Food storage
How long does cheese last in the fridge?
Opened hard cheese lasts 1–3 weeks; soft cheese about a week. Wrap it in paper rather than cling film so it can breathe, and keep it in the fridge.
| Cheese | Fridge (opened) | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Hard (cheddar, parmesan) | 1–3 weeks | 6 months (grated) |
| Soft (brie, mozzarella) | ~1 week | Not ideal |
| Cream cheese | ~2 weeks | Not ideal |
| Grated cheese (opened) | ~1 week | 6 months |
How to store cheese
Wrap cheese in greaseproof or wax paper, then loosely in foil — cling film makes it sweat and go slimy. Keep it in the least-cold part of the fridge (a drawer), not the back where it can freeze.
What about mould?
On hard cheese, cut off at least 1cm around and below a spot of mould and the rest is fine. On soft cheese, grated or sliced cheese, throw the whole lot away if it’s mouldy.
Which part of the fridge?
A drawer or the lower shelf is a good home for cheese. Keep it well away from raw meat, and don’t store it uncovered next to strong foods like onions or fish, as it picks up smells. Hard cheese is happy in a sealed box with a sheet of baking paper inside.
Soft and blue cheese
Soft cheeses such as brie, mozzarella and cream cheese keep for a shorter time once opened. Keep them in their original packaging or a covered container, and check the label for how long they last after opening. If the pack has a use-by date, do not eat the cheese after it.
If you are pregnant, the NHS advises avoiding mould-ripened soft cheese (such as brie and camembert) and soft blue cheese unless it has been cooked until steaming hot. Check the NHS website if you are not sure about a particular cheese.
Can you freeze cheese?
Hard cheese freezes best grated. Freeze it flat in a bag, shake it up once it has set so it doesn’t clump, and use it within about 6 months. A block of hard cheese can crumble when it thaws, so it is better for cooking than for slicing. Soft cheeses don’t freeze well, as the texture changes.
Take it out for a while, put it back
Cheese tastes better when it isn’t fridge-cold, so it is fine to take it out for a short time before you eat. Put it back in the fridge within a couple of hours, and don’t leave it in a warm room.
When to throw it away
Binning is the right call if the cheese smells sharply sour or ammonia-like, feels slimy, or has pink, green or black mould that is spread through soft cheese. Hard cheese with a small mouldy patch can be rescued by cutting off at least 1cm around and below it. Make sure the knife doesn’t touch the mould.
Keeping track
If you would rather not keep track in your head, What’s in my Fridge can help. Snap your shopping and it files each item where it usually lives, and freshness counts from the day you bought it. Anything that needs using soon goes to the top of the list, and you can ask what you can make from what you’ve got.
Use it up
Cheese to get through? Toasties, pasta bakes, omelettes, jacket potatoes and gratins all help. Ask What’s in my Fridge for dinner ideas. See also: the full fridge storage chart.
Stop losing food to the back of the fridge
Snap your shopping and What’s in my Fridge logs it, tracks freshness, and nudges you to use things before they go off.
Try it free — no card