Delicate texture, unique aroma: what is the shelf life of Camembert cheese?

Camembert is a cheese with a delicate texture and a mild mushroom flavor. It can often be seen on a cheese plate.

It reveals its taste best when warmed to room temperature. This delicacy goes well with tart nuts and sour berries.

This exquisite cheese does not last long. To preserve its taste and unique aroma, it is important to follow some recommendations. We will talk about organizing the storage of Camembert cheese below.

Product Features

Camembert is a very popular cheese variety all over the world. But it cannot boast of a very ancient history. It began to be made in France in 1791. Due to its excellent taste, today this cheese is produced not only in its homeland, but also in many other countries around the world.

Natural Camembert is prepared from just two ingredients: a special bacterial starter culture and whole cow's milk. This soft cheese is ripened using superficial white mold bacteria. This microorganism is called penicillum camemberti. This product is distinguished by a creamy and sweetish mushroom aftertaste, as well as a soft consistency. Camembert is sometimes confused with Brie - in fact there are significant differences.

An indicator of the quality of Camembert is its consistency. At the edges of the head it is quite dense, and in the center it is soft, even viscous. If the opposite is true, it means the cheese is overripe.It is not recommended to eat this product.

The lighter the mold on the cheese, the younger the product. A tan or brown crust indicates that the cheese has been stored for a long time. And this may affect its taste.

Noble camembert is not a cheap product. Therefore, it is not recommended to buy it in quantities that cannot be eaten in 1-2 times. But even if there are pieces left after the meal, their freshness can be preserved for some time.

How long can it be stored, at what temperature should it be stored?

Real Camembert cannot be stored longer than 7-10 days. Industrially prepared and wrapped in foil, this cheese can stay fresh for up to 25 days.

Longer shelf life on the packaging may indicate the presence of a large number of preservatives in the product.

The optimal storage temperature for cheese with noble white mold is from 0 °C to + 5 °C. Camembert should not be exposed to temperature changes. Therefore, it is not recommended to store it in the side door of the refrigerator.

Conditions

Cheese with noble white mold Can be stored on refrigerator shelves or without a refrigerator. But be sure to comply with expiration dates and temperature conditions.

In a refrigerator

According to the French, noble blue cheeses cannot be spoiled. But it’s quite possible to dry them out. Camembert left unpackaged, even on the shelves of the refrigerator, will dry out and lose its unique exquisite aroma. Therefore, if the cheese has not been completely eaten, you need to store it in the refrigerator correctly.

The shelf life of blue cheese depends on how quickly you plan to consume the product.

A product with white mold will not lose its subtle mushroom aroma and high taste for 3-4 days. The air temperature should not exceed 5°C, and humidity - 80-85%. Camembert in vacuum packaging can be stored on refrigerator shelves for 1.5-2 months.

It is better to keep a purchased whole cheese wheel in the tin box in which the cheese was placed during manufacture. You should not transfer the product you just purchased into a plastic container, even with a sealed lid. You can store cheese wrapped in wax paper. Unsliced ​​cheese will last longer than sliced ​​cheese.

At the age of 5-6 weeks, Camembert reaches maximum maturity. Its taste at this time becomes quite specific. Not all connoisseurs of this variety like this. Therefore, it is not recommended to store Camembert for more than 6 weeks. Even if the product is placed in original packaging.

You should not eat camebère immediately after removing it from the refrigerator.. Cheese needs time to reveal the fullness of its taste and aroma. To do this, it is recommended to keep the product at room temperature for half an hour.

In the room

Camembert can be stored without refrigeration. But be sure to comply with the temperature regime. At temperatures from +5°C to +10°C and air humidity of 80%, the cheese will continue to ripen. But without refrigeration, this product should not be stored longer than 3-5 days.

Can it be frozen?

It is believed that Camembert can be stored at subzero temperatures without losing its taste and beneficial properties. This is true, but not for any type of freezing.

The fermented milk product retains its original qualities only after so-called shock freezing. Therefore, it is better to store Camembert on the shelves of the freezer at a temperature of -20°C. In such conditions, cheese can be stored for 2-3 months.

With properly organized storage, cheese with noble white mold can remain on the freezer shelves for up to six months. The quality of defrosted cheese largely depends on compliance with all freezing rules.

A few recommendations for freezing will help preserve all the benefits and taste. noble cheese:

1. It is very important to choose the freshest, unexpired head of Camembert as possible. The cheese should be fairly hard and well-ripened.
2. To make the product convenient to use for culinary purposes in the future, it is recommended to cut the head into pieces.

   Each prepared slice must be carefully wrapped in foil. These blanks should be placed in a ziplock bag or container with a hermetically sealed lid. The date of freezing must be indicated on the packaging.

3. It is also permissible to freeze a whole wheel of cheese. In this case, it is not recommended to remove the original packaging.

The optimal temperature for storing white mold cheese on freezer shelves varies from -18°C to -20°C.

It is better to defrost cheese with white mold in stages and exclusively in the refrigerator. First, the product is laid out on a plate and placed on the shelf of the refrigerator. This way the product will melt gradually and its taste will be better preserved.Read about freezing Camembert cheese Here.

Conclusion

Camembert is a delicious cheese originally from France. Its delicate texture and savory taste make this delicacy a wonderful snack. and an ingredient for preparing many dishes. The exact shelf life and taste of the product depend on the correct organization of storage of this product.