Graters

Parmesan Cheese?

When in Italy I usually bring a big lump of parmesan cheese with me, but it tends to go mouldy quite quickly. How do I prevent it? I've tried different kinds of containers and even packed it with ice packs when I come home but nothing seems to help. Any tips at all?

Public Comments

1. Do you keep it in the freezer? I can not believe that a short flight from Italy would cause it to go moldy. Try vacuum sealing it, using something that will remove all the air out of the bag, I have one that I purchased, but that means you would need to take the vacuum sealer with you.
2. you can keep cheese in teh freezer, make sure it's not getting damp- if you pack it with ice packs then make sure they are well wrapped and not touching the cheese, as they melt they will become damp and that will encourage mould growth. Is it specifically on the flight that they go mouldy? Or once you get home? I would have thought they would be fine simply placed in your main luggage in the hold for the flight- it is dry and cool there, and once you get home put it straight in the freezer.
3. The cheese needs to be vacpacked preferably - many places where you buy it can do this. As long as it is wrapped really tightly it should not mould this quickly but cheeses, especially blue cheeses, can easily contaminate each other when kept together (eg. in a big mixed cheese counter) and this is more likely to be the cause of the mould. For all you know, the shop could be having to trim their cheeses of mould all the time (you just won't get to see it!). The best way to freeze Parmesan is to grate it or cut into shavings first and then bag it up into portions (4oz say) and freeze - it's a dieters trick really but it works fine and the cheese doesn't suffer as long as it's wrapped up properly.
4. Either keep it in the freezer or wrap it in grease proof paper. You need to keep it air tight. If you do get mould on it, just shave that bit off.