How to Use Up Cheese

Cheese Shelf Life

While many cheeses are aged, that doesn’t mean that you can keep your wheel or wedge lingering in the fridge indefinitely. The process of aging cheese, also called affinage, is part art and also part science — it relies on carefully controlled temperatures and humidity. Cheese is nurtured along, often by regularly turning, brushing or systematically washing with brine, beer or liquor. Without these precise and meticulous methods, cheeses will not reach their full flavor potential and, in the worst case, will spoil.

You probably won’t go to such great lengths to baby your cheese at home, but there are some things you can do to prolong its flavor and shelf life.

Many cheeses are sold in plastic wrap, but that actually shortens the shelf life of the cheese which needs to breathe. When you get home, rewrap cheese in waxed paper or foil. Or, if you want to take it to the next level, you can find specially designed, cheese paper sold in gourmet shops. These all allow a little air to circulate while preventing cheese from drying out.

If you have the space for it, create a little “cheese cabinet” in your refrigerator. This can be as simple as a pie dish large enough to hold your cheese selection covered with a plate or a lidded box specially designated for this purpose. Keeping all of your wrapped cheeses stored together in this kind of container maintains humidity which preserves freshness and flavor and keeps the aromas of stronger cheeses from taking over your fridge.

Cheese that is meant for cooking, such as firm cheeses and cheese rinds (see below), can be wrapped well and frozen for up to six months. Never freeze cheese destined for the cheeseboard. Doing so will not only impact its flavor, the texture of the cheese will become unappealingly crumbly.

The shelf life of refrigerated cheese depends on careful storage but also the type of cheese you have on hand. Harder cheeses, with their low moisture content, last the longest, while softer cheeses need to be eaten faster.

Cheesy Recipe Ideas

My cheese drawer is never empty. Often it has a few ghosts of cheese dishes past rolling around. The rind from a wedge of Parm, the remnants of a cheese plater, some cheddar that didn’t make it into the mac. Or, fresh from the shop, it’s groaning with wheels and wedges that are facing a ticking clock. Either way, it’s time to cook!

Cheese Rind Stock/Soup

The easiest way to use up the rind from a hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano is to toss it in your soup pot. The savory, umami flavor (often described as the fifth taste) fills out the corners of your taste buds. It brings body and soul to even the thinnest of water-based soups. Not making soup? Simmer your rinds in a quart or two of water to make a rind stock that you can cool and freeze. Add it to simmering dishes that could use a little gravity and grounding to round them out.

Fromage Fort (Literally means “strong cheese”)

This little trick for turning cheese scraps into a French cheese spread is a favorite of the sophisticated yet frugal cook. Outside of waxy or cloth coverings or the hard-as-a-rock rinds that you use to make stock (see above) you can blend in any little cheese bits you have on hand. Pieces that may have dried out a bit on the cheese board are fine. Even the bloomy rind left behind by the brie-excavating guest. (See below for recipe or click on the video).

Pub Cheese/Pimento Cheese

You could say that these are variations on Fromage Fort. But you would be risking a violent response from your English Pub Cheese inventors, or Southern friends, who are squarely team Pimento. Both use a large block of cheddar, bound with a bit of something creamy and spiked for flavor. But each is distinctive in its own right (and equally welcome on Game Day).

Quiche

There isn’t a quiche around that doesn’t benefit from a bit of cheese added in. Swiss and ham, cheddar and broccoli, goat cheese and anything, or a combination of a few.

White Pizza

Skip the red sauce for a turn and load up your pie with cheese and more cheese. Try different combinations, perhaps blending a mild and a strong cheese for contrast. Even blue cheese is fair game here. Pair it with something sweet like figs or balsamic vinegar or both. Slice it into two inch squares for an easy cocktail nibble.

Cheese Biscuits

A morning with freshly made biscuits is a good morning. One filled with cheese biscuits is even better. You can use any variety of cheese that you have in your drawer. Just add it to your biscuit dough, maybe with a pinch of pepper or some herbs to throw over the top. Jam added to a cheese biscuit is an eye-opening pairing — like cheese and chutney — the savory/sweet combo is better than the sum of its parts.

Glamorgan Sausages

These “sausages” kill two leftover birds with one stone. You can use up some cheese and stale bread all in one great tasting dish. The traditional Welsh recipe calls for cheddar, but any shredding cheese would taste great.

Recipe: Fromage Fort

White wine is traditionally used to bind this spread together, but I prefer the nutty, warm flavor of sherry. Add cooked vegetables, such as mushrooms, roasted root vegetables, or a few slices of olive to fromage-fort-topped crostini and heat in the broiler for a quick hors d’oeuvre.

Ingredients:

1 pound cheese rinds and ends, cubed, firm cheeses grated
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, or heavy cream
1⁄2 cup white wine or sherry
Pinch of dried thyme (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. With the food processor running, (fitted with a chopping blade) drop in the garlic clove to mince.
2. Add the cheese and butter. Blend. Add the wine or sherry and the thyme (if using), and blend again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Scrape into a ramekin and cover. Refrigerate at least overnight and for up to a week.
4. Enjoy on toast or crackers.

From “Eat it Up!” by Sherri Brooks Vinton, Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2016