Cheese

[dmperkins74]

Hey folks,

Hiking this weekend, my first 3 day hike, and planning food. How long will cheddar cheese last? It's supposed to be mid 80s (hiking in NY/NJ area.

Or do you have any other cheese suggestions that keep better?

Thanks,
alphapig

[Lyle]

Any harder, plastic wrapped type cheese like cheddar will keep for one or even two weeks, even in warm temps. Good idea to wrap in ziplocks and pack towards the center of the pack where it is somewhat insulated from the hot sun. As the days pass it may get oily and turn from a block to a blob, but it is still completely edible, just rinse/wipe the oil off. If it begins to mold, just slice the mold off and enjoy the rest.

Also the packaged string cheeses keep very well.

If you can get the kind of cheddar that is coated in wax, it helps, but is not necessary.

The small individually packaged chunks also last well. Laughing Cow? Expensive and again, not necessary.



3-day hike: no problem at all.

[Majortrauma]

From recent experience hiking with a friend I guarantee it will last at least 4 days. He did bring the more expensive cheddar if that matters any.

[Nutbrown]

I took a block of Helluva Good Cheese on a 4 day hike two weeks ago. It got mushy and oily, but it was fine. It was actually nice having ready made melted cheese.

[Tipi Walter]

I've taken cheese out in all weather (it freezes solid when camp temps dip to minus 0F), and even on a three week summer trip the cheese is a-okay. Here's a little technique you can do with oily cheese: Of course, put it in a ziploc (Hefty's are better), but once open leave it in the wrapper and wrap it with a couple paper towels and secure with a rubber band. The towels will absorb loose oil and keep it from leaking out of the baggie and into your food bag.

[Rick500]

I take Laughing Cow cheese with me...lasts just fine for at least several days. As someone else posted, the individually wrapped pieces are not necessary, but they work best for me.

[Stir Fry]

Cheese is one of the oldest ways tho store calaries. I will last several weeks. Some hadr cheese is stored unrefrigerated for years. As mentioned it may get soft and oily but will still be good. I ordered shreeded freez dried cheese from Packit Gourmet for longer storage. Ill post a review when I get to try it.

[Fiddleback]

Cheese is one of the oldest ways tho store calaries. I will last several weeks. Some hadr cheese is stored unrefrigerated for years. As mentioned it may get soft and oily but will still be good. I ordered shreeded freez dried cheese from Packit Gourmet for longer storage. Ill post a review when I get to try it.

+1

Here's a link to an experiment I ran to see how long cheese would last unrefrigerated...I ended it after 33 days...the cheese was still good and the point had been made.

Keep cheese away from the heat, bugs and dirt. Most especially 'dirt' from hands, utensils, and such. Keep it out of the sun. It'll last a long time.

http://forums.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=512107219;t=9991106296;hl=f iddleback

The entire thread is worthwhile, IMHO ;), but post #31 is the telling one.

FB

[Doc Mike]

if you want cheddar try the smoked cheddar it lasts much longer and is absolutely wonderful for a snack.

[wvgrinder]

I've always had good luck w/ white cheddar.

[off-pher]

Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms.
Cheese consists of proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. It is produced by coagulation of the milk protein casein. Typically, the milk is acidified and addition of the enzyme rennet causes coagulation. The solids are separated and pressed into final form.Some cheeses have molds on the rind or throughout. Most cheeses melt at cooking temperature.Hundreds of types of cheese are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors depend on the origin of the milk (including the animal's diet), whether they have been pasteurized, the butterfat content, the bacteria and mold, the processing, and aging. Herbs, spices, or wood smoke may be used as flavoring agents. The yellow to red color of many cheeses is from adding annatto.a few cheeses, the milk is curdled by adding acids such as vinegar or lemon juice. Most cheeses are acidified to a lesser degree by bacteria, which turn milk sugars into lactic acid, then the addition of rennet completes the curdling. Vegetarian alternatives to rennet are available; most are produced by fermentation of the fungus Mucor miehei, but others have been extracted from various species of the Cynara thistle family. That's all good, thanks for the class. But how long will Cheese last??????

[russb]

+1

Here's a link to an experiment I ran to see how long cheese would last unrefrigerated...I ended it after 33 days...the cheese was still good and the point had been made.

Keep cheese away from the heat, bugs and dirt. Most especially 'dirt' from hands, utensils, and such. Keep it out of the sun. It'll last a long time.

http://forums.backpacker.com/cgi-bin/forums/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=512107219;t=9991106296;hl=f iddleback

The entire thread is worthwhile, IMHO ;), but post #31 is the telling one.

FB

That is the first time I read your "experiment". I wondered if the spoilage rate was INCREASED by keeping the cheese in a plastic bag where it couldn't breathe and allowed the moisture of the outside of the cheese to increase as the cheese continued to age and thus sparked the spoilage? If the plastic was used to minimize contamination, perhaps a simple wrap with cheese cloth would do the trick and still allow the cheese to breathe.

[WingedMonkey]

That's all good, thanks for the class. But how long will Cheese last??????

All of his posts are robo spam

[Carl in FL]

All of his posts are robo spam

Yep, spam and cheese on wry.

We get a lot of these link-letters. I report them, I hope that helps.

[double d]

I hate to say it, but.................I was waiting for someone to post this information because I knew it was coming for some reason!

[harryfred]

if you want cheddar try the smoked cheddar it lasts much longer and is absolutely wonderful for a snack.
+1 take it all the time. doesn't get mushy or oily. Good with scotch and pretzels

[Del Q]

My new fav.........single serve spam, cheese (think it might be Kraft, sharp or mild cheddar, small sealed portions, east to open!) on Pita bread with a mustard packet (plenty available to "borrow" through the year, rest stops, fast food places, deli's, convenience stores).

I don't cook anymore.............this is typical dinner.

[funnelman]

"Hard" cheeses (low water activity "Aw") are aged and have a pH lower than pathogens can survive. The only spoilage that can occur is from mold. Cheesing excess milk and then aging has been done for eons by man. any hard cheese like cheddar is great Mozarella , not so good, Cottage cheese, again not so good. swiss, Very good.

[Don Newcomb]

How long will cheddar cheese last?
Cheese was invented as a way to preserve milk before refrigeration. Real cheddar cheese will last for months. This applies to all hard cheeses. Parmesan will last for years. The soft yellow stuff they call "cheddar", no telling. Buy good hard cheese and it will last.

[Plodderman]

I always take cheese but in the past few hikes of week or two section hikes I took smaller individually wrapped cheeses and they were fine. The last hike I in July I packed the combination of sausage and cheese and I really enjoyed them.

[Blissful]

Yea a cheese bump. I LOVE cheese. Cheese makes the trail. I eat grilled cheese every day for lunch (not on the trail, at home) :)

[MyName1sMud]

I don't know if it's okay to post things like this.... but one of my favorite kinds of cheese i've had the good fortune of running into is "Uber Sharp" by "Mousehouse Cheesehaus". It's a 12 year old cheese and my God is it SHARP.

I haven't had the chance to try all of their cheese but man that Uber Sharp will have you crying when you run out of it.