The Best Way to Store Cheese, According to Tillamook

Whether you enjoy it as-is or incorporate it as an ingredient, you probably have a strong affection for cheese—which is good, because it means you’re in the right place. Cheese works in any meal from breakfast to dessert, and we surely don’t need to tell you about the capabilities cheese brings to appetizers and snacks. 

There’s a simple way to ensure that your cheese tastes its best and lasts longer: Take care of it. When you store your cheese in the proper environment, it doesn’t just taste better and stay fresh longer; you’re also protecting your cheese from exposure to contaminants that could make people sick. 

We talked to the experts at Tillamook Creamery to find out everything you need to know about storing cheese. 

The Best Way to Store Cheese, According to Tillamook

First of all, you’ll want to keep your cheese cool and away from potential light, yeast, mold spores, and aromas from other foods, so store it in your fridge’s bottom crisper drawer. You’ll also be glad to know that, generally, the container your cheese came in is a suitable vessel for storage. 

“When cheese makers and producers package their cheese, they’re putting it in the best possible system for shelf life to help reduce food waste and the best way to store the cheese for its longevity,” says Jill Allen, Director of Product Excellence in R+D at Tillamook. 

Related: 13 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes

Did your spreadable cheese come in a tub, or your Brie come in a box? Hold onto that container—it’s already providing the ideal humidity and protection for that exact cheese. If your feta comes with brine, keep it—that liquid is the perfect environment. Hard and semi-hard cheeses typically come wrapped in plastic film, but Tillamook has a trick for working with what you’ve got:

When opening hard or semi-hard cheese, keep the packaging. Once you’re done with what you need at the moment, fold the original wrapper back over the end and secure it with a rubber band. If you need backup, use parchment paper, wax paper, or cheese bags, which help keep cheese in the ideal storage environment. 

Cheese Storage: What Not to Do

If your fridge is stocked with different types of cheese, the absolute worst thing you can do is store them in the same container. When multiple cheeses circulate the same (and very limited) air they’ll end up tasting more alike. 

“Think about putting a blue cheese in that same little aging cave with a cheddar cheese,” Allen says. “There’s different yeast and molds and that cheddar cheese is the perfect medium for those blue mold spores.” It’s totally fine to put a bunch of different cheeses in your crisper drawer, but make sure they’re each in their own specific container.; 

More Cheese Storage Tips

• Cheese is best at room temperature, so give it a few minutes to rest before serving. 
• Unless you plan on melting it afterwards, it’s not recommended to put cheese in the freezer. “[Freezing cheese] halts the aging process and changes the flavor and texture,” Allen says. For more information, consult our guide to freezing cheese.