JOIN NOW LOG IN
iVillage GardenWeb iVillage GardenWeb THE INTERNET'S GARDEN & HOME COMMUNITY ADVERTISEMENT
Blogs Forums Photo Galleries Ask The Experts Tools & Directories        
Return to the Homesteading Forum | Post a Follow-Up

 o
How long will cheese last at room temp?

Posted by keepitlow (My Page) on
Fri, Jun 19, 09 at 11:06

With 70 to 75 degree temps is it OK to leave it out while traveling for 2 days?


Follow-Up Postings:

 o
RE: How long will cheese last at room temp?

It partly depends on how big the chunk or block of cheese is.

Basically, at those temperatures, what cheese does is first to "sweat" (moisture moves out to the surface), then it begins to dry out. A larger chunk will take longer to dry out.

But before the cheese dries out, as the moisture gets to the surface, mold can (and usually does) begin to form.

Some sorts of cheese (like "blue cheese") actually incorporate the mold that grows on cheese as part of the desired, edible product - but this involves the controlled cultivation of a very specific mold. What you'd likely get on cheese in the situation you're describing would be a pretty unspecific moldy colonization of the cheese.

Someone may have a better answer than this, but if I had no way to keep the cheese cooler than the temps you refer to, then I'd be watching for signs of mold showing on the surface of the cheese. If it does show up, I'd generously carve off the moldy outside of the block. The inner part would probably remain edible for a couple days.


 o
RE: How long will cheese last at room temp?

Thanks


 o
RE: How long will cheese last at room temp?

Why not take the cheese with you for a snack along the way?


 o
RE: How long will cheese last at room temp?

Why not take the cheese with you for a snack along the way?...That is my thoughts but didn't want to get food poison, so wondered how long it is edible.


 o
RE: How long will cheese last at room temp?

It will last for a very long time providing you dip it in wax before traveling. Just cut into smaller bits for a days use and then dip those into wax a few times. I lived in France for many years and cheese will keep a very long time at room temp if you follow this one simple rule. A lot of cheese is stored in very moist rooms for months to years with a lot of mold on the outside of them. Then just before being sold, they are washed and sent to market.


 
 

 

 


Click here to learn more about in-text links on this page.



iVillage GardenWeb: The Internet's Garden & Home Community  
  iVillage Home & Garden Network