Respect Your Fromage

Today there is a nice post in my favorite food blog, the Kitchn, about proper cheese storage.

Since I am married to a Frenchman (by way of Indiana), I am more aware than most Americans about the care and handling of fromage. But this post included some handy tips that even I hadn't heard about:

"The first thing to know: DO NOT store your cheese in plastic wrap! Wrapping cheese directly in plastic is the equivalent of flavor suffocation. Cheese is a living, breathing thing, and closing it off to air is just about the worst thing you can do to it. Plus, plastic wrap has a taste, and it takes just a day for that flavor to start making its way into the face of the cheese.

"The best way to store your cheese is in cheese paper. The next best thing (and probably the easier way) is to wrap your cheese first in parchment or waxed paper, and then loosely in plastic wrap or a plastic baggie. This method provides a bit of breathability for the cheese without it drying out.

• Place the parchment or waxed paper flat on your counter with the wedge on top, and then bring the edges of the paper up and around the cheese, creasing as you go to make neat, clean folds. You can use tape to secure if you'd like.

• Label the paper with the cheese variety and date.

• A loose plastic wrap or a plastic bag over the paper generally keeps things tight (and keeps out fridge odors).

• Keep your cheese in the warmest part of the refrigerator, like in your cheese or vegetable drawer. An even better method is to designate a large tupperware container as your cheese home, where all of your cheese pieces can live.

• But don't forget about your cheese once it's in your fridge! Ideally, you should buy as much cheese as you think you'll consume in one to two sittings. Try bringing home small quantities more often so that so that you don't have to store it, since home refrigeration preys on those uneaten, forgotten wedges."

From: http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/cheese/how-to-store-cheese-what-to-do-when-you-get-it-home-the-cheesemonger-100285