Our cheeses offer a very wide range of flavours, from the mildness of fresh Brie to the sharp taste of a very ripe blue. How do you choose? Simple: trust your taste buds, because there is a cheese for every taste. Whether it’s from the supermarket or the cheese maker, before buying an unknown cheese, you have to taste it. Let the cheese melt on your tongue and let yourself be the judge of its flavour.

You can also examine the rind or surface. A quality cheese must have a definitive and gleaming colour. If possible, gently feel it. Soft cheeses are as spongy outside as inside, while semi-soft cheese has a certain suppleness. This is almost non-existent with firm cheeses. Hard cheeses must be smooth. 

A few Tips for the Best buy

• For bloomy rinds and soft cheeses (e.g., Brie, Camembert), avoid cheese with that smells of ammonia or with a rind that is not supple and white.
  
• For washed rind cheese, the rind should not be sticky or viscous.
  
• Preferably, choose a whole cheese or large pieces, because they will preserve their flavours longer.
  
• Remember that there is a wider range of raw-milk cheeses.
  
• At self-serve counters, always check the “best before” date on the packaging.
  

What you Should Know

No cheese benefits from being stored for too long. If you shop at a good cheesemonger or reputable supermarket, your cheese should be at its best when you buy it. As such, it is preferable to consume it quickly.

However, cheese generally keeps well in the refrigerator. Ideally, it must be stored in a fresh and wet environment between 4ºC and 10ºC, depending on the type of cheese. The best method is to store it in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator and to insulate it as much as possible from other foods (and other cheese) that release strong odours.

Be sure to remove cheese from the refrigerator one hour before serving so that it  can be eaten at room temperature.

To Preserve all of the Flavour

The secret to good preservation is in the packaging. Whole cheeses should be stored in their original packaging. All the others would benefit from being wrapped in wax paper and then aluminum foil. Pieces of cheese bought in plastic wrap must be packed as soon as possible in wax paper. Firm cheeses can be stored wrapped in aluminum foil.

As a general rule, the packaging must seal the cheese to prevent it from drying. Of course, you should not remove the rind because it acts as protective coating to preserve the flavour. In addition, it adds to the visual pleasure and, in the majority of cases, it is edible.

Once suitably wrapped, your cheese can be placed in an airtight plastic container. This way it is protected from jolts and pressure, as well as from odours from other food or cheese. You can also store several kinds of cheese in the same container providing that they are the same type.

After the service or meal, re-wrap the cheese, taking care to wipe the surface of semi-soft, firm or hard cheese with absorbent paper to prevent mould from forming. If light mould spots appear on the surface, remove that part and wrap cheese in absorbent paper before returning it to its packaging. Some cheeses need new packaging each time.

How Long?

Soft Cheeses
Packed well, they will preserve all their qualities for several days. For example, young Brie and young Camembert cheeses can be stored for a few weeks. On the other hand, from the moment they have been purchased, you can store them up to two weeks under proper conditions.

Semi-Soft Cheeses
Stored in their original packaging, they can keep in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Cut pieces can be kept one week to one month depending on the cheese, as long as they are well wrapped.

Firm Cheeses
They keep very well up to one month and sometimes more if they are well wrapped. These cheeses continue to age and develop stronger flavours.

Hard Cheeses
If you carefully wrap them in aluminum foil frequently renew their wrapping, and store them in an airtight plastic container, their qualities and flavours will continue ripen and enhance. Remember, however, that any prolonged exposure to the air and temperatures higher than 4°C contributes to their degradation.

Veined Cheeses
They have the best chance to be preserved when wrapped in a wet cloth, then sealed in an airtight plastic container.

And Freezing?

Sometimes freezing cheese is not recommended because its texture can deteriorate. However, freezing affects its flavour very little and generally doesn’t change the properties of cheeses used for cooking.

That’s especially true for firm cheeses like Cheddar, Swiss or Emmental, which store very well in the freezer after they have been grated. Hard cheeses freeze without any problem in 500-gram packages when they are grated, in pieces or whole.

To properly freeze cheese, wrap it in aluminum foil, then place it in a freezer bag with the air removed. Before and after freezing, cheese must always make the transition in the refrigerator.