if you’re a cheese lover, you may have found yourself wondering how long your favorite types of cheese can last before going bad.
Gouda cheese, a popular Dutch cheese known for its creamy, nutty flavor, is no exception. Whether you have a block of Gouda cheese sitting in your fridge or are planning to buy some soon, it’s important to know how long it will stay fresh and tasty.
In this blog, we’ll explore the shelf life of Gouda cheese, how to store it properly, and signs of spoilage to look out for. So, if you want to ensure your Gouda cheese stays fresh and delicious for as long as possible, keep reading!
What Is Gouda Cheese?
Gouda cheese, rooted in the southern regions of the Netherlands, is quite popular in culinary cultures. People often use cow’s milk to produce this semi-hard cheese, making it springy, aromatic with a dense texture and caramel-like flavor. Biting a piece of Gouda cheese will kick you up with both creamy and sweet notes.
Although Gouda cheese comes into the market with many variations, they remain essentially the same. These types all have a similar flavor from the natural pastures – where the cattle graze, and the crumble texture when they age.
How Long Does Gouda Last?
The gouda cheese storage, type, and package will decide its shelf life. Overall, unopened semi-hard chunks and sliced gouda are safe in the fridge in two and one months, respectively. Once opened, the maximum storage period of semi-hard, between-soft-and-hard, and hard types is around in turn two, three, and six weeks.
Besides, the freezer can keep your cheese in the best quality in two months. Read on to see the specific explanation!
How Long Does Gouda Last In The Fridge?
To answer the question: “How long does gouda cheese last in the fridge?” you need to consider the sealed package, the type of gouda, and the figure.
Specifically, an unopened pack of semi-hard gouda cheese chunks can last for up to two months, but the original sliced gouda only lasts about one month.
Once you open the pack, you had better consume hard cheese in six weeks before there is gouda cheese mold. The opened cheese falling between the soft and hard types is safe for two to three weeks in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, a slice of semi-hard gouda cheese has a maximum shelf life of two weeks.
Can you freeze gouda cheese? Yes, of course. You can consider this way when you have accidentally bought a bunch of gouda cheese and want to store it longer. But how long does gouda cheese last in the freezer? Scroll down!
How Long Does Gouda Last In The Freezer?
Two months is the best period to store gouda in the freezer while still maintaining its high quality.
Yet, you can rest assured with the edibility of the cheese, although it has passed over that term. The condition here is that you have to freeze it at 0 degrees F constantly.
Be mindful that freezing gouda cheese will make it lose its flavor and turn crumbly as well. You only take full advantage of thawed chunks of gouda cheese in cooked dishes, like soups, casseroles, and sauces.
How To Tell If Gouda Cheese Is Bad?
Does gouda cheese go bad? Not only gouda, but every cheese type goes terrible over time. It is crucial to find how to tell if gouda cheese is bad. When you notice its harder texture, the appearance of some dark spots, strong smell, and especially mold on gouda cheese, that’s when this product goes terrible for sure.
You might suffer from food poison when biting a piece of spoiled cheese. The common symptoms here are diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. When these signs turn serious, you had better go to the doctor, or else it might lead to death!
Still, do not discard a cheese block or chunk developing mold immediately. You can remove at least one inch both around and below the moldy part to continue consuming it. Be aware that it is a must not to touch the knife with the mold! Thereafter, let’s cover the gouda in a new wrapper.
When it comes to moldy parts of crumbled, sliced, or shredded gouda cheese, you should not discard it in the garbage bin right away!
How To Store Gouda Properly?
Store In The Fridge
The way of how to store gouda cheese in the refrigerator is quite simple, includes:
- Wrap the cheese in new plastic packaging
It will help to avoid the plastic flavor if you do not keep the gouda vacuum-sealed in its original packaging. Let’s take it out from the old plastic and rewrap it with a new one before putting the cheese into the fridge. However, you can skip this step when you have cheese wrapped in cheese or wax paper.
- Double-wrap the gouda in cheese, parchment, or wax paper
Double-wrapping works well in keeping the quality of gouda cheese for the long term. You can pick one among three choices, including cheese, parchment, and wax paper. The first option is quite expensive, so you had better consider your budget.
Now, let’s move to the main part!
First, you need to measure and tear off a piece of paper that must be three times in length and two times in width compared to the cheese length. Put the block of cheese in the center of the paper sheet, and then fold the paper up around it.
Remember to crease the folds to ensure a flat paper surface on the cheese. After covering all the sides of the cheese, you can secure it with tape for additional protection.
- Label the cheese
Always write the gouda’s type and buying date or stick its label on the paper layer outside to keep track of its shelf life.
- Keep wrapping the cheese in another plastic wrap and store it in the fridge
The key to ensuring the best quality of gouda cheese is to add another layer of plastic wrap to prevent your product from absorbing the strange flavors in the refrigerator.
Wrap the previous piece of cheese on a plastic wrap and roll it up. Now, you can put the whole cover block of cheese into the drawer of your fridge to store it.
Store In The Freezer
Freezing gouda cheese does not take much effort; you just need to put it in plastic wrap, then a unique freezer bag. It is up to your aim of using it later to cut the leftover cheese into small pieces or leave it intact.
Remember to squeeze out all the air before sealing the bag. Then, you can label, date it similarly to the storage in the fridge and put it in in the freezer container.
I would like to point out that this method is only suitable for those dairy products with a period far away from the number of days for refrigerator storage!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Eat Gouda Cheese That Passes The Expiration Day?
Yes. Gouda cheese with proper storage is still safe to consume for up to three weeks, although passing the best-by-date or sell-by label.
How To Thaw Gouda Cheese?
The best way to thaw gouda cheese is to take the whole wrapped block of cheese out from the freezer and put it in the fridge. To avoid bacteria growth and texture change, you should not let it thaw on the counter at room temperature.
Defrosting in cool heat will keep the firm texture better. After that, you can use it for cooking many delicious dishes.
How Long Does A Chunk Of Gouda Cheese Last After Being Frozen And Thawed?
If you tend to thaw a chunk of gouda cheese in the fridge, only use it for another four days. On the contrary, you had better immediately consume the frozen cheese thawed in cold water or the microwave.
Final Words
We do hope that our article about “How long does gouda cheese last?” has answered all your questions. Now, that you have learned all about this cheese, you can make many creative recipes with it, such as crusty Cuban bread, Zucchini, Pasta, and more.
If you have any other questions, please leave them in the comment section.
