Tips on Storing Cheese…
June is National Dairy Month!
In celebration of all the cheese lovers out there, I thought it fitting to share this story…
A few weeks ago in the office, I overheard Abby, our Mail Order guru, take a call from a customer who wanted information on storing cheese. She had placed an online order for one of our local cheese boxes, but was unsure of how to preserve it. I was dumbstruck…the notion had never crossed my mind before. Why do we purchase unique cheese with limited availability (that’s certainly not cheap) and toss it into the fridge without a second thought? Are we all guilty of cheese neglect? While still mulling this over, Lisa, WFM’s Executive Chef & Retail Representative of the Vermont Cheese Council Executive Board, jumped into action. She whipped up simple storing instructions, that broke it down by cheese type. I thought it was interesting reading and much too valuable not to share…Thanks Lisa!
Lisa’s Tips on Storing Cheese
The vegetable drawer of your refrigerator is the best place to store cheese. The humidity level tends to be higher.
Fresh cheeses – Keep these cheeses in the plastic tubs they come in. If they come vacuum-sealed, as some fresh goat cheese does, just take it out of the plastic and put it in an airtight plastic container.
Semi-hard and hard cheeses – Since these cheeses have already lost quite a bit of moisture, to keep them from drying out further, wrap them with wax or parchment paper and then either foil or plastic wrap. Once again, store the cheese in the refrigerator drawer.
Blue cheeses – Blue cheeses are often sold in foil wrap. This is okay, but be sure to change the foil. The type used by cheese producers has a tendency to get a bit slimy if the cheese is a creamy style. If it is a harder style, follow the same procedure as you would for semi-hard and hard cheeses.
Washed rind cheeses – These are often sold in a wooden box. Keep these in that box and cover the box with plastic wrap without allowing the plastic to touch the surface of the cheese. If the cheese is not in a box, put it in an airtight container, such as an old cottage cheese carton, poke a couple of holes in it, and put it in the drawer.
P.S. For our local WFM foodies….Vermont Cheese is 10% OFF all month long (in-store special only)! Check out our other promotions, demos and events in our new monthly WFM News Flyer at the Market or sign up for our Online Newsletters! www.woodstockfarmersmarket.com.
Want to buy Vermont Cheese online? Check out our amazing selection of artisan cheese at WFM Mail Order!
Happy June!
Allyson
WFM Marketeer