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Do You Really Have To Use Cheese Within 5 Days Of Opening
It is recommended to use cheese within 3 to 5 days of the opening so that you may not get mold. After that period of time, its quality begins to decrease continuously. Cheese is a perishable product so you need to store it in the refrigerator immediately after opening it.
It is best to use sliced and grated cheeses within 3-5 days after you open them, so that you do not get mold. Cheeses are often aged years on end, and to keep things safe, we say leave some buffer, and if you slice off any mold on one solid piece of cheese, the rest is fine to eat. For harder cheeses, you can cut the portion of the cheese where mold is present, although this cannot be done for soft cheeses because it is difficult to tell whether the mold has expanded inside. As in the case of ultra-hard cheeses, you can certainly cut out the mold and still eat the cheese, provided that it is not fully covered — Freier means that mold is totally natural.
If you find mold on a harder cheese, you are usually safe to cut the moldy portion and eat the rest, because spores probably will not spread through the entire cheese. Even if a small amount of mold has grown, eating expired cheese may still be safe, provided that you have cut away any mold, and that the flavor is still good. That is, if you see any red or black mold at all, then your cheese is not OK to consume (and your refrigerator may need some serious disinfecting).
Finally, if a cheese does not quite smell right, and looks just a bit too greasy to save, you are probably better off discarding it, for your health. If it is been stored correctly and does not show any obvious signs of mold, you can eat it past the expiration date. Properly stored cheese may help it last several months, but you will have to understand your cheeses personality a little bit to figure out exactly how long it is best in the fridge. Properly stored, grated cheddar will retain its best qualities for around 8 months, but will stay safe past that point.
Properly stored, an opened shard of shredded cheddar cheese will keep about 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Yes — Unopened cheddar cheese typically remains safe for about 6 months, even after the expiration of the sell-by or best-by dates on the package. Once you have opened the package, use or freeze shredded cheddar within the cooling time shown, even if you are still short of your Best by, Best If Used By or Best Before. An unopened piece of shredded cheddar cheese can remain in the original package while refrigeration, in order to maximize the shelf life, do not open the package until you are ready to use it.
Frozen cheddar cheese can lose some texture and flavor; the thawed cheese is best for cooking dishes, such as sauces, soups, and casseroles. Conversely, harder cheeses, such as cheddar and Parmesan, are best stored in the refrigerator to extend their shelf life. In general, strong cheeses like cheddar, processed cheeses (American), and both blocks and grated Parmesan cheeses require no refrigeration to keep safe, but harder cheeses like cheddar will keep longer if kept refrigerated. Generally, hard cheeses that are not opened should not be refrigerated, but they will last significantly longer if refrigerated.
| Types | Shelf Life |
| Blue Soft | 1 week |
| Cream cheese soft | 14 days |
| Parmesan hard | 3-4 weeks |
| Cottage cheese | 7 days |
Cheeses such as Cheddar and Parmesan cheeses will last for up to four months in the refrigerator and up to eight months in the freezer, when they are not opened. Once opened, harder cheeses such as cheddar and Swiss keep for three or four weeks in the refrigerator, and milder varieties such as cottage cheese, brie, and Bel Paese last for around one or two weeks. Hard and semi-hard cheeses such as cheddar, Swiss, brick cheese, and blue cheeses will keep well if frozen, but they often will crumble and go limp. If you stock your freezer with grated cheese, the grated cheeses will stay fresh for about six to eight months with no major differences in taste.
You can keep shredded cheese in your freezer, although it might taste slightly different from what it would if used fresh. To properly store cheese, you can keep it either in its original wrapper or containers designed for holding it. When it comes to storing cheese, we recently discovered the best way to keep cheese scraps is by grating them up and placing them into a frozen baggie in your freezer. We suggest wrapping the cheese in plastic wrap right away, then keeping in the cooler or the freezer section, to be used later.
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For best flavour and flavor, you are better off eating your cheese within one week of its best-by date, if purchased. Cheese may still be bad prior to its Best By date depending on quality control issues in production or improper storage in a store or at home. Cheeses can last a long time and still taste good, Freier notes, but any cheese, once frozen, tastes slightly different. Cheese usually becomes unpalatable well before it becomes unsafe, so no stress needed.
For semi-hard and semi-soft cheeses–the intermediate range–your timeline is slightly shorter than it is for hard cheeses. Softer cheeses — including Brie, Camembert, or bloomy-rind specialty cheeses such as Jasper Hills Harbison — will keep for a bit longer, while harder cheeses, from Cheddar to Gouda and Parmesan, last longer. Cheese Type Shelf Life (After Open) Blue soft 7 days Brie soft 7 days Cottage cheese soft 7 days Cream cheese soft 14 days Feta soft 7 days Goat soft 7 days Mozzarella soft 7 days Ricotta soft 7 days American hard 1-2 months Cheddar hard 3-4 weeks Colby hard 3-4 weeks Gouda hard 3-4 weeks Parmesan hard 3-4 weeks Shred hard 3-4 weeks Swiss hard 3-4 weeks Hard cheeses last 3-4 times longer in the fridge than soft cheeses because they contain less moisture and are therefore less susceptible to spoilage from bacteria (1, 2).
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Gruyere, gouda, and other non-absolutely hard cheeses may still be stored for up to two months if pristine. If grated cheeses or pre-shredded cheeses are opened, but unrefrigerated, they are best for about four hours before the texture changes enough to make a discernible difference in taste compared with when it was originally packaged.
How long is cheese still edible after opening?
Once opened, hard cheeses like cheddar and Swiss keep their freshness in the refrigerator for three to four weeks, whereas softer cheeses like ricotta, Brie, and Bel Paese only last for one to two. Cheese may still be bad prior to its Best By date depending on quality control issues in production or improper storage in a store or at home.
Does cheese spoil after 5 days?
You can safely store soft cheese for at least 6-7 days and hard cheese for 2-4 weeks in the refrigerator. When consuming any cheese you store, ensure that you check it for mold and discard any part of the cheese with fungus or black spots on it.
How can you tell if opened cheese is spoiled?
You can easily tell if the opened cheese you stored in the fridge is spoiled through its scent and color. If it has a putrid odor or a thick and crumbly texture, you should discard it immediately. Ideally, you should use the cheese after 5-7 days of opening it and storing it in the fridge.