Keep cheese fresh longer

Cheese is particularly widespread in the Western world. There are around 5,000 types of cheese to taste your way through. I also like cheese very much, whether as part of a bread meal or to give oven dishes the necessary spice. But how do you store cheese correctly? How is cheese made? Here we have collected some information and tips about cheese:

Everything about cheese

The basic ingredient for cheese is always the same: milk from a cow, sheep, or goat. For the cheese to turn out well, a coagulant is added, and you're ready to go. Or are you?

For a cheese to be really good, it must ripen – some longer, some shorter. Before that happens, however, the cheese mass must be prepared. The coagulant only makes the cheese semi-solid: a curd is formed. Using a cutting and stirring mechanism, the curd is chopped for half an hour so that cheese curds develop. This separates the liquid whey from the solid components of the milk.

Now the cheese harp comes into play – this device is strung with wire and cuts the small fragments of the mass. The smaller the fragments, the firmer the cheese will ultimately be. After two hours of processing with the cheese harp at a temperature of 52°, the cheese curds are pressed into molds. The whey drains off and the cheese can ripen.

Through a salt bath the following day, the remaining whey is extracted from the cheese and the formation of a rind is supported. The latter is of crucial importance, as the rind protects the cheese from drying out and mold formation. How high the salt content of the brine is depends on the type of cheese.

How should I store cheese?

To keep cheese fresh for longer, you can do various things, such as wrapping it in a cloth dampened with vinegar and storing it in a cool place. The vinegar has a preserving effect and prevents mold, drying out, and maintains freshness.

However, since this food is quite sensitive, there are a few things to keep in mind. Because: the ripening process of the cheese does not end with the purchase. If the cheese is stored too warmly, for example, it becomes slightly bitter in taste. Reason: bacteria form rapidly, which affect the aroma.

Therefore, the motto is: store the cheese cool, wrapped, and in the dark. The ideal storage temperature is 4°-8°. Before serving, you can leave the cheese at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes so that it can develop its full aroma.

A sugar cube under the cheese dome absorbs moisture and thus prevents rapid molding. The same applies to a small bowl of coarse salt.

How is which cheese best stored?

• Hard cheese: this cheese should rest in an earthenware pot with salt or in a cloth soaked in salt water and wrung out well.

• Semi-hard and semi-soft cheese: this type is best placed under a cheese dome. Stored in a cool place in the refrigerator, the cheese can now develop its full flavor.

• Soft cheese: soft cheese should ideally be left in its original packaging. One hour before consumption, the cheese is removed from the packaging so that you can experience the full enjoyment.

• Quark, fresh cheese, and sour milk cheese: these types of cheese can be kept in the sealed packaging for up to 4 weeks. After opening, the cheese lasts about 2-3 days in the refrigerator, so fresh cheese should be consumed quite quickly.

• Cheese with noble mold: this cheese should always be stored separately so that the mold does not spread to other types of cheese.

Of course, the cut surfaces are extremely sensitive to drying out. Therefore, you should cover the cheese particularly well.

How do you get rid of cheese smell in the refrigerator?

Spicy cheese is a poem, but when you open the fridge in the morning, it can be a shock. But with this trick, that's no longer a problem: Just put a cotton ball or sponge, soaked with lemon, in the fridge with the cheese, that makes the smell disappear.

Hardened cheese fresh again

You don't have to throw away old and hardened cheese immediately. Put it in milk for a while, then it will become tasty and soft again.

Small cheese guide

Cheese is always divided into groups. Which cheese falls into which group depends on the production process, the fat content, and the water content.

• Hard cheese varieties are, for example, Emmental, Parmesan, or Gruyère. They have a high proportion of dry matter and a low water content – this makes the cheese particularly long-lasting.

• Gouda, Tilsiter, and Edam belong to the semi-hard cheese varieties. These varieties ripen faster than hard cheese varieties.

• Soft cheese like Camembert, Brie, or Limburger have a particularly high water content and are relatively fatty. Up to 50% fat is often normal.

• The Cream cheese is hardly ripened – hence its name. It is usually made from pasteurized milk, stored for a short time, and is found in quark, cottage cheese, or Gervais.

Photo by Janine, meinhaushalt.at

Also read: The perfect cheese platter