Talking about cheeses means talking about a food with a deep historical value.

A product that, even today, is renewed daily through technologies and continuous studies to bring all the dairy excellence of Made in Italy and, in our case, Made in Puglia, to the table.

Cheese by nature is subject to normal deterioration due to time: this is why it needs some care in storage, to keep all its organoleptic properties intact as long as possible.

In this article, we will therefore see how to preserve cheeses together, through some easy-to-apply but extremely useful tricks.

The different types of cheeses

Before talking about how to preserve cheeses, it is important to propose a classification with respect to the type of production, with special attention to the aging period which determines the fermentation of sugars and the degradation of different proteins and fats, depending on the duration of the same:

• Fresh cheeses, which ripen up to a maximum of two weeks. Among the fresh cheeses, of course, is Apulian burrata, one of the many typical products you can enjoy during our experiences.
• Medium-aged cheeses, obtainable between 1 and 6 months of product maturation. Caprino is an example.
• Long-ripened cheeses, which also reach over a year.

How to store cheeses, things to avoid

Preserving a cheese means ensuring the preservation of all the organoleptic properties characterizing its taste and smell, as well as, of course, avoiding the formation of mold or bacteria that could even be harmful if ingested.

In this sense:

• Avoid drying: making sure that the right moisture is maintained allows the cheese to put forward its unmistakable taste over time.
• Always check that it is not in too hot an environment: heat accelerates its fermentation and thus its perishability.
• Allow the cheese to “breathe”: the absence of air forces the cheese to “sweat,” dispersing all its aromas.

How to store cheeses, tricks for proper storage

Keeping in mind the conditions to be avoided so that there is proper cheese storage, it goes without saying that the best place, at home and within reach, to keep our cheeses intact for as long as possible is the refrigerator.

Beware of containers: cheeses, as we have seen, need to breathe, so plastic and capped containers should be avoided.

The transparent films also go away: to be preferred, for medium-aged cheeses, sheets of food-grade paper, taking care to change them every time a portion is consumed. Paper as porous is an excellent breathable solution, which protects the food and allows it to preserve all its characteristics.

For long aged cheeses, it is better instead to opt for slightly wet cotton (or linen) cloths, to allow proper transpiration, and the maintenance of adequate humidity levels.

Separate discussion for mozzarella, which, suffering very quickly from spoilage, should be stored in its liquid and consumed as soon as possible, to make sure that all the original flavors remain unchanged and you can enjoy the product, just as it came out of the dairy.

How to store cheeses, the right temperatures

The perfect temperature for storing a cheese is between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius in a constantly ventilated and not excessively humid environment, which corresponds to a wine cellar: as this is not a condition easily replicable in the home or in the city, the refrigerator remains as the best solution.

However, not all cheeses are the same, of course, and one must learn where to place them in order to achieve the best results:

• Fresh cheeses: in the coldest part of the refrigerator (which is usually at the bottom), at a temperature that is around 2-4 degrees.
• Aged cheeses: in the least cold portion, between 8 and 10 degrees.
• All others: in the middle portion with temperatures in the 6–8-degree range.

However, it is always necessary to be careful of possible temperature changes, which would damage the product and its integrity.

Now that you know all the good rules for storing cheese, you just have to come and visit us in Altamura or Foresta Mercadante, to taste and then buy our delicious products!

Do you want to try our experiences? Find them here: vitodicecca.it