Parmesan Cheese

chrisw2k

How long do you reckon parmesan stays good for?

I hate buying those little ready grated packets from tesco so I bought myself a nice block instead which works out a lot cheaper per gram. However on the side it read something along the lines of "carefully matured for 2 years....." .. "Once open consume within 4 days".

Anyway, for something thats been happily molding for 2 years, 4 days seems a bit short, and Ive been using it for the last 3 weeks over my pasta to no ill affect. So, how long do you reckon its safe to keep it for? Its wrapped in foil and seems fine still.
:beer:

pistol_leads

We eat any cheese, however old.
Just scrape the mould off
No ill effects YET..................

Ishtar

We generally use cheese until it goes blue, then just scrape the blue bits off and continue using!! If you're unsure, just taste a little bit and if it doesn't taste right, bin it.

I'm sure there's a conspiracy to get us to bin cheese, etc, way before it's unsafe to eat!

D.

Nile

Hello chrisw2k

The food experts in the 'Old Style' board will help you with your question, so I'll move your thread across.

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

Regards

Nile

RibenaBerry_2

Parmesan lasts ages - it can last months. No idea why that's on the packet (other than because people have lost touch with the realities of food and so they have to put short lifespans on everthing these days... sorry, rant over).

I would only stop using it if it looks or smells funny....

Gingernutmeg

Parmesan lasts for ages ... I've had a big lump in my fridge now for nearly a month and it's still absolutely fine. I find that it's best if you clingfilm it, or dedicate a fairly airtight tub to it - I know that clingfilm's not always best for cheese but parmesan is so dry that it doesn't 'sweat' and go bitter like brie or a softer cheese. Only time I've ever had a problem was when I kept it in a plastic bag and it got damp and mouldy, but that was still after a good few weeks.

I think the warning was on there just as a way of the supermarket covering itself. A massive wheel of parmesan would last indefinitely, but once you cut a cheese it does have a much shorter shelf life. Still, four days does seem a bit silly lol.

thriftlady_2

RibenaBerry wrote:

Parmesan lasts ages - it can last months. No idea why that's on the packet (other than because people have lost touch with the realities of food and so they have to put short lifespans on everthing these days... sorry, rant over).

Couldn't agree with you more.4 days :rolleyes: Parmesan lasts forever, and you can always freeze it.

Dr_Kiwi_Cobra

it lasts longer if you store it in an old nylon sock.

meerkatgirl

I've eat Parmesan that's well over three months old and it's not done me any harm (that I know about!)

Seakay

It's usually okay clingfilmed if it's a whole piece, but if you've grated some, or bought some freshly grated, then it's best left in a bowl in the fridge, possibly in a paper bag if you want it covered, because it is likely to go mouldy if covered with plastic.
You can keep whole pieces in paper, but it really does go rock hard and dried out. It is still perfectly edible, and good for cooking etc, but it becomes very hard to grate on an ordainary grater.