Properly cared for, Tillamook cheese can stay fresh for a surprisingly long period of time. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your cheese:

Handling Your Cheese

Serving
Cheese is best served at room temperature. Cut off the amount needed about an hour before serving, and try, as hard as it might be, not to eat it immediately. Return the remainder to the refrigerator.

If you notice a slight amount of mold, trim off the bad section including at least one centimeter of the surrounding non-moldy cheese. This is generally a harmless mold that can usually be avoided by adequately wrapping the unused portions to prevent exposure to air. Always use clean utensils and cutting surfaces when preparing and serving cheese, and avoid storing under moist conditions.

End pieces of cheese have many uses. Shred, grate or dice and store in a covered container. Add to casseroles, sauces, vegetables, baked goods, etc. All cheese, with the exception of hard cheeses such as cheddar, should be used within one week.

Cooking
Shred cheese before adding to sauces and blend slowly. Because cheese is a high protein food, it tends to toughen when exposed to high temperatures or long periods of cooking. Use only moderate heat and a minimum of cooking time. A sharper cheese may have a smoother consistency than a younger cheese, which may become stringy.

When reheating cheese sauces, warm over hot water. To heat frozen baked cheese dishes, cover tightly and warm in the oven at a moderate temperature. Bring shredded cheese to room temperature in order to blend it evenly into batters or doughs.

Shredding

Optimum temperatures for shredding cheese are 34° to 35° F, just above freezing. At warmer temperatures, the oils in cheese will cause it to become soft and the shreds may tend to stick together.

Storing Your Cheese

Refrigerator
Cheese should be kept in its original package, covered tightly after opening and placed in the coldest section of the refrigerator (under 40° F) to prevent drying out or becoming moldy.

When cutting, pull the wrapper back and cut off the desired amount of cheese. Then fold the original wrapper back over the end of the cheese; press some foil tightly over the end; place in an airtight, sealed plastic bag and refrigerate. This should help slow the rate at which the cheese will mold. Another method of storage involves dipping the cut surface of cheese in melted paraffin for a few seconds.

Cheddar and other hard cheeses will continue to age in cold storage, becoming sharper in flavor, harder and more crumbly. It is not recommended to age softer cheeses such as Monterey and Colby.

To help prevent mold on sliced or shredded cheese, avoid touching the cheese or putting your hand directly into the bag. Instead, remove the cheese with a clean utensil or, in the case of shredded cheese, pour it from the bag.

Sliced or shredded cheese should be used within three to five days of opening and stored to prevent air from reaching the product. Place any unused product in a resealable bag, removing the air before closing.

While our smaller-sized shreds come in resealable bags, our large five-pound shredded cheese does not. You may want to separate the cheese into several resealable bags for convenient storage and/or freezing.

Freezer
Though not recommended, Tillamook cheese can be frozen. Freezing retards mold growth in cheese, and will stop the aging process. However, it also tends to change the texture of the cheese, causing it to become dry and crumbly.

To ensure fast freezing, cheese should be frozen in pieces weighing less than one pound. It should also be tightly wrapped in moisture- and vapor-proof materials.

After Freezing
Cheese should be thawed slowly in the refrigerator with the wrapper on to prevent loss of moisture and flavor. The texture changes that occur when cheese is frozen do not make for optimum slicing. However, partially thawed cheese will shred rather easily. Cheese that is already shredded will also freeze quite well.