One of my favorite foods in the entire world is cheese, and I know I'm not alone. People everywhere are obsessed with cheese. And for good reason!
The best thing about cheese is that it can be savory — like mac and cheese — or it can be sweet — like in a blueberry cheesecake.
Most people have some sort of cheese in their refrigerators at all times; whether it's cream cheese for bagels, parmesan cheese for spaghetti, or American cheese for a sandwich.
Well, I'm about to drop a truth bomb on you: you've probably been storing your cheese incorrectly for years.
If you're anything like me, chances are that once you're finished eating cheese (presuming you don't finish the whole block!), you grab some plastic wrap from your drawer, wrap the cheese in it, and put it in your fridge for later.
Apparently, this is not the way you should be storing cheese. Read below to find out more!
[H/T: Country Living]
Most people store cheese the same way after eating it: in plastic wrap.
It seems only natural to keep cheese wrapped up after you start using it, but plastic wrap is definitely not the right choice.
According to Serious Eats, cheesemongers recommend never wrapping cheese in direct contact with plastic — of any kind!
This might come as a surprise, since many cheeses come pre-wrapped in plastic, but that plastic wrapping gets changed much more often and is stored for shorter amounts of time.
There are three primary reasons you shouldn't wrap cheese in plastic:
Firstly, since cheese is made mostly of oil and fat, it can absorb chemicals and flavors from the plastic.
Plastic is not a comestible, so you really don't want to be eating toxins and mysterious compounds leaching from plastic.
Secondly, any sort of tight wrapping can promote bacteria growth, including bacteria that are not native to the cheese. These bacteria can cause flavor and food-safety issues.
Blue cheese is delicious, but an uninvited mystery mold could be toxic or trigger a serious allergic reaction.
Last, wrapping cheese in plastic doesn't allow the natural gases, like ammonia, to escape from the cheese's surface.
Instead, they build up and linger in and around your favorite snack.
Instead of putting cheese in plastic wrap before putting it in the fridge, choose an alternative kind of wrapping.
Many foodies recommend wrapping cheese in specific cheese paper, but wax paper works as well.
If you don't want to use wax paper, you can also opt for aluminum foil.
Both wax paper and aluminum foil keep in the cheese's moisture without suffocating the surface — and they allow air to circulate near the cheese, which is essential.
Want another fascinating tip for storing your cheese correctly?
Put it in the salad drawer instead of on a shelf! This will help it stay cool and make sure it doesn't dry out.
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