened, there are several factors that affect how long cheese can last in the refrigerator.
You may have heard terms like hard, soft and semi-soft used to describe cheeses.
These terms refer mainly to the moisture content of each cheese.
Soft cheeses, like Brie and chevre, are very moist.
In general, most soft cheeses will last in the fridge for about a week once opened.
Hard cheeses can last up to a month in the fridge after opening.
Below, we spell out what you should look out for.
It can also help to do a bit of research on a particular aged cheese you’ve just obtained.
This can include asking your cheesemonger or researching photos and videos online.
Once the cheese starts changing too much from its original appearance, it might be time to discard it.
A pungent cheese will still taste pleasant to a connoisseur.
Just throw it away.
What Happens If You Eat Spoiled Cheese?
In the worst instances, spoiled cheese can cause severe food poisoning.
Consuming spoiled cheese will mostly affect your digestive system, causing you to experience gastrointestinal discomfort and loose stools.
In severe cases, these symptoms may be accompanied by fever and chills.
When in doubt, throw it out.
No cheese is worth jeopardizing your health.
These are two factors you should always pay attention to whenstoring cheese.
Unopened cheeses can be kept almost anywhere in the refrigerator as long as they are in a sealed container.
Plastic wrap, on the other hand, can trap moisture and cause your cheese to go bad quickly.
Tips for Storing Cheese in the Freezer
Freezing changes the composition of foods.
That’s why frozen berries lose their firmness and octopus becomes oh-so-tender once it’s been frozen.
Similarly, freezing will change the composition of many, if not most, cheeses.
Young, semi-soft cheeses, like mozzarella and mild Cheddar, can become grainy and crumbly when frozen.
However, they will still melt beautifully in dishes.
On the other hand, hard cheeses, like Parmesan and pecorino, freeze and thaw quite well.
Unopened, vacuum-sealed cheese can be stored as-is in the freezer.
Opened cheeses should be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and again in foil before freezing toprevent freezer burn.
you could also add smaller pieces of wrapped cheese to a freezer bag for extra protection.
Your refrigerator, on the other hand, is nothing like a cheese cave.
Remember to use your sense of smell and check a cheese’s appearance before putting it in your mouth.
