Aged cheeses. Why do they have expiration dates?

[intrepidity]

I mean, unopened plastic wrapped.

If it's an aged cheese that is unopened and looks ok, is it probably ok? What could go wrong?

And a related question: what's the best application for such a product? I mean, that bypasses whatever, if any, specific type of deterioration, like maybe texture.

Just wondering, while cleaning out fridge....

[elleng]

1. Propaganda, no good reason for expiration dates.

It's certainly OK, imo.

[intrepidity]

3. The only reason I can think of is that

microbes can become introduced during the processing--cutting, handling, wrapping--and while they would be very slow growers and under anaerobic conditions, they may eventually have an effect.

Just speculating. I really don't know.

(and I take *all* expiry dates with a huge grain of salt anyway)

[femmedem]

2. Here's an article on how to know if your hard cheese is bad:

https://www.canitgobad.net/can-hard-cheese-go-bad/#:~:text=Just%20like%20any%20other%20dairy,such%20as%20Gouda%20or%20Edam.

The article mentions that if a hard cheese is extra hard and dried out as opposed to bad, that the dryness isn't as apparent if you use it in a recipe that calls for melted hard cheese.

[intrepidity]

6. Thanks

that looks like a site I will spend some time with, lol

[femmedem]

7. You're welcome!

I've been home with a migraine all day. That's the first useful thing I did.

[intrepidity]

8. Aww sorry

aged cheeses and migraines don't do well together.

Fellow migraineur here--I feel your misery.

[femmedem]

10. Thanks. It's been a rough day but I was finally able to keep down some gingery ramen.

But I'm looking forward to tomorrow. My migraines rarely last more than a day. I hope you don't get yours too often.

[PoliticAverse]

4. The short answer is that you probably are not maintiaining the environment that they use

to properly age the cheese.

Humidity, temperature, occasional cheese maintenance (wiping).

They aren't aged wrapped in plastic during aging for example.

[Sneederbunk]

5. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

[Pobeka]

9. Another trick - soften overdry parmesian with a damp paper towel.

You want the paper towel damp, not dripping.

Wrap the cheese in the paper towel, then tightly wrap plastic wrap around that.

It really works, but the flavor doesn't come back 100%, flavor only comes back about 75%. The texture can be brought back just like before though.

It will take several days to work its magic.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. And how can you tell when Limburger goes bad ? Does it stop stinking ? nt

[Warpy]

12. I've alwways thought it was the date when the bacteria would take over

and start making it stinky and sour, especially if it wasn't properly stored.

Cheese is one of those things that freezes well, so I consistently ignore those expiration dates. Bacterial action doesn't stop during freezing, but it slows to a nearly imperceptible level.

Since it was refrigerated, I'd probably hazard a taste and then consider turning it into mac and cheese or something.

My one exception to the cheese rule is the rind on a bit of overpriced Parmesan cheese, I've used that to flavor a pot of pasta e fagiioli when it was really ancient. The older it was, the more flavor it seemed to impart and I figured the simmering soup would kill anything.

[sir pball]

13. The cheese is no longer intact, that changes the calculus of aging a lot.

A whole wheel of cheese with an intact rind and an interior that's never been exposed to any microorganisms other than the cultures is much, much more durable and longer-lasting than a piece that's been cut out, exposed to unsterile room air with all sorts of molds floating around.

Of course, even the slice will last well beyond the expiration date, that's totally a marketing thing to get you to buy more - but you can't take a chunk of cut Cheddar from the store and age it for an extra 3 years.