Blue cheese can last 3–4 weeks in the refrigerator
Blue cheese is one of the most popular foods in the world. It is often served as a condiment to a variety of dishes and it’s an integral part of several must-have appetizers. Depending on what country you are in, there are a few different types of blue cheese, each with its own unique taste and aroma. So How Long Does Blue Cheese Last?
Before you stock up on France’s favorite cheese, it’s important to know when you can expect the worst of that smell. Here in America, blue cheeses are typically in a “best by” stage after a couple of months of being made. In warmer climates, these foods may be safe for consumption for up to six months.
How Long Does Blue Cheese Last?
However, the US Department of Agriculture recommends that retailers discard “soft cheese,” including blue cheese and Brie if they have been unpacked for over two hours at room temperature or three hours when chilled. The Food Safety and Inspection Service also advises consumers to toss out their purchase if it smells bad or tastes spoiled despite its “use by” date passing without notice.
And the practice is not limited to the US. Under Japanese regulation, cheese made with spoilt or microbe-infested milk cannot be sold after 10 days. But in Australia and New Zealand, it is safest to consume soft cheeses that have been bought within six months of production.
In other countries, though, its usage time might be longer than you’d expect. In France and Italy, soft blue cheeses are sold at room temperature for 14 days from the date of production. And if you bought it in a supermarket in Portugal or Spain, you’re out of luck after two months.
| Room Temp | Fridge |
|---|---|
| Blue cheese wedge (unopened) | Sell-by + 1 – 2 weeks |
| Blue cheese wedge (opened) | 2 – 4 weeks |
| Blue cheese crumbled (unopened) | Sell-by + 2 – 3 weeks |
| Blue cheese crumbled (opened) | 1 week |
Can you make blue cheese last longer?
You might think so, if you’ve ever read the standard supermarket description of the product: “This cheese can last up to two years at room temperature.”
Also Read, How Long Do Grapes Last In The Fridge? [Fact Checked]
The claim that soft cheeses won’t spoil for longer than a year has led many people to save money by purchasing them for one-and-a-half years. But it’s not just soft cheeses that will lose their full flavor after a long time on the shelf.
“If you buy soft crumbles like Queso Fresco in Spain, they’re made of just one type of milk, and they’re fairly delicate as well,” said David Geiser, a professor at the University of California Davis. “In the US, they use several types of milk and they’re a bit more of a hard kind of cheese. And that’s why it’s not as likely to go bad.”
But some experts caution against this practice and say it can be dangerous to eat older cheese. “If you’re eating an old cheese or just a romaine, it has to be properly trimmed,” Geiser said. “And in most cases, if you eat something like this without trimming it properly, all kinds of bad things can happen.”
How To Tell If Blue Cheese Is Bad?
Blue cheese is one of the most popular foods in the world. It is often served as a condiment to a variety of dishes and it’s an integral part of several must-have appetizers. Depending on what country you are in, there are a few different types of blue cheese, each with its own unique taste and aroma. So how can you tell if your blue cheese is bad?
Before we answer that question, let’s back up for a moment and talk about how blue cheese is made. The process starts by using mold to ferment cow’s milk into more flavorsome cheeses like Brie or Camembert. The longer the cheese has to set and ripen in a dark environment, the more different types of mold will build up along the surface. This is what gives these cheeses their blue color, hence the name “blue cheese.”
Because its blue color can mask some of its telltale signs, it’s very easy to not realize when your blue cheese is bad. The best way to determine whether or not your blue cheese is stale or spoiled is to simply take a whiff of it. It should have a mild funky smell with an aroma that’s sharp and somewhat pungent. If you can’t detect any odor or if it doesn’t smell at all, throw it out. It’s probably gone bad. Always it is important to know whether cheese is bad before think about How Long Does Blue Cheese Last.
If you want to quickly determine if your blue cheese is bad without having to take a sniff, there are two good ways to do that. The first method uses the touch test. First, put a few drops of water on the surface of your blue cheese.
If it turns into a jelly-like substance right away and sticks to the surface, then it’s likely spoiled and should be thrown away immediately. Second, place some of your blue cheese onto a clean piece of paper towel.
Take a sniff of the paper towel. If it smells spoiled, too bad! You’ve just wasted your money and should throw out the whole lot.
How long can blue cheese sit out?
It’s not a good idea to allow your blue cheese to remain out for more than two hours. This is the standard for all perishable food items.
While certain hard cheeses such as Parmesan or Pecorino are likely be safe after two hours, however, it’s not so sure for semi-soft cheeses like blue cheese.
My suggestion? If you didn’t open it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours, and it’s not an extremely hot summer then it’ll likely (do this at the risk of your life) be okay. If it was on a cheese plate throughout the birthday celebration and was thrown in the trash bin.
Conclusion
When properly stored, an opened container of crumbled blue cheese can last between 5 and seven hours within the fridge. If you store in the fridge Blue cheese can last 3–4 weeks in the refrigerator. After the package has been opened, you can eat or store the blue cheese crumbles within the specified time for cooling, even if you have not reached the “Best By,” “Best if Used By,” or “Use By” date has not been achieved. I hope this post answered your question How Long Does Blue Cheese Last.
References
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-blue-cheese-mold
- https://www.doesitgobad.com/does-blue-cheese-go-bad/
- https://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/16575
- https://www.wikihow.com/Tell-when-Blue-Cheese-Is-Bad
