How to store cheese you just bought — what to do as soon as you get home, by cheese type, to keep it fresh and at its best.
The moment you get cheese home is when good storage starts. Handling and storing freshly bought cheese properly keeps it fresh and flavorful. Here's how to store cheese you just bought.
Start Storing Right Away
Proper cheese storage begins as soon as you get home from the shop. How you handle and store freshly bought cheese affects how long it stays fresh and how good it tastes. The key is to store each cheese appropriately for its type, in good wrapping, in the right part of the fridge, fairly promptly (don't leave cheese sitting out for hours, especially perishable soft and fresh cheeses). A few simple steps when you get home set your cheese up to be at its best. Here's what to do.
Unwrap Plastic, Re-wrap Properly
If your cheese came in tight plastic wrap (as much supermarket cheese does), it's best to re-wrap it for storage, since tight plastic suffocates cheese and traps moisture and ammonia over time. Wrap the cheese in breathable cheese paper, or wax/parchment paper (optionally with a loose layer of foil or a container to retain humidity). Cheese cut to order at a counter, often wrapped in cheese paper already, may be fine as is, or you can re-wrap it. The goal is breathable-but-moist wrapping rather than airtight plastic for anything beyond very short-term storage.
Store in the Right Place
Put the cheese in the best part of the fridge: the vegetable crisper drawer or a dedicated cheese drawer, which is slightly warmer and more humid than the rest of the fridge — closer to a cheese cave's conditions. Avoid the coldest parts (like near the back or freezer compartment), which dry out and dull cheese. A consistent, cool, humid spot keeps cheese in good condition. If you have several cheeses, keep them together in the drawer, wrapped separately so flavors and molds don't transfer.
Handle Different Types Appropriately
Store each cheese according to its type. Hard cheeses: wrap in wax paper (optionally with loose foil) — they keep for weeks. Soft and bloomy-rind cheeses: keep in their original wrapping or cheese paper so they breathe, and eat within days of ripeness. Fresh cheeses (mozzarella, ricotta, feta): keep in their liquid or brine, sealed, and use within days. Blue cheeses: wrap in foil to contain the mold and aroma. Washed-rind cheeses: cheese paper inside a container to contain the smell. Matching storage to the type keeps each cheese at its best.
Note Freshness and Plan to Use
When you store freshly bought cheese, note how perishable it is and plan accordingly. Soft, fresh, and ripe cheeses should be eaten soon (within days), so plan to use them first; hard cheeses keep for weeks. If a cheesemonger told you how ripe a soft cheese is or when to eat it, follow that. Don't over-buy perishable cheeses you can't use in time. Storing cheese well includes eating it within its window — good storage extends freshness but doesn't make cheese last forever, especially soft types.
Quick Storage Checklist
When you get cheese home: re-wrap tight-plastic cheese in cheese or wax paper (breathable, not airtight); store it in the humid crisper drawer; wrap cheeses separately by type (hard in wax paper, soft in cheese paper, fresh in liquid, blue in foil); keep it cool and don't leave perishable cheese out long; and plan to eat soft and fresh cheeses soon. These simple steps, taken promptly, keep your freshly bought cheese fresh, flavorful, and at its best until you enjoy it. Good storage starts the moment you get home.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do with cheese as soon as I get home?
Re-wrap any tight-plastic-wrapped cheese in breathable cheese or wax paper, store it in the humid crisper drawer, wrap cheeses separately by type, and refrigerate perishable cheeses promptly.
Should I keep cheese in its supermarket plastic wrap?
For anything beyond very short-term storage, no — tight plastic suffocates cheese and traps moisture and ammonia. Re-wrap it in breathable cheese or wax paper.
Where in the fridge should I store cheese?
In the vegetable crisper or a dedicated cheese drawer — the slightly warmer, more humid part of the fridge — avoiding the coldest spots that dry out and dull cheese.