How to Store Cheese to Keep It Fresh and Mold-Free for Weeks

The Secret to Long-Lasting Cheese

We have all been there: you buy a beautiful block of cheddar or a wedge of Gouda, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and put it in the fridge. A week later, you pull it out only to find it covered in fuzzy green mold. It is a frustrating and expensive kitchen fail. Fortunately, the solution is simple. The culprit is not your refrigerator—it is the plastic wrap.

Cheese is a living, breathing food. Wrapping it tightly in plastic suffocates it, traps excess moisture, and creates the perfect humid breeding ground for mold. By switching to a few basic household supplies, you can easily double or triple the shelf life of your cheese. Here is how to do it step-by-step.

Step 1: Free the Cheese from Plastic

As soon as you bring your cheese home from the grocery store, unwrap it immediately. If it came in a vacuum-sealed plastic package, cut it open and discard the plastic. If there is already any moisture or wet condensation on the surface of the cheese, gently pat it dry with a clean paper towel.

Step 2: Wrap It in Parchment or Wax Paper

Instead of plastic, you want to wrap your cheese in a material that allows air to circulate while keeping the cheese from drying out. Professional cheesemongers use specialized cheese paper, but standard kitchen parchment paper or wax paper works just as well.

• Cut a square of parchment paper that is roughly three times the size of your cheese block.
• Place the cheese in the center and fold the paper over it tightly, like wrapping a gift.
• Secure the folds with a small piece of tape or by tucking the loose ends under the weight of the block.

Step 3: Create a Protective Outer Layer

While parchment paper allows the cheese to breathe, wrapping it in paper alone can cause the cheese to dry out in the arid environment of a refrigerator. To prevent this, you need a loose secondary barrier.

• Take your paper-wrapped cheese and place it inside a reusable silicone bag or a zip-top bag, but leave the bag zipped only halfway. This allows gas to escape while maintaining a stable micro-climate.
• Alternatively, you can wrap a loose layer of aluminum foil over the parchment-wrapped cheese.

Step 4: Store It in the Vegetable Crisper

Location is everything. The main shelves of your refrigerator are too cold and dry for cheese. Instead, store your wrapped cheese in the vegetable crisper drawer. This drawer is designed to maintain a slightly higher, more consistent humidity level, which mimics the natural aging caves where cheese is made.

Bonus Hack: The Vinegar Shield for Hard Cheeses

If you are storing hard cheeses like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano for the long term, you can use the vinegar trick to completely prevent mold spores from growing. Lightly dampen a paper towel with a few drops of white vinegar and wipe down the inside of the container or bag where your wrapped cheese is stored. The mild acidity of the vinegar inhibits mold growth without altering the flavor or aroma of your cheese.