How many times have you gone home with a bag of delicious cheeses only to discover a week later that they've all gone bad?
There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding how we should store cheese. While some people argue that plastic wrap (Saran, Reynolds, etc) suffocates cheese and distorts its flavor, others believe it keeps cheese fresh by containing its moisture. Cheese mongers highly discourage plastic wrap and promote wax paper, and sometimes aluminum foil. Similarly, in the 'NY Times,' Florence Fabricant wrote an article encouraging people to purchase cheese paper "with a sheer wax coating on the outer layer and a breathable film inside," from a company called Formaticum.
All of these methods (plastic wrap, foil, wax paper, and cheese paper) are excellent ways to store cheese. However, universally applying one of these tactics to all types of cheeses would be a haphazard plan of action. So, how do you know which type of wrap is right for which type of cheese? The good news is that you can determine the most appropriate wrapping and storing techniques based on just two characteristics of the cheese, mainly its texture and moisture. Here's our quick and dirty guide to the best storage materials for different types of cheeses.
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