# How long will cheese last vaccum sealed in Refrigerator?



## duanes

I looked on the forum regarding my question and only found discussions on freezing the cheese.  I assume that depending on the type of cheese it will vary, but is there a rough idea of how long the cheese will keep refrigerated (at proper temp of course) ?


----------



## beer-b-q

A lot longer than it will be there. 

Unless you smoke a couple tons it won't last long enough to go bad...


----------



## les3176

I've had vaccum smoked cheese in the fridge last about 4 weeks,it may have lasted longer but.....it was too good!!!


----------



## meateater

I have some thats over a year old in the fridge , not the freezer. I double seal both ends.


----------



## SmokinAl

Like beer says you will probably eat it before it goes bad. The longest I've had it in the fridge was 4 months & it was fine.


----------



## venture

The life expectancy of smoked cheese in the fridge is inversely proportional to the number of people who know it is there.

Good luck and good smoking!


----------



## boykjo




----------



## adiochiro3

That's like asking, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?  The world may never know...."







But if I had to guess, no less than 6 months.  But the only reason I could think of that would allow it to last that long is if somebody forgot it was there and buried it under some rutabagas or turnips that never get disturbed.


----------



## Bearcarver

meateater said:


> I have some thats over a year old in the fridge , not the freezer. I double seal both ends.


Hmmm---Never thought of that!

Bear




Venture said:


> The life expectancy of smoked cheese in the fridge is inversely proportional to the number of people who know it is there.
> 
> Good luck and good smoking!


That has to be the best answer of all !

Bear

I don't think I had any in the fridge longer that 3 months---they were fine.

I froze some one time---it got crumbly---Never again!

Bear


----------



## fife

Good Luck


----------



## ellymae

I double seal both ends of everything I vacume pack - it's worth the extra space.


----------



## malisaw

But the only reason I could think of that would allow it to last that long is if somebody forgot it was there and buried it under some rutabagas or turnips that never get disturbed.



Man!!!  Why don't you go ahead and tell the dog where I hide her chicken jerky treats and the kids that they share more features with the postman than with daddy!!!  Geez, now I gotta' smoke rutabagas as an excuse for them being in there and find enough brussell sprouts to bury 2 lbs of cheese.


----------



## tommerr

This thread convinced me to buy a vacuum sealer. I hear that smoked foods last a lot longer in the freezer when sealed this way. It sounds like air is the culpret. Now all I need is time, money, a freezer and food.


----------



## Bearcarver

tommerr said:


> This thread convinced me to buy a vacuum sealer. I hear that smoked foods last a lot longer in the freezer when sealed this way. It sounds like air is the culpret. Now all I need is time, money, a freezer and food.




Here's a bunch of them. Just got this sale bulletin two days ago:

http://www.foodsaver.com/Category.a...AAA&utm_campaign=21FEAAA&utm_source=FS+MENUVS

I got the V3485, and I love it.  Much better than the one I had previously, but I thought I paid under $100 for it on a big Food-Saver sale.

Bear


----------



## SmokinAl

Bearcarver said:


> Hmmm---Never thought of that!
> 
> Bear
> 
> 
> 
> That has to be the best answer of all !
> 
> Bear
> 
> I don't think I had any in the fridge longer that 3 months---they were fine.
> 
> I froze some one time---it got crumbly---Never again!
> 
> Bear




Bear, We freeze cheese all the time. It never gets crumbly for us. Maybe it was the kind of cheese you froze.


----------



## Bearcarver

SmokinAl said:


> Bear, We freeze cheese all the time. It never gets crumbly for us. Maybe it was the kind of cheese you froze.




The only one that didn't get crumbly was the Mozz'.

The others were various Jacks.

Hmmm-wonder what else it could have been---My freezer is always at " 0˚ "---too cold?

Bear


----------



## malisaw

tommerr said:


> This thread convinced me to buy a vacuum sealer. I hear that smoked foods last a lot longer in the freezer when sealed this way. It sounds like air is the culpret. Now all I need is time, money, a freezer and food.


And here's one for the budget minded (today only - 4/24/11) http://sellout.woot.com/

17.99 - I've got one of these and it works great.


----------



## tommerr

I picked up the 3440 for $93 on Amazon. The FoodSaver link has them listed for $155. I have picked up on many threads here that vacuum sealing, before freezing, does great things for longer term storage. I have destroyed good food because of freezer burn. One of my primary reasons for smoking will be sausage. I hear that nitrites are not needed if sausages are smoked, vacuum sealed and then frozen. I am going to the n'th degree for sausages because all of the commercial foods like sausages, cold cuts and ham have preservatives which make me ill. Preservatives are by nature poisons. Smoked cheese is a life long favorite so I fully intend to journey down that road. Long live smoked cheese!


----------



## tommerr

I did notice that a roll of bag material was $25. Does anyone have a source at a better price?


----------



## duanes

I got a friendly PM where I got a great deal on a sealer and was given this link http://www.thesweetattack.com/page/page/2380629.htm .  I shopped around online and they were the cheapest I could find so I bought a couple of rolls.  I have been using them and they are working fine.


----------



## tommerr

That is a much better price!


----------



## venture

I have frozen cheddar, and it always comes out crumbly.  Fine for soups and sauces, but not what I like for slicing.

Good luck and good smoking!


