There is nothing worse than having to throw out a big block of cheese because it has dried out and become crusty or hard, but there is a simple way to stop it from spoiling.
Cheese often goes bad before its time as it will quickly lose moisture when exposed to air, which often happens if the packaging is cut wrong or someone forgets to cover it.
Some people may believe that the answer is to simply wrap cheese up in clingfilm or store it in a plastic bag, but this is one of the worst ways to store cheese.
Wrapping cheese up tightly in plastic will trap moisture in the cheese, which will encourage mould and bacteria to grow plus will take all the flavour out of your favourite cheddar.
Instead, the best way to keep cheese fresh is very simple and takes less than five minutes to do as all you need is the packaging the cheese came in and a knife.
How to make cheese last longer
Cheese should always be stored in its original supermarket packaging as it has been designed to provide the right environment or the specific cheese you have bought.
The material will regulate the moisture levels and prevent the cheese from drying out if covered properly.
Julianne Taylor, a cooking expert and content creator, has shared that the best way to cover cheese is to cut the package in a way that will act as a protective barrier.
The next time you open the cheese packet, all you need to do is use a sharp knife to cut the portion of cheese you wish to eat and slice through the packaging.
Save the cut-off packaging and place it over the exposed end of the cheese to cover it up and stop the cheese from being exposed.
Julianne said: “Do not avoid buying those big blocks of cheese for fear of it going bad as you can save a lot of money by buying cheese in bulk.
“I cut off the edge of the packaging to create a little hat, I slice off some cheese and then the end goes right back on to keep the block from going bad.”
She added: “I’ve tried ziplock bags and they don’t allow the cheese to ‘breath’. It always goes bad. This tip works for me every time.”
It may seem obvious, but taking the time to do this rather than simply ripping open the cheese packet will protect the cheese from the dry environment in the fridge and prevent bacteria from making it mouldy.
This simple coverage will also ensure the cheese retains enough moisture to keep it fresh for several weeks.
However, this food storage hack will only work on hard cheeses commonly bought from supermarkets like cheddar, and softer deli cheeses should be stored differently as they have different moisture content.
If you have lost the original packaging for cheese then do not fear as there is a strange but effective alternative sugar cube storage hack that will also keep cheese fresh for a long time.