Category: Dairy & Eggs
🤔 What Is Cheese?
Cheese is a dairy product made from the pressed curds of milk, which are separated from the liquid whey. Produced in thousands of varieties worldwide, its flavor and texture can range from mild, soft, and creamy to sharp, hard, and crumbly, making it a beloved and versatile food for snacking, cooking, and pairing.
Quick Reference Card
| Condition | Ideal Storage | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Hard Cheese (e.g., Parmesan) | Refrigerator (wrapped) | 4-6 months (unopened) / 1 month (opened) |
| Semi-Hard Cheese (e.g., Cheddar) | Refrigerator (wrapped) | 2-4 months (unopened) / 3-4 weeks (opened) |
| Soft Cheese (e.g., Brie) | Refrigerator: 0-4°C (32-39°F) | 1-2 weeks |
| Shredded Cheese | Refrigerator: 0-4°C (32-39°F) | 5-7 days (opened) |
The Triple-S Method
Master the three essential steps for food success:
🛒 SHOP SMART: Selection Guide
- For hard cheeses, look for a uniform color and texture without cracks.
- For soft cheeses, check for a fresh, clean-looking rind and avoid any with a strong ammonia smell.
- Always check the “Best By” date on packaged cheese.
Appearance
The cheese should look fresh and moist, but not wet or sweaty. The color should be even, unless it is a veined cheese like blue cheese.
Smell
Cheese should smell appealing and characteristic of its type (e.g., nutty for Swiss, earthy for Brie). A sour, ammonia, or barnyard smell can indicate spoilage.
Texture
Hard cheeses should be firm, while soft cheeses should be yielding but not runny or liquid at the edges.
Common Varieties / Types
Cheese is often categorized by its texture, which reflects its moisture content.
- Hard (e.g., Parmesan, Pecorino): Low moisture, aged for a long time, resulting in a hard, granular texture and a sharp, salty flavor. Best for grating.
- Semi-Hard (e.g., Cheddar, Swiss, Gouda): The most common category, with a firm but sliceable texture and a wide range of flavors.
- Soft (e.g., Brie, Camembert, Feta): Have a high moisture content, a soft, creamy texture, and range from mild to tangy.
- Fresh (e.g., Mozzarella, Ricotta, Goat Cheese): Unaged cheeses with a very high moisture content, a soft texture, and a mild, milky flavor.
📅 Seasonal Buying Guide
Cheese is produced year-round. However, artisanal cheeses made from the milk of pasture-fed animals can have subtle flavor variations, with milk produced in spring and summer often being richer and more complex.
❄ STORE FRESH: Storage Guide
- Best method: Wrap in cheese paper or parchment paper, then loosely in plastic wrap.
- Hard cheeses: Refrigerator for several weeks to months.
- Soft cheeses: Refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.
Storage Method Details
Refrigerator (Hard/Semi-Hard): The best way to store most cheese is to wrap it first in cheese paper or parchment paper, which allows it to breathe, and then loosely in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out. Store it in the crisper drawer, which is the most humid part of the fridge.
Refrigerator (Soft/Fresh): Soft cheeses are highly perishable. According to the USDA, they must be stored in an airtight container in the coldest part of the refrigerator and consumed within their short shelf life, often only 1-2 weeks after purchase, due to their high moisture content which promotes spoilage.
Cheese is a living food that needs to breathe but must also be protected from drying out. Proper wrapping achieves this balance. Low moisture and salt preserve hard cheeses, while high moisture makes soft cheeses a prime environment for bacterial growth, necessitating shorter storage times.
⚠ STAY SAFE: Food Safety Tips
- Max Time at Room Temp: 2 Hours
Understanding Food Safety Rules
For hard cheeses, the USDA advises that you can safely cut away mold as long as you cut at least 2.5cm (1 inch) around and below the moldy spot. However, the CDC warns that for any soft, shredded, or crumbled cheeses, if mold is present, the entire product should be discarded as the mold can spread invisibly throughout.
Reheating Methods
Cheese is often melted, not reheated. For best melting, bring the cheese to room temperature and grate it first.
Stovetop
Melt cheese slowly over low heat, stirring constantly, for sauces like fondue or queso.
Oven/Broiler
Sprinkle shredded cheese over dishes and bake or broil until melted and bubbly.
Date Labels Explained
The “Best By” date on cheese indicates peak quality. Hard cheeses are often fine for weeks past this date, while soft cheeses should be consumed more promptly.
Allergen Information
- Contains: Milk.
Allergen Handling & Prevention
Cheese is a primary dairy allergen. Individuals with lactose intolerance may be able to tolerate hard, aged cheeses like parmesan, which have very low levels of lactose, better than soft, fresh cheeses.
⚠ Special Safety Considerations
The FDA advises that pregnant women, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems should avoid soft cheeses made with unpasteurized (raw) milk, such as some Brie, Camembert, and feta, due to the risk of Listeria contamination. Always check the label for pasteurization.
Pasteurization Info
Pasteurization is a heat-treatment process that kills harmful bacteria. Most commercially sold cheeses are made from pasteurized milk, making them safe. However, some artisanal and imported soft cheeses are made from raw milk, which poses a higher risk of containing harmful pathogens like Listeria.
🧊 Freezing & Thawing Guide
Freezing Effects & Preparation
Freezing can be done, but it permanently changes the texture of most cheeses, making them crumbly and dry upon thawing. It is not recommended for cheeses you plan to eat on their own.
Hard and semi-hard cheeses freeze best. It is recommended to grate the cheese first or cut it into small blocks and wrap it tightly. Frozen cheese is best used in cooked dishes like sauces or casseroles.
Recommended Thawing Methods
Thaw cheese slowly in the refrigerator to minimize texture damage.
Not Recommended
Do not freeze soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, or cream cheese, as their texture will be ruined.
📊 Nutritional Information
Average values per 100g (approx. 3.5 oz) portion
- High in: Calcium, Protein
- Good source of: Phosphorus, Vitamin B12, Fat
Cheese (Cheddar)
- Calories: 404 kcal
- Protein: 23g
- Fat: 33g
- Carbohydrates: 3.1g
- Fiber: 0g
Key Nutrients & Their Benefits
- Calcium: Cheese is one of the best dietary sources of calcium, which is essential for building and maintaining strong bones and teeth.
- Protein: It provides high-quality casein protein, which is slow-digesting and can help with satiety and muscle maintenance.
- Phosphorus: Works with calcium to support bone health and is important for energy production.
Nutritional data is an estimate. Consult with a nutritionist for personalized advice.
🌎 Sustainability & Sourcing
The environmental impact of cheese is significant, as it is a concentrated dairy product. The dairy industry is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and requires large amounts of land and water.
Choosing cheese from local, small-scale producers who use sustainable and pasture-based farming practices can be a more environmentally conscious choice.
🔄 Substitutions & Alternatives
Different cheeses can often be substituted for one another within the same texture category (e.g., swapping Gruyere for Swiss). For a salty, grated topping, nutritional yeast is a popular vegan alternative to Parmesan.
There is a wide variety of plant-based cheese alternatives made from nuts (like cashews), soy, or coconut oil, which mimic the texture and meltability of dairy cheese.
🔪 Recommended Tools
A good set of cheese knives is helpful for serving. A box grater or a microplane is essential for shredding cheese for cooking. Cheese paper is the ideal material for storing cheese to keep it fresh.
💡 Pro Tips
♻ Waste Reduction
Don’t throw away the hard rinds from cheeses like Parmesan or Pecorino. They are packed with umami flavor. Add the rind to your next pot of soup, stock, or tomato sauce to impart a deep, savory flavor, then remove it before serving.
❓ FAQ
A: Plastic wrap suffocates the cheese, trapping moisture and ammonia which can create a plasticky flavor and cause the cheese to spoil faster. Wrapping it in cheese paper or parchment paper first is much better.
A: For most cheeses, yes. The rind on a soft-ripened cheese like Brie is edible, as is the hard rind on a Parmesan. The only rinds you shouldn’t eat are those made of wax or cloth.
A: Yes, according to the USDA, for hard and semi-hard cheeses, you can safely cut away at least 1 inch (2.5cm) around and below the moldy spot. Mold cannot penetrate deeply into these dense cheeses.
A: A strong ammonia smell is a sign that a soft-ripened cheese like Brie is overripe and starting to break down. It should be discarded.
A: Bringing cheese to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before serving allows its fats to soften and its full flavor and aroma to develop. Cold cheese will taste bland.
A: Those are cheese crystals, and they are a sign of a well-aged, flavorful cheese. They are either calcium lactate crystals on the surface or tyrosine crystals within the cheese paste.
A: Bagged shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents like potato starch or cellulose to prevent the shreds from clumping. These additives can inhibit smooth melting.
A: Pasteurized cheese is made from milk that has been heated to kill bacteria, making it safer. Raw milk cheese is made from unheated milk and can have a more complex flavor, but it carries a higher risk of containing harmful bacteria like Listeria.
A: You can, but it’s not ideal for all types. Hard cheeses like Parmesan and semi-hard cheeses like Cheddar can be frozen, but their texture will become crumbly. Soft cheeses should not be frozen.
A: Cheese contains a protein called casein, which releases casomorphins during digestion. These compounds can have a mild opioid-like effect, which may contribute to the pleasurable and “addictive” quality of cheese for some people.