We bought a block of cheddar at Winco last Wednesday. Well, since we had bought alot of other stuff w/ it, it was forgotten about until we found it in the trunk today. So in otherwords, it has been sitting in the trunk, unrefrigerated, for 7 days.

How long can cheddar cheese last this way? I tried looking it up and yahoo answers said that harder cheese like cheddar, can be left out on the counter for several days, even weeks. Is this true?

Thanks

How cold has it been there?

Just cut off any surface area that looks bad to you. If it doesn't look bad, it probably isn't. I have done exactly what you describe, and the cheese was fine. If the cheese was wrapped well, you should have no problems.

Thanks, DG

Sher- it's been pretty cold here the last week. Not super freezing but cold enough. The cheese was in the trunk so even with the sun out, it wassn't beating down on the cheese.

Then DG's suggestion is totally appropriate.

I'm with them esencia...it should be just fine

cheese gets better with age just like us.
if its been cool then i say pass it to me and ill eat it after i cut the outside skin coat off of it. most cheese gets better with age.
google cheese making and see if you can find something on cheese. ive had cheese that turned green on the outside and after i cut the stuff off the outside i ate it ummm good.
if you dont trust it trow it away better safe than sorry. food poison is a bad thing.

Before the days of refrigeration cheese sat in "cool" places like a cool basement for days, weeks, months... you know aged cheese is the best cheese.

What hurts cheese is air. "Fancy" cheese wheels are dipped in wax, wax prevents air getting to the cheese which causes mold to form on the cheese. Now days they use plastic and vacuum packing to prevent air from getting to the cheese.

Yeah I had my cheese out for awhile...youll be surprised how long they will last.

Hi esencia!

I think your cheese will still be good.

Will you please share your post with me? I have a cheese question too. Skooch over sweetie. Ouch... ok.. there- perfect.


My fiance was in Italy in 2000. He brought back some Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and it has been refrigerated and vacuum sealed. I don't see any mold on it. Do you think it is still good?



Thanks esencia. I owe ya one.

If there is no mold on it and it's been sealed, it's probably perfectly fine. If it's what I think it is, it is a harder, drier cheese and stays good longer anyway

Thanks giz!

Thanks esencia!

I know this post is quite old but I did not see Clare's question. I know Giz already answered it and she is absolutely right.

Parmesan cheese is a drier, harder cheese. Because of this, as long as it is kept sealed good (as in never been opened or sealed tight in a container w/ a lid, a ziplock, or plastic wrap) it will even last quite awhile past the experation date.

Kind of off the subject but a few years ago I made a lasagna at work as an employee special. (we feed the employees as well as the guests.) I put layer upon layer of noodles, sauce and cheese...got to the top layer and noticed the parmesan cheese in the bag was moldy! OMG!! I was so upset. All that hard work down the drain because I had to throw it out on account of mold. Needless to say, I always check the cheesee first BEFORE assembling the lasagna!!

Oh yes. Another good cheese that is similar to Parmesan is Asiago. Yum Yum Yum! It's a little sweeter than parm but oh so good ontop of lasgana! Asiago cheese bagles are yummy too. Oh Oh! Safeway makes the best Artisan Asiago bread!

OMG Asiago cheese is one of my FAVORITES! I just love Asiago Cheese bagels and Asiago Sourdough...don't even need butter!!

OK, and as far as moldy cheese goes. Esencia, I would guess that the cheese you mentioned in your lasagne story was already shredded, in which case, yes, it's a lost cause. However...

With just about any cheese...if in a brick, when mold starts to develop on the outside, just cut it off and the rest will be fine. I use sliced swiss cheese alot, and if I don't use it fast enough it sometimes starts to mold - but it always starts at the edges, so I can just cut the edges off. (Obviously I check the holes too, but they're always unaffected)

If you buy cheese in a brick that has a wax coating, only cut the wax off of the portion you are going to be using, and don't be tempted to cut off the rest of the wax. It helps to preserve the cheese, and it will not mold as quickly when the coating is left on