Cheese Storage Tips to Avoid Spoiling

Cheese is a delicious ingredient to add to any dish. Or, have it be the focal point of your food with mozzarella cheese sticks and more. After cheese is opened and cut, it needs proper storage, or you risk it getting moldy. Expired cheese results in throwing away money, and there’s no room for that in a commercial kitchen. Try these cheese storage tips to avoid spoiling and keep cheese lasting as long as possible. 

FDA Cheese Storage Temperatures

The FDA gives guidelines and rules for foods to ensure the safety of the public. Cheese can be stored either in the refrigerator or the freezer. The refrigerator should be kept at or cooler than 40°F. After the cheese is out at room temperature to be served or used to prepare meals, it shouldn’t be left out any longer than two hours. However, if you offer outside seating and cheese is out at or above 90°F, the time decreases to one hour. 

When kept in the fridge, cheese can last longer than  at room temperature. The shelf life depends on the type of cheese, though. Here is a cheese storage temperature list recommended by the USDA to understand how long cheeses last at or below 40°F:

• Hard cheeses – 3 to 4 weeks after opening and 6 months before opening. They can also last up to six months if frozen in the freezer. 

• Soft cheeses – 1 week, and they don’t freeze well at all.

Cheese Storage Tips

There are a lot of great cheese storage tips and tricks  to keep your cheeses from going bad. Some will vary depending on the type of cheese, though as well. This is because soft and hard cheeses have different needs. Below are some general cheese storage tips that apply to most cheeses. 

• Wax paper wrap – Wrapping your cheeses in wax or parchment paper can help keep them from drying out and ensures it stays tasting fresh. Be sure to properly wrap it so there’s no cheese exposed. That way, it can breathe and still remain fresh. 

• Sealed container – You don’t just want to wrap that cheese but also put it in a sealed glass container to ensure the flavor and moisture are protected. Otherwise, cheese will be exposed to fluctuating humidity. You could, in theory, use a plastic container instead of glass, but it puts the flavor of the cheese at risk. 

• Warm part of the fridge – Keeping cheese too cold can deteriorate its quality. Try to find the warmest section of your specific refrigerator and store your cheese there. Keep in mind that it still needs to be at or below 40°F. 

• Freezer – While we just said keeping cheese too cold can degrade it, hard cheeses are an exception. Hard cheeses can be kept in the freezer before opening to help prolong their shelf life. 

• Properly label – Be sure to properly label cheese when storing it out of the original packaging. Make a note of the original best-by date, the date it was opened, and what kind of cheese it is. 

• Away from aromatic foods – Highly aromatic foods can be absorbed by the cheese, even when wrapped up in the fridge. Try to store your cheeses away from those foods to protect the flavor.


• Away from lights – Lights can create a change in the texture and flavor of cheeses due to the UV rays. Whether it’s the sun or the light bulb in your fridge, it can cause these problems. Avoid storing cheeses right under the light bulb of your refrigerator to keep your cheese from aging prematurely. 

Storing food correctly doesn’t just stop at cheeses. It’s important to keep track of the shelf life of produce and more. The Parts Town blog offers a wide array of information to learn more.