Rules and terms of storage of an exquisite delicacy - blue cheese

Blue cheeses are an exquisite delicacy that is distinguished by its piquant taste and aroma. Soft varieties of this product are particularly susceptible to storage conditions.

When the temperature rises even by a few degrees, the fermented milk product begins to deteriorate faster. Therefore, blue cheese must be stored in compliance with all necessary rules and conditions.

We'll talk about storing blue cheese in this article.

How long is it stored?

The shelf life of blue cheeses is usually indicated by the manufacturer on the label. As soon as the cheese wheel is cut, the product immediately begins to interact with air.

Blue cheese that has been unpacked can be stored in the refrigerator for 7 to 14 days. After this time, the taste of the product, as well as its color and smell, will change. Eating such cheese is dangerous to health.

How to store?

Before purchasing blue cheese, it is important to pay attention to the expiration date of the product. This is a general recommendation for any fermented milk product.

To keep the cheese fresh longer, it is important to comply with several basic conditions storage:

1. Cheese delicacies must be stored separately from steel types of cheese. Mold quickly spreads to other cheeses. From such an “invasion” the latter deteriorate and become unfit for consumption.
2. During storage, avoid exposing the cheese to sunlight. Temperature changes and increased humidity should also not be allowed.
3. Noble cheese can be wrapped in parchment or foil. But it is better to avoid using cling film. The product wrapped in it will quickly deteriorate due to excess moisture.

Before putting it in the refrigerator, it is better to wrap the product in parchment or place it in a container with a hermetically sealed lid. But it is still important for a product with noble mold to breathe. Therefore, every 2 days it is useful to take it out, free it from the parchment and place it on a plate.

Next, the product is again sent to the refrigerator for half an hour.. After such airing, the fermented milk product is again wrapped in parchment and sent to a hermetically sealed container.

With blue mold

This product is named so because of the greenish-blue veins in the cheese mass. They are formed by the fungus Penicillium roqueforti.

Varieties of this cheese include:

• Roquefort;
• Dorblu;
• Danablu;
• Blay de Bresse;
• Bayern Blue;
• Gorgonzola;
• Fourme d'Ambert;
• Cambozola;
• Blay de Causses;
• Picodon.

If the buyer has a special cheese cabinet, these delicacies can be stored there for 10-14 days longer. Thanks to air circulation and a high percentage of humidity inside such a cabinet, the taste of the fermented milk product will not change.

With white

To the so-called cheeses with white mold relate:

• Bree;
• Camembert;
• Coulommier;
• Neuchatel;
• Shawrs;
• Rocamadour;
• Kare;
• Boulette d'Aven;
• Rouzette.

To produce such a delicacy, the future cheese is placed in the basement. Usually the walls of such storage facilities are covered with special fungi. As the fermented milk product matures, its surface becomes covered with a fluffy white coating. Noble white mold can also develop inside the cheese mass.

Product with white mold in packaging can retain its freshness from 2 weeks to 1 month. Unpacked dairy products should not be kept on refrigerator shelves for more than 10-14 days.

With red

Red mold develops on the surface of the cheese wheel during the ripening process. This unusual growth occurs after processing a dairy product with a special type of bacteria. As a result, a reddish-brown crust forms on the surface of the ripened product.

Varieties cheeses with red mold:

• Livaro;
• Brie Noir;
• Epuas;
• Munster;
• Remudu;
• Pont-l'Evêque;
• Maroy.

In store-bought packaging, these types of cheeses will remain fresh for up to 30 days. After breaking the shell, the product with red mold can be stored for no longer than 7 days.

Temperature

Blue cheeses ripen in the cool basements. Therefore, store them after purchase as well. recommended in the cold of the refrigerator.

The optimal temperature for storing noble mold cheese is from +1 °C to +6 °C.

It is better to place this product not on the shelves of the refrigerator, but in the compartment for vegetables and fruits. The temperature here is as close as possible to the temperature of the cellars in which the cheese is kept.

The optimal humidity level for storing such fermented milk products is 85-90%. Therefore, it is best to store cheese in a special cheese cabinet.

Can it be frozen?

Blue cheese can be frozen. But it is worth considering that under the influence of low temperatures, the bacteria in the fermented milk product die and it loses its taste.

If such a delicacy has been frozen, it should not be stored at sub-zero temperatures for more than six months.

The freezing process must be approached correctly:

1. Immediately before putting it in the freezer, a large piece of cheese needs to be cut into pieces. The weight of each portion is 200-250 g.
2. It is best to wrap the cheese in parchment or wax paper before freezing. This bundle is then wrapped in cling film or aluminum foil. Such careful packaging will protect the cheese from frost burn and drying out.
3. To prevent the delicacy from absorbing the odors of other products stored in the freezer, you need to wrap the product in the manner indicated above. Next, the packaged package is placed in a plastic container covered with an airtight lid.

How can you tell if a product has gone bad?

Like any other fermented milk products, blue cheese can go bad. What you need to do to track signs of a stale product:

1. Smell cheese. The surest way to determine that a moldy product has gone bad is to trust your sense of smell.

   The usual smell of blue cheese (especially blue cheese) is specific and very pronounced.

   But if the product loses its freshness, this aroma changes.The pungent smell of ammonia emanating from a head or piece of fermented milk product indicates that it has begun to deteriorate.

2. Pay attention to color. Fresh cheese contains edible mold. Therefore, on the surface of such a product, as well as inside the cheese mass, you can see streaks of blue, green or reddish shades.

   But when buying, you should pay attention to the part that should be light yellow, beige or white. That is, a mold-free zone. If the cheese pulp has changed color and turned pinkish, brown or greenish, it is better not to eat such a product.

3. Look at the surface of the product. If it is slippery and covered with a dark coating, eating such a product is dangerous to health. Black spots on the surface of the cheese or in its pulp indicate that the product is spoiled.
4. Try it cheese to taste. If it seems that the smell and appearance of the product have not changed, you can try a small piece of cheese. The taste of the fresh delicacy is very bright and rich. But when the product begins to deteriorate, bitterness is clearly felt in it, and the taste becomes unpleasant.

This video will tell you how to tell if blue cheese has gone bad:

Conclusion

The optimal storage conditions for blue cheese are the lower compartments of the refrigerator at a temperature of +1°C to +6°C. In sealed store packaging, the product stays fresh for up to 30 days. After opening the shell, it is recommended to eat the product within several days.

If cheese is stored in store-bought packaging, it is important to monitor the expiration dates indicated by the manufacturer. The unshelled product should also be checked regularly for spoilage.. Black specks, a slippery surface and an unpleasant odor are signs of stale cheese.It is not recommended to eat this product.