How to Serve & Store Cheese

Cheese is easy to love, but tricky to master, so we’re always on the hunt for great cheese tips. How much should you grate? When do you wrap it in plastic? What do you serve at a party? We’ve gathered questions from cheese lovers throughout the years and put together this handy list of expert cheese tips to help you buy, store, and use your favorite food to it’s fullest potential.

COOKING

4-6 ounces of cheese = 1 cup, shredded

For the perfect melt, GRATE your cheese before making a grilled cheese sandwich

When cooking, add your cheese last to preserve flavor

SERVING

Limit your cheeses to no more than 3-5 different varieties on a cheese board. Too many can get expensive and overwhelming.

Do NOT, we repeat, DO NOT serve cheese right out of the refrigerator. Cheese is the best taste and texture at room temperature, so make your cheese board ahead of time and let it sit on the counter for a bit.

BUT, cold cheese is easier to cut than warm cheese. So, prep, then bring to room temperature.

Hard cheeses should not be sliced, but rather broken into small pieces. Use a short knife with a triangular blade.

How much cheese should you serve at a party? If serving the cheese hors-d’oeuvre, plan on 1 to 2 ounces of each cheese per person.

STORING

What should you wrap your cheese with? The answer: it depends on the cheese! Cheese ages and perfects by air exposure, so each cheese needs different exposure to air to stay tasting it’s best once it’s at your house, too.

Blue cheese: plastic wrap

Hard aged cheeses (like Grand Cru): parchment or wax paper

Semi-hard cheeses (like Gouda): plastic wrap

Semi-soft cheeses (think Havarti): Resealable container

For the best flavor, only purchase as much cheese as you can consume within one week.