# Should I throw out cheese with mold on it?



## finn (Apr 13, 2016)

Hey, so im kinda new here so please bare with me.

So my dad bought me different types of cheese (blue, mozarella, parmesan etc) and i dont know to store them. I put them on our refrigerator leaving them there for 1 week. When i was about to use the mozzarella i saw molds forming. Are they still edible or should be discarded? And any tips on storing would surely help alot. Thanks!


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

I like to store my cheese wrapped in wax paper in the fridge. Hard cheeses will last a good while and you can scrape off some of the green bits. I'm sure you can do the same with mozzarella but I throw it out to be safe.


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## berndy (Sep 18, 2010)

Sliced mozzarella with mold needs to be dumped. Mold on a block of Mozzarella can be cut away .Your blue chees is safe .

A towel dampened with vinegar wrapped around the cheese will delay the formation of mold

Parmesan is usually too dry  to get moldy..


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## henryowen (Apr 13, 2016)

I think it would be safe to dump the mozzarella cheese with mold.


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## finn (Apr 13, 2016)

Thanks for the replies! ill probably just cut off the molds on my block of mozzarella. (cheese here is too pricey)


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## chefross (May 5, 2010)

Finn said:


> Thanks for the replies! ill probably just cut off the molds on my block of mozzarella. (cheese here is too pricey)


Remember that cheese mold can develop little spider veins that will borrow through.

They are undetectable with the naked eye.

Mold on large chucks of cheese, however small should be taken more seriously.


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## rpooley (Dec 1, 2015)

When I have cheese bits that are getting to the critical time where mold may be coming or has just started, I always make some fromage fort to use it up faster. Spread on bread and under a broiler, it's terrific. Otherwise, I agree with the storage/trimming tips above.

Fromage Fort


1/2 pound cheese pieces
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup dry white wine
Black pepper
Salt

Put about 1/2 pound of cheese pieces in the bowl of a food processor, add 1 garlic clove, about 1/4 cup of dry white wine and a big grinding of black pepper. Salt is usually not needed, but taste the mixture and add some if it is. Process for 30 seconds or so, until the mixture is creamy but not too soft, and then pack it into small containers. The _fromage fort_ is ready to use now, either served cold or spread on bread and broiled for a few minutes. Broiling will brown the cheese and make it wonderfully fragrant.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

From age Fort, the classic Jacque Pepin trick. I've always been interested but never made. My wife tends to throw out the old cheese bits before I get 1/2 lb. 

I'll bet it's yummy but right now I can only imagine. What is the shelf life of repurposed cheese?


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## jimyra (Jun 23, 2015)

Cheese can be stored in the refrigerator tightly wrapped in saran wrap or Al foil.  Mold should be cut off a block cheese one half inch back from the mold.  Cheese can also be frozen.  It should be wrapped and put in the refrigerator three days before use.  Cheese that has be frozen may not be good for all uses because of the moisture distribution.  How do you know when blue cheese has mold?


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## rpooley (Dec 1, 2015)

BrianShaw said:


> From age Fort, the classic Jacque Pepin trick. I've always been interested but never made. My wife tends to throw out the old cheese bits before I get 1/2 lb.
> 
> I'll bet it's yummy but right now I can only imagine. What is the shelf life of repurposed cheese?


I find the fromage fort seems to last a bit longer, maybe the wine helps, but it tends to go pretty quickly in the house.

Feeling peckish?

Bread-smear-broiler-done

Also, a nice last minute app for guests as the bread can be ready and popped under the broiler when the doorbell rings.

I've also stirred it into hot pasta with an egg or two, bacon, leftover veggies. Clumps a bit (not so much with some pasta water starch) but the taste is still spot on


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Rule of thumb I was taught... hard cheese you can cut the mold off and salvage the rest. Softer cheeses like mozz I would chuck it because the mold will penetrate deeper!

When I buy a large block of cheese I cut it in fourths and vacuum bag them. Take care to not touch the cheese with your bare hands(I cut it in the store wrapper). I have stored a cut block of cheddar this way for up to 3 months with no mold growth. When you want to use the cheese cut the vacuum bag a day ahead of time and fold it loosely so the cheese can reabsorb moisture that gets pulled to the surface.

I have frozen cheese in vacuum bags also but the texture changes. It gets dryer and will crumble when cut... doesn't melt as well either. For some cheeses like cheddar I don't mind this.


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## rpooley (Dec 1, 2015)

Funny, I ended up with leftover cheese tonight! Manchego, Gruyere, Parmesan, aged Cheddar. Black pepper and a bit of cognac. Now I have an excuse to make some French bread this weekend.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

You have my mouth salivating. I need to check my cheese bin to see what I have. I know there's some Brie and probably provolone. Always have Parm and Romano. I think I'll save the smoked pepper Jack for some other purpose, though. Thanks for the great idea!


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## rpooley (Dec 1, 2015)

BrianShaw said:


> You have my mouth salivating. I need to check my cheese bin to see what I have. I know there's some Brie and probably provolone. Always have Parm and Romano. I think I'll save the smoked pepper Jack for some other purpose, though. Thanks for the great idea!


You're welcome. Let me know the end ingredients.

And thanks @Finn for the moldy cheese thread which got me thinking about leftover cheese.

I was thinking of trying Dan Leader's 4-hour baguette anyway, in lieu of my usual.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I posted a link once about cheese, mold and safety. Can't pull that thread up in a search. But here's a google search to the same external link.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-l...xpert-answers/food-and-nutrition/faq-20058492

Soft cheeses when they mold, they mold all the way through.

Semi soft such as cheddar (why this is semi soft eludes me still because Gruyere/Emmental are classified as hard and seem softer to me in general) you can slice off the mold in 1 inch thick slabs. This is the food safety recommendation I linked to. I usually pare it off in 1/4 inch slabs and have been fine with the result. No off flavors, doesn't quickly grow mold again and so on.

Harder cheese such as Parm can be grated clean pretty easily. Then clean the grater and grate the cheese you want to use. And are pretty darn resistant to mold in the first place.


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## rpooley (Dec 1, 2015)

phatch said:


> Soft cheeses when they mold, they mold all the way through.
> 
> Semi soft such as cheddar (why this is semi soft eludes me still because Gruyere/Emmental are classified as hard and seem softer to me in general) you can slice off the mold in 1 inch thick slabs. This is the food safety recommendation I linked to. I usually pare it off in 1/4 inch slabs and have been fine with the result. No off flavors, doesn't quickly grow mold again and so on.
> 
> Harder cheese such as Parm can be grated clean pretty easily. Then clean the grater and grate the cheese you want to use. And are pretty darn resistant to mold in the first place.


I think you bring up a good point, often when I trim semi-soft and hard cheese, it does not grow back quickly. Even when I only just trim it off.


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## dagger (Feb 4, 2005)

buy yourself a Foodsaver and never have that problem again.


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## rpooley (Dec 1, 2015)

No, thanks.  Too much plastic waste for me.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

Foodsaver bags can be washed and reused for a smaller item!


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## dagger (Feb 4, 2005)

They make reusable foodsaver begs, like zipper lock with a suction valve. It uses a hand held vacuum suction device. They are ok but don't last forever.


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## ian young (Apr 21, 2016)

I have cut off mold many times before. The best way to present cheese from spoiling is, say if you have a large block of cheese, cut it into quarters and throw the others in the freezer. The quality of the cheese like the texture may not be as good, but it will prevent it from going bad at the very least. As far as I know, generally just cutting off the mold is a safe way to eat the cheese.


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