Cheese in the Fridge

[shannonG]

This is a random question but I thought this would be a great place to ask it!!! Do you throw cheese away within the time frame they tell you?...I'm talking about after it's been opened. I think most cheese packages advise the cheese to be thrown away 3 days after the package is opened.

We rarely ever eat a brick of cheese in three days. If it is stored in a zip lock bag and smells good and looks fine isn't it ok?? I have cheese in my fridge that was opened over a week ago and looks absolutely fine.

I always feel terrible tossing food away when it's still good...such a waste. What do you guys do? I just wonder if there is something that happens to the cheese before it turns moldy or smelly that I don't know of. I'm thinking that they just put that on there so that people will be overly careful or so that you toss it and have to buy more!!
TIA!!!

[aim]

I have never seen a suggestion like that on any cheese we have (though we buy most of our blocks of cheese at a local farmers market) Anyway, to answer your question we throw away cheese (rarely because we eat it but, I digress) when it is moldy. Maybe that is gross, but I really don't see any reason to throw it out in three days - we would go through tons of cheese that way.

Amy
DS Bennett 1-14-04

[wencit]

I've never seen the printing on a cheese package that advises it to be thrown away 3 days after it's been opened, but then again, I don't read those packages very carefully. I love cheese, but I've never finished a block in 3 days either. If it looks and smells fine, I've eaten it -- and I'm still alive today. I figure cheese is moldy milk anyways, right? :)

One tip: if I know I won't be finishing a block of cheese for a while, I store it in the freezer. I figure it'll last much longer that way. However, I mostly use cheese for cooking and don't usually eat it straight from the package.

[DebbieJ]

I never throw cheese away. In fact, if some mold grows on it, I cut it off and keep eating! Like a PP said, cheese is just moldy milk! :)

~ deb
DS 12/03
And a niece or nephew arriving in early August!

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[amp]

Three days?! yikes, never read that or followed it. But we usually have cheeses that keep a good deal longer (cheddar, colby, mozzarella, etc). I will keep cheeses, especially block cheese, for a couple of weeks without worry.

[Wife_and_mommy]

I'm pretty sure it's the deli meats/cheeses that tell you to throw them out so soon. I recall seeing that on a package of deli r.beef.

As for the original question, I can handle about a week of open food like meat/cheese, etc. I *could not* cut mold off and eat the remaining cheese. Kudos to those who can. Usually cheese has to be in the fridge for close to three or so weeks for it to grow mold and by then I wouldn't eat it so I guess it's a moot point.


Elizabeth

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Our second morsel due early February 2006!

[bunnisa]

It's my understanding that cheese won't support mold that's harmful -- someone correct me if I'm wrong.


Bethany
mom to one and one on the way!
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[RwnMayfair]

I've never noticed anything like that on our packages, but I'll admit I don't examine them that closely either. We don't throw cheese away unless it's reached the point of where cutting the mold off wouldn't leave you with anything left to eat. And I've only ever had one block of cheese actually get *that* moldy. Otherwise, we just cut the moldy parts off and the put whatever's left after we use what we want in another plastic bag. (I figure reusing the same bag it was in is only going to encourage the mold to grow back that much quicker...)

And then there's my brother's solution to food. Just cover it with cheese if it has mold on it. Ewww...

-Melissa

Taran, November 20, 2003

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[AngelaS]

I've started FoodSavering (I think I just invented a verb!) my blocks of cheese and they last about FOREVER! :D

Deli meats I keep a week. Or less if they smell....

[heidis2girls]

I asked at the deli and they said it's fine to eat until there's mold on it. If you are adventurous you can cut off the mold and eat the rest, but I'm not that adventurous! ;-)

[shannonG]

We just moved to the Philly area and I'm still getting used to some of the different brand names in the grocery store. I looked in the fridge after my last post and checked the package and it said "Best if used 5-7 days after unsealing package". I know for sure some of the brands that I used to buy in NY said 3-5 days...which is why I mentioned 3 days in my post. Thanks for your responses, I don't feel so bad about keeping cheese around a little longer. Now that I think of it, my mother used to cut the bad parts off too! Thanks again! Shannon