----------



## scarbelly

Bearcarver said:


> The only one that didn't get crumbly was the Mozz'.
> 
> The others were various Jacks.
> 
> Hmmm-wonder what else it could have been---My freezer is always at " 0˚ "---too cold?
> 
> Bear


Cheese has a lot of moisture in it and the freezer drys out moisture for some reason. Cheese will go for a good 6 months without loosing any flavor if well vac sealed. If it starts to get mold you just scrape it with a knife dipped in vingar and remove the mold. Learned this from Mrs Scar who used to work at Hickory farms


----------



## Bearcarver

Scarbelly said:


> Cheese has a lot of moisture in it and the freezer drys out moisture for some reason. Cheese will go for a good 6 months without loosing any flavor if well vac sealed. If it starts to get mold you just scrape it with a knife dipped in vingar and remove the mold. Learned this from Mrs Scar who used to work at Hickory farms




But Al's didn't get crumbly.

I have not frozen any since, but I'd still like to know why mine dried & got crumbly, and Al's didn't???

Thanks Scar,

Bear


----------



## Bearcarver

tommerr said:


> I picked up the 3440 for $93 on Amazon. The FoodSaver link has them listed for $155. I have picked up on many threads here that vacuum sealing, before freezing, does great things for longer term storage. I have destroyed good food because of freezer burn. One of my primary reasons for smoking will be sausage. *I hear that nitrites are not needed if sausages are smoked, vacuum sealed and then frozen. *I am going to the n'th degree for sausages because all of the commercial foods like sausages, cold cuts and ham have preservatives which make me ill. Preservatives are by nature poisons. Smoked cheese is a life long favorite so I fully intend to journey down that road. Long live smoked cheese!


Tommer,

I'm not exactly sure what you mean.

If you don't use a cure, you will have to cook the sausages from 40˚ to 140˚ in 4 hours, in some way, and at some time.

#1   You could vacuum pack & freeze them right away----Then at a later date, thaw & smoke/cook them from 40˚ to 140˚ in 4 hours----Then finish cooking them to 160˚ before eating.

#2   You could smoke/cook them from 40˚ to 140˚ in 4 hours, then finish them to 160˚, and then vacuum pack & freeze them.

#3   You could smoke/cook them from 40˚ to 140˚ in 4 hours, then vacuum pack & freeze them. Then at a later date, thaw & fry or cook them to 160˚, before eating.

The big difference is that without cure in your mix, you have to hot-smoke/cook them from 40˚ to 140˚ in no longer than 4 hours.

If you put the proper amount of cure in the mix, you can smoke them low & slow, and not have to worry about the danger zone.

I hope this helps,

Bear


----------



## BGKYSmoker

I have a few pounds. Some been in there for over a year now.


----------



## exhaustedspark

I know it is a good month late but if the cheese does not have any mold it should still be good. My Mother hid some of my cheese i sent her and it was just in a zip lock for well over a year and it did have some mold on it that we cut off and the cheese was still good.


----------



## exhaustedspark

I can tell by looking at it that you should not eat that. Just send it to me and i will get rid of it for you. 

Po box 235 

Springdale Wa,

LoL


----------



## BGKYSmoker

ExhaustedSpark said:


> I can tell by looking at it that you should not eat that. Just send it to me and i will get rid of it for you.
> 
> Po box 235
> 
> Springdale Wa,
> 
> LoL



Thats provalone coated with Head Country seasoning....OH YEAH


----------



## exhaustedspark

Allways Always Always cure your sausage unless it is fresh sausage and by fresh i mean like breakfast sausage. 

Check out http://www.sausagemaker.com/  The book they sell is the greatest.


----------



## exhaustedspark

The reason the cheese gets crumbly is all freezers now are frost free which means that they remove moisture. Putting the cheese in a vacuum bag is the only way to go and would slow that down and or stop it altogether. I don't know for sure as i have never frozen any smoked cheese. It never last more then a month anyway and i smoke around 15 lbs at a time.


----------



## mr t 59874

DuaneS,  I take it you are asking about hard cheese.  Hard cheeses such as cheddar will keep a very long time.  I have some in the packaging it was purchased in that is over three years old.  I do that so that it will age as we prefer a sharp cheese.  I keep it at temps between 70° and 35°.  Soft cheese should be kept in refrigerator at 35°.  I have some Limburger that is 11 years old and is the best cheese I have ever eaten.  If you have smoked it, I would suggest that you preserve it in cheese wax as this will allow the cheese to age even better along with destroying any bacteria that may be on the surface.

I will soon post a thread on aging, smoking and preserving cheese.  Hope this helps a little.  If you have questions, please ask.

Mr. T

When in the kitchen,  “Learn to deal with the facts, not tradition or sympathy.”


----------



## Bearcarver

ExhaustedSpark said:


> The reason the cheese gets crumbly is all freezers now are frost free which means that they remove moisture. Putting the cheese in a vacuum bag is the only way to go and would slow that down and or stop it altogether. I don't know for sure as i have never frozen any smoked cheese. It never last more then a month anyway and i smoke around 15 lbs at a time.


That would have been my guess too, but I vacuum packed some & froze it for about a month, and it got crumbly.

Nobody has told me why, so in the future I guess I will not ever freeze cheese again.

Seems to be the way to solve it for me.

Bear


----------



## id2nv2nj2ca

ellymae said:


> I double seal both ends of everything I vacume pack - it's worth the extra space.



What do you mean you "double seal both ends of everything you vacuum pack"?  Thanks in advance.


----------



## SmokinAl

