Cheesemongers Recommend This Hack to Keep Cheese Fresh

Sell-by dates are more of a light suggestion than a hard-and-fast rule. There’s no federal regulation of sell-by dates, and state-level regulation is a patchwork at best. For something like cheese, which is generally an aged product and can often be safely consumed after its sell-by date, Food & Wine editors score deals by purchasing cheese close to its sell-by date. Why? As Special Projects Editor Lucy Simon has discovered, stores like Whole Foods tend to run deals on this cheese.

If you’ve secured a couple of hunks of fancy cheese close to their sell-by date, your best bet is to eat it as soon as possible. If it makes it past the car ride home and you’re not planning to make a charcuterie board that night, you’ll need the right storage solution to get as much life as possible out of your cheese. 

Formaticum Zero 15-Pack Cheese Storage Paper

Every cheese expert we spoke to warned against the same thing: plastic. Alexandra Jones, a cheese educator and author of the book Stuff Every Cheese Lover Should Know, loves the Formaticum Zero Cheese Storage Paper because it’s plastic-free, compostable, and recyclable. Anna Landmark, cheesemaker and cheesemonger at Landmark Creamery, agrees, saying, “I can’t recommend Formaticum cheese papers highly enough,” and adds that she uses them in her store. 

But why is plastic so bad for cheese? Because it needs to breathe by releasing and absorbing moisture to maintain its optimal texture. Chef Michele Casadei, the R&D Culinary Lead of Parmigiano Reggiano USA, says plastic “suffocates the cheese and alters the flavor.” He also recommended a version of parchment paper, like the Formaticum Zero Cheese Storage Paper, because it allows the cheese to breathe while protecting it from excess moisture and drying out. He recommends changing the paper every five to seven days for optimal freshness. 

Jones and Landmark both say their No. 1 cheese storage hack is just to eat your cheese right away — a strategy we can get behind. But if you must store it, Jones offers this handy timeline: “Fresh cheeses like chèvre and bloomy rinds like Brie typically have a shelf life of seven to 10 days when stored properly and kept in the coldest part of your fridge. Firm styles typically have a shelf life of up to two weeks, depending on how they’re stored, and hard, salty cheeses like Parmesan can last for three weeks or more with proper storage,” adding, “when in doubt, ask your monger for guidance.” 

What makes this cheese paper different from Fromatiucum’s other cheese bags and other types of cheese wraps is that it’s totally plastic-free, but it still has a porous coating that allows the cheese to breathe. Formaticum uses cellulose, a plant fiber, to coat the paper, so everything is fully biodegradable — Formaticum says the Zero Cheese Paper breaks down in just 100 days. Each pack includes 15 9 x 13-inch sheets, which is enough for months of cheese storage. But at almost $19 per pack, it works out to over $1 per sheet, which is a bit pricey. 

So if you’re tired of moldy or dried-out cheese, ditch the zip-top bags and plastic storage containers in favor of Formaticum Zero Cheese Storage Paper. You’ll get more shelf life out of your cheese, preventing food waste and saving you money. 

More Cheese Tools to Shop Now

Caraway 4-Piece Double-Sided Wood Cutting Board Set

Henckels Specials 5-Piece Cheese Knife Set

Prodyne CK-300 Multi-Use Knife

Kilner Cheese Store Airtight Cheese Storage

At the time of publishing, the price was $19.