No More Moldy Cheese!

Ever open the refrigerator and seen this?











Or maybe even this?


I know that unfortunately I have. And I am betting you have too. Moldy cheese is a problem all over the world. We love our cheese, but we can't seem to get rid of the pesky green and white mold that infects it; lurking in the darkness of the refrigerator.


 







Never fear. I have now found the answer! No more will you be tormented by moldy cheese lurking in your fridge. The lovely people at America's Test Kitchen, have done all the work for us.

Whether you've got leftovers from your party cheese platter or a single wedge of Parmesan that you want to make last, the issues are the same --storage. Storing cheese presents a conundrum: as it sits, it releases moisture. If the moisture evaporates too quickly, the cheese dries out. But if the moisture stays on the cheese's surface, it encourages mold.



Specialty cheese paper avoids this problem with a two ply construction that lets the cheese breath
without drying out, but usually requires mail ordering. To find a simpler method, we tried wrapping cheddar, Brie, and fresh goat cheese in various materials, refrigerated the cheeses for six weeks, and monitored them for mold and dryness. Cheeses wrapped in plastic -- whether cling wrap or zipper lock bags--were the first to show mold. Cheeses in wax or parchment paper alone lost too much moisture and dried out. The best method: wax or parchment paper loosely wrapped with aluminum foil. The paper wicks moisture away, while the foil cover traps enough water to keep the cheese from drying out. Wrapped this way, even highly perishable goat cheese kept for about a week, and the Brie and cheddar were almost like new more than a month later.

So take a page from the experts, double wrap your cheese and never see mold in your cooking district again. Happy cooking!