Ask ten different cheesemongers this question and you’re likely to get at least six different answers. Parchment paper. Foil. Tupperware. Saran wrap. Beeswax wrap! There’s a monger out there who swears by each of these methods, we guarantee it. At France 44, we typically recommend that our customers keep their cheese wrapped in the custom cheese paper we provide, but we like to back our advice up with more than just inherited practices. So this week we decided to put our lab coats on and conduct a good, old-fashioned cheese study.
The first matter at hand was choosing an appropriate test subject. Cheeses at either end of the texture spectrum tend to do best in the fridge, somewhat counterintuitively. As such, we chose Chebris, a lovely semi-firm sheep & goat’s milk tomme with just enough moisture and pliability to really show maltreatment from the harsh environment of the fridge.
Control: Cheese Paper
We already know that cheese paper keeps cheese reasonably fresh in the fridge. Worst case, every other sample tastes terrible and we learn that our tried and true method is the classic for a reason.
Foil
This is a tip we learned from the late, great Anne Saxelby. Foil is flavorless, air-tight, and has the added benefit of blocking out light. Wrap as you would with cheese paper.
Tupperware
Sealing your cheese in a small Tupperware container allows the cheese to breath, while blocking out the drying, cool air of your refrigerator.
Saran wrap
Most mongers agree that saran wrap is the worst way to store cheese. You may point out: but you guys store your cheese in saran wrap at the shop?! It’s true, most cheese shops use cling wrap to display cheese, but it requires constant upkeep to prevent off flavors from taking hold. Saran wrap does not allow cheese to breath, trapping moisture near the surface which can lead to mold. It may look nice at first, but we don’t recommend this method for storage.
We popped our four test subjects into the chaotic France 44 Wine & Spirits employee refrigerator for a true replication of the home environment. Taco Bell leftovers? Present. Fish curry? Oh, yeah. We’ll come back in a week to see which storage methods sealed out these nefarious odors, and which, tragically, did not.