How to Keep your Cheeses Happy

 

SMOKED PASTA FILATA CHEESES, LIKE SCAMORZA OR PARENICA What goes for freshly caught and smoked fish also goes for smoked cheeses: they are yummiest when served fresh.

But if you absolutely have to store your smoked cheeses, you can do so for up to 4 weeks in the fridge. Don't use plastic wrapping, because moisture can be trapped and lead to yucky stuff growing there. Wrap the cheeses in paper instead, and eat them before they dry out.

If you want to age your cheeses, build a simple cheese ripening chamber: Place a 3-5cm thick layer of very clean, organic hay on the bottom of a plastic container. Place the cheeses on top of the hay, then seal the container with a lid, and put the whole thing in a fridge. If you keep finding condensation on the walls of the box, wipe off the moisture and crack the lid just a little. If the hay starts to get wet, replace it with dry hay. If you don't have access to hay, use a piece of clean, untreated wood instead.

 

LACTIC CHEESES You can eat them right away or age them further. Wrap them in paper, or build a simple cheese ripening chamber (see previous paragraph). You can ripen our lactic cheeses for up to 6 weeks. After that, they start to get runny. But if that's how you roll - go for it!

 

ROBIOLINA This Italian-style cream cheese is mildest when eaten on the same day it was made. Spread it on fresh bread or Knäcke and devour it right away. You can mix in into sauces and dips, and even make ice cream with it. The possibilities are near endless. If you want your Robiolina to develop more zzing, you can ripen it in your fridge at 4 to 8°C for up to 2 weeks. 

 

MOZZARELLA You wanna know how to best store your mozzarella? Well...here's how: YOU DON'T. Just like freshly baked bread, your mozz wants to be eaten right away. Yes, I know, I know. We're all used to the convenient plastic-packed mozzarella from the super market. But you can buy pre-cooked meals there too, and we all know how those taste.

So stop thinking about storage for a moment, and stuff your fresh mozz into your face now. Eat it like you would an apple. Do you feel how smooth and creamy and juicy it is on your tongue? Most of this lovely smooth creaminess will be lost as soon as your mozz crosses the evil threshold of your refrigerator.

But if you want to use your mozzarella for cooking, and you don't want all this juiciness on your pizza, you can wrap your mozz in waxed paper, place it into a sealable food container, and then stick it into your fridge. You can even freeze your mozz, but again, do this only if you want to cook with it.

In case of utter emergency, for example when a bunch of guests show up uninvited and insist on being served caprese, and all the mozzarella you have left is in the freezer, here's what you can do: Take the mozzarella balls out of the freezer, thaw them at room temperature, and then place them for one hour in 40-41°C warm whole milk containing 2% salt. The milk restores the juiciness your mozzarella has lost during freezing. The salt prevents loss of flavour. Don't heat your mozz over 42°C or it will become rubbery. 

 

UNEXPECTED THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN IN THE FRIDGE

Cheese Bricks. Cheese should be stored/aged at around 95% humidity. With time, a normal fridge can turn almost any cheese into a solid brick. To maintain a good cheese environment, wrap your cheese in paper or build a cheese box (see above).

White mould. That's most likely Geotrichum candidum - a white fungus that's at home in our cheese starter cultures, in raw milk, and on most soft cheeses like chèvre, Camembert, Brie, etc.. It adds taste and is entirely harmless. Bon appetite!

Grey mould. Well. It might be harmless or it might not be. If you see a few small grey dots and fluffs, cut them away or brush them off. If the whole cheese is covered, it might be safest to toss it.

Blue/green mould. Yeah, you probably have or had a blue cheese in your fridge somewhere. The blue/green fungus spreads easily and has found your other cheese. Congratulation! You just made a blue cheese 😎

Fluorescent yellow-green spots. Ew! That's Pseudomonas contamination. Your cheese will now taste pretty gross, but can still be used as a frisbee or hockey puck.