The Ultimate Guide to Storing Cheese, According to Tillamook

If you’re a fan of cheese—whether enjoying it on its own or using it as an ingredient—you’re in the right place. Cheese can elevate any dish, from breakfast to dessert, and we don’t need to explain its role in perfect appetizers and snacks.

To ensure your cheese remains flavorful and lasts longer, it all comes down to proper storage. When kept in the right conditions, cheese not only tastes better but stays fresh longer, while also avoiding exposure to harmful contaminants.

We reached out to the experts at Tillamook Creamery to gather all the essential tips on how to store cheese the right way.

The Ultimate Guide to Storing Cheese, According to Tillamook

To keep your cheese fresh, store it in a cool place, away from light, mold spores, and strong odors from other foods. The best spot is the bottom crisper drawer of your fridge. Fortunately, the original packaging your cheese came in is typically ideal for storage.

“Cheese makers and producers package their products in the most efficient way to extend shelf life and minimize food waste,” explains Jill Allen, Director of Product Excellence at Tillamook R+D.

If your cheese arrived in a tub or your Brie came in a box, don’t throw it out. These containers are specifically designed to maintain the proper humidity and protect the cheese. For cheeses like feta that come in brine, keep the liquid—it creates the perfect storage environment. For hard or semi-hard cheeses, plastic wrap is common, but Tillamook has a few tips for storing these.

When you’re done using a piece of hard or semi-hard cheese, keep the original wrapper. After you’re finished, fold it back over the exposed end and secure it with a rubber band. If you need extra protection, wrap the cheese in parchment paper, wax paper, or use specialized cheese bags to preserve its freshness.

Cheese Storage: Mistakes to Avoid

If your fridge is filled with different types of cheese, the worst thing you can do is store them together in one container. When multiple cheeses share the same limited space, they’ll start to pick up each other’s flavors.

“Imagine putting blue cheese in the same small aging space as cheddar,” says Allen. “Different yeasts and molds interact, and that cheddar becomes the perfect breeding ground for blue mold spores.” It's fine to keep various cheeses in your crisper drawer, but make sure each one is in its own separate container.

Additional Cheese Storage Tips

• Cheese is best at room temperature, so give it a few minutes to rest before serving. 
• Unless you plan on melting it afterwards, it’s not recommended to put cheese in the freezer. “[Freezing cheese] halts the aging process and changes the flavor and texture,” Allen says. For more information, consult our guide to freezing cheese.