Shelf life of different types of cheese and storage features

Cheese is one of the most common and loved by many housewives food. It is used for food alone or as part of a wide variety of dishes. And some mistresses do not think that this sour-milk product requires special storage conditions. After all, if you do not take into account the shelf life of the cheese, it will not only spoil its taste, but can also lead to poisoning. To avoid this, it is necessary to imagine how to store this product properly, during which time it can remain fresh and whether it can be extended its safe use.

Types of cheeses

This product is made from milk. And for this, cow milk, as well as sheep or goat can be used. In accordance with this, as well as with the manufacturing method and the presence of other components, all cheeses can be divided into several types:

• Solid cheeses have a very dense structure. There are no large holes in them, they are usually almost invisible. This is due to the fact that hard cheeses are produced under pressure for about 6 months. These are such varieties as Parmesan, Gouda, Vityaz, Dutch and others.
• Semi-solid cheeses have a soft consistency, but they are quite dense. Holes in them can be small, medium and even very large, as, for example, in Maasdam cheese.
• Soft cheese has a short maturity. Often in these varieties the consistency resembles cottage cheese or a soft cream. They usually do not have a crust, and they are immediately ready for use. These are such cheeses as Adyghe, mascarpone, ricotta, mozzarella and others.
• Brine varieties ripen and are stored in brine. They can have different densities, but usually very salty. The most famous pickle cheeses are brynza, suluguni, cheshil.
• Fused have in its composition, in addition to cottage cheese and butter, various other components. It can be cream, vegetable fats, flavors. To give such cheese a soft consistency, special salt-melting agents are used. Frozen cheeses are very many, for example: "Friendship", "Amber", "Viola", "Hochland" and others.

What determines the shelf life of the cheese

This dairy product has special storage conditions. They largely depend on the type of cheese. But there are other factors that help keep it fresh and do not eat moldy or spoiled food. Before buying it in the store you need to know the features of the cheese of this species. It is undesirable to eat a product whose expiration date is coming to an end. To preserve cheese at home, it is very important to observe certain conditions of temperature, humidity and other parameters.

Low temperature is fatal for this product. After all, the cheese is "alive". And at high temperatures it can deteriorate. High humidity leads to the appearance of mold, and at low it dries. Especially small is the shelf life of the packaged cheese: if it is cut into pieces, it is suitable for food not more than 3 days.

Main conditions of cheese storage

Do not make large stocks of this product. After all, the shelf life of cheese, even in undamaged packaging, is 2 months, and the cut piece is kept even less. It is worth knowing that different varieties should be placed separately. After all, they not only require special storage conditions, but also have a special flavor. For example, the cheese with mold, which is rare in the refrigerator of our owners, must be kept away from other products and in sealed packaging. Brine varieties are stored in a jar or pan, placed in a special brine. And the shelf life of the cheese, cooked by own hands, can not be more than 2-3 days.

It is very important to observe the storage conditions of this product. Cheese must be packed. At home for storage it is better to purchase a special cheese cask from ceramics or glass with a ventilated lid. It is also necessary to observe the temperature regime - from 3 to 10 degrees. And it is desirable that the temperature does not fluctuate, since cheese does not like it. But you can keep this product even without a refrigerator. To do this, it is wrapped in a cloth soaked in salt water, and placed in a ventilated place, away from sunlight.

How to increase the shelf life of the cheese in the refrigerator

Usually the housewives buy food for a few days. But it happens that you need to extend the period of their storage. There are certain rules, how can you store cheese in the refrigerator for more than a few days, so that it does not deteriorate:

• Place it in a sealed package or a vacuum container;
• Put a sugar cube in the package and replace it every day;
• Brine cheese stored in milk or a special brine;
• If there is no special capacity for storing cheese, you can wrap it in foil or polyethylene film, but it's best to parchment;
• Place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or on the door;
• Store all varieties separately from each other.

How can I store this product?

To increase the shelf life of cheese, you need to know what it quickly spoils. When storing this product, you should avoid:

• Too low temperatures, only soft cheeses can withstand several days of frost;
• Sharp changes in temperature;
• Tightly closed plastic bags;
• Dividing it into small pieces that will quickly become obsolete and dry out even if the storage conditions are met;
• Do not wrap the cheese in paper.

How to store solid grades

Such cheese keeps its freshness and flavor in the refrigerator much longer than others. But all the same, you must observe the necessary conditions for its storage. And even so the shelf life of hard cheese is not more than a month. And you need to regularly check it for mold spots or spoiled places. To keep the hard cheese longer, we need the following conditions:

• High humidity of air - about 90%, so store it better in a polyethylene film, and not in paper;
• Air temperature should be from 3 to 10 degrees, cheese does not like strong cold;
• The storage location should be well ventilated, undesirable neighborhood of strongly smelling products.

Sometimes it is recommended to keep a hard cheese longer, put a piece of sugar-refined sugar or a few macaroni in the package next to it. Slightly less semi-hard cheese is stored. It is better suited for sandwiches than for cooking hot dishes. Therefore, it is important to take into account, for example, the shelf life of a Lamer cheese , a very popular variety.

Storage of soft cheeses

This product is best preserved in the original packaging. You can also place it in a closable container, for example an enamelled pan. Such storage will protect the soft cheese from weathering. These varieties can be placed in a freezer, they will not lose taste. But they can not be stored for more than 3 days. Also only a few days is stored and cheese in an open package. It quickly begins to dry, and in a tightly closed package it can become moldy.

The shelf life of Adyghe cheese is also low, although, unlike other soft varieties, it passes pasteurization at high temperatures. But even in the original packaging it is stored for no more than a month, and at home after opening it is only a week. Adyghe cheese in a refrigerator is better to put in a glass dish, close tightly with a lid and place separately from other products.

Processed cheeses

Many housewives prefer them to hard varieties. Their advantages include better digestion by the body, as well as a wide variety of flavors. In addition, the shelf life of the melted cheese is slightly larger than that of other varieties. In the original packaging it can be stored for several months - some varieties up to six months. Cream cheese can be frozen, so it will be easier to use it for cooking many dishes. But after opening the package, you can store it only for a couple of days: it dries quickly. The best is preserved cheese, packed in foil. And to determine its suitability for eating, you need to carefully consider the cheese for mold. When dark spots or unpleasant smells appear, the product should be discarded.

Symptoms of cheese damage

This product is obtained as a result of the life of microorganisms, so they say that it is ripening. Usually in shops already ripened cheese is on sale, but at storage in it microorganisms can develop. As a result of the accumulation of protein decay products, rancid taste or excessive acuity may appear. In some grades, when stored, a milk stone is formed in the form of white dots. This precipitates the calcium salt. In addition, pink spots can form on the surface of the cheese - this is a sign of the development of yeast microflora. Often, dark places are formed, indicating the appearance of mold. White spots and putrefactive smell are a sign of the development of putrefactive microflora. If the package is damaged, the cheese begins to dry out, loses weight. After freezing, most types of cheese crumble, they deteriorate taste.

What to do with spoiled cheese

If you do not know what the shelf life of the cheese, you can assume that it is spoiled. When this happened with cheese of hard varieties, for example, mold appeared, it can be cut. The remaining piece is suitable for eating. If the cheese has dried, it must be placed in a container of milk for several hours. Such spoiled cheese is best used for food after cooking, for example bake vegetables or meat, make hot sandwiches or pizza.