Keeping cheese fresh can sometimes feel like quite the challenge, particularly if you live alone or stock several different varieties in your fridge. Different cheeses mature and spoil at vastly different rates, and when stored improperly, any cheese will begin drying out, sweating, or developing unwanted mould much sooner than it ought to.
The Feta Preservation Trick
Taking to Instagram, recipe creator Emily Lloyd has revealed a trick that will keep feta cheese fresh for "weeks and weeks." The food expert dubbed the hack "magic," explaining that you won't need to rush through an entire block before it begins drying out. All you'll need for this storage trick is a container, some water, and a pinch of salt.
Emily said: "You just want a clean container, add your feta, submerge it in water just enough to cover it and then a big pinch of salt as well, and this will just preserve it, and that's it. This will last in the fridge for weeks and weeks."
"Once I did an experiment, and I think I tried keeping it in there for four to five weeks and it was still good."
Best Practices for Using the Hack
When using feta, Emily advises keeping your hands clean or using a clean knife or fork to break pieces off, as it will spoil more quickly if bacteria gets into the water. One follower asked: "Love this. How often would you replace the water?" To which the food expert replied: "I don't, the same water made it last long enough for me to finish the block. If you put dirty hands/utensil in then maybe change it!"
Keeping Cheddar Fresh for Months
Meanwhile, Jill Allen, of US cheese company Tillamoo, has revealed her top tips for keeping cheddar fresh for months, recommending a double-wrapping technique. Start by wrapping the cheddar in parchment paper, cheese paper, or beeswax reusable paper. Follow this with a loose layer of cling film or tinfoil to allow the cheese some breathing room.
In a similar vein, Erika Kubick, a former cheesemonger and cookbook author, advises: "Alternatively, wrap the cheese in parchment or butcher paper. Then, loosely wrap it in a Ziploc bag." Before closing the zipper, make sure there's still some air in the bag so your cheese has plenty of oxygen and humidity. Your cheese should stay tasty, fresh and have the perfect texture for much longer than it normally would last.
General Cheese Storage Tips
The exact shelf life your cheese will have depends on the type as fresh cheeses like ricotta will always only last a few days while rind cheeses, aged cheeses and blue cheese will keep fresh for weeks. According to The Modern Milkman, your fridge should ideally be maintained at between 5-8°C for storing cheese, with the vegetable drawer being the ideal spot to shield it from light.
