Oh No! Dilemma...

Fruball

Exactly one week ago today, I found grated gruyere cheese reduced from £3 a pack to 49p a pack so, obviously, I bought 5 packs.....

I had planned on freezing them and making a nice cheese fondue one wintery evening.....

However..... I just found them in the bag, under the table :eek:

They all look fine - no mould. I haven't opened the packs yet but I just wonder if they would still be ok to eat?

I could kick myself

(the spring onions that were in there have grown a further 2 inches so that is a bonus :rotfl:)

cornishchick

Fruball wrote: »

Exactly one week ago today, I found grated gruyere cheese reduced from £3 a pack to 49p a pack so, obviously, I bought 5 packs.....

I had planned on freezing them and making a nice cheese fondue one wintery evening.....

However..... I just found them in the bag, under the table :eek:

They all look fine - no mould. I haven't opened the packs yet but I just wonder if they would still be ok to eat?

I could kick myself

(the spring onions that were in there have grown a further 2 inches so that is a bonus :rotfl:)

I would open one and smell it, then if ok, have a taste and see how you feel...

Popperwell

A TV Chef once said that you do not always have to store cheese in a fridge or freezer so the smell, taste and look test seems the way forward but for now as they are still sealed put them in the fridge. And I guess it depends on the cheese but many cut off mould any how and use what remains.

gt568

Cheese shouldn't be kept in a fridge anyway. Crack on and use it. Or else I'll have it if you don't want it!

Seakay

if no mould or wetness then it is fine. Freeze as you intended

JIL

When cheese is produced it has a rind around it that protects the cheese from being penetrated by harmful bacteria and is kept in controlled conditions.

But this is grated cheese lots of surface areas, also its past its best before date. You cannot see listeria. It must have been in warm conditions for the spring onions in the same bag to have grown.

I would say prevention is better than cure and discard it. Just my opinion. But I am a bit of a wuss

melanzana

Fruball wrote: »

Exactly one week ago today, I found grated gruyere cheese reduced from £3 a pack to 49p a pack so, obviously, I bought 5 packs.....

I had planned on freezing them and making a nice cheese fondue one wintery evening.....

However..... I just found them in the bag, under the table :eek:

They all look fine - no mould. I haven't opened the packs yet but I just wonder if they would still be ok to eat?

I could kick myself

(the spring onions that were in there have grown a further 2 inches so that is a bonus :rotfl:)

I do hope you are a member of the "Sloblady" thread! I am. And I do this regularly. I am still here.

At a guess, if you are going to use the gruyere in cooking, that will kill off any bacteria. But I never worry about cheese. Just cut off any bad bits, and discard if it smells yuck.

In fact listeria would have to be present in the cheese before you bought it, for you to be ill. So it doesn't matter really how you store it.

Even this website says soft cheeses are vulnerable to listeria, but ok if cooked and served hot.

Hmmmm, a week of fondue and you'll be fine!

Fruball

Melanzana - look out for a PM

Thanks for the replies everyone

Skinnylatte

Food with a 'use by' is not neccessarily safe once you've passed the date, food with a 'best before' or 'best before end' is fine.