Does cheddar really have to be used within 3 days of opening?

bizzybee

ripplyuk wrote: »

Does it say on the pack that it will keep that long? I'm wondering why grated stuff lasts longer than a block, when they're the same thing.

Pre-packed grated cheese is coated in flour or potato starch to stop it clumping so they are not the same thing.

moments_of_sanity

No 3 day rule in our house, we all love cheese here! Only rule is, see a little bit of mould growing, cut it off before using :rotfl:

boo2410

I too just cut the mouldy bits off and carry on using, sometimes the cheese is in the fridge for weeks. Don't let the rest of the troops know though as they would refuse to eat it :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

esuhl

What gets me is when you buy "extra mature" cheddar that says to use within three days.

What?! You matured it for months to improve the flavour... and flog it to me three days before it becomes inedible?! :mad:

[Deleted User]

Common sense is needed, and I have used mine since back in the twilight days of rationing in the late 1940s. My late Mum would be horrified at the amount of food wasted today. Nothing ever was wasted in our house, cheese especially, it was far too precious .
When you think that the amount we had on ration was a piece the size of a matchbox, per PERSON per WEEK was all she had to eke out her rations with :):) cheese never got the chance to grow mould ,and if it did ,like jam the mould was removed and we ate what was left minutely grated up:):):)

There was a rule in our house 'If it didn't go in the kids it went in the dog' so the bones of the joint were carefully used for soup or stock, and every scrap of food was used up. Crumbs from the bread were stored for breading rissoles (used from mincing up left over scraps when there wasn't enough meat to streeetch to a meat based meal)

These rissoles were also padded out with chopped up onions or grated carrots.Suprisingly filling and quite tasty. If it grew, we would forage for it. Sugar was used very sparingly and stored carefully. I grew up never having sugar in my tea as it was used mainly for cooking.

She would sometimes get a chunk from our grocer (I think he had a soft spot for my tiny feisty Scots Ma) and that too would be grated up.In those days you made friends with the butcher,grocer and fish monger and our fishmonger was a lovely chap called Mr Austin

Mum "Good Morning Mr Austin, and how are you today ,how is your wife /kids etc
Mr Austin "Good morning Mrs B***n,I'm fine,thank you for asking and how is your family,husband well ? , What can I get for you today?"
Mum " What is good and in season that you could reccommend that will streetch to fill my brood of bairns" and so on.

The conversation would proceed in this way until both were satisfied.any left over scraps often were thrown in as a good will gesture that made fishcakes.with potatoes and parsley and dipped inflour egg and more of the left over breadcrumbs.

How housewives back then managed to feed and clothe their families on so little was nothing short of amazing at times.

Today we live in a society of throw away stuff whether it is food, clothes, furniture or at times sadly even people.
I wouldn't want to return to the days of rationing, and there was a lot, back in the austerity days that I also wouldn't want to see return, but the outlook of using up things and saving for big things like christmas,birthday or outings was a lot better than the buy now pay later mentality today.Politeness seems to have gone out of the window as well as the austerity.

Anyway enough rambling I too would heartily endorse using up anything you have. I do remove cheese from its horrible plastic wrapping though(I hate plastic with a vengence:)) and wrap in greasproof paper or foil It will keep much longer then I also buy big blocks of cheese and divide it up and freeze.When I take a chunk out I let it defrost in the fridge for a day or so and its fine.
JackieO

[Deleted User]

Cheese is, by nature of what it is, a way of storing excess milk for long periods in the first place, and as has been pointed out by other posters it is kept for varying lengths of time to mature it to improve the flavour. I find it ludicrous that in 2014, when we all have refrigeration available to us that there should be the 'use within 3 days' warning on the packaging. When I was younger we didn't have a fridge and I remember cheese sitting in the kitchen dresser and either going hard and cracked on the outside or in the hot weather weepy and slightly rancid but we ate it anyway and with no adverse effects either. I think it would have been heresy to ditch edible foods back then so they were used in some form to make them edible no matter how long they'd been in store. We have excesses these days and the perception that things are dangerous is overdeveloped and encouraged by food manufacturers too. I'd ignore that particular message and just use up the cheese!!!

lostinrates

Fwiw, we very rarely get mould on cheese.

I wonder why this is? We do freeze a fair bit of cheese but I have to admit it lingers in the fridge for A LOT longer than three days. We keep in in a covered shelf in the door of the fridge dedicated to cheese and butter.

Blue cheeses or very ripe ones go in Tupperwares or wrapped. Have to admit others often just get lobbed in. ( three adults in house one who is unable to handle things like fridge wrapping but eats the most cheese).

lindens

i put cheddar cheese in a container once opened, i ignore the date eat it until it gets mouldy bits - pick those bits off and continue.
i'm still alive

ripplyuk

Just got a reply from the manufacturer about the reason for this 3 day rule. Apparently, it's only because it's possible for mould to grow on cheese in that time if conditions are right for it and it's really to make sure the cheese is perfect for consumers. He went on to say that if mould does grow, it is harmless and that he has kept cheese in the fridge for 3 weeks with no problems.

I think they should change it to 'Best before' rather than 'Use by'. Then people would know to use their own judgement instead of wasting food.

skogar

The length of time cheese keeps for depends on the type of cheese. Soft cheeses do not last as long as hard cheeses, some reletively young cheeses like Wensleydale also tend to turn tangy if stored 2 long. A hard cheese like cheddar should keep for up to 2 weeks depending on both the type of cheese and how it's stored, maybe longer.

Mind you open cheese struggles to last more than a few days here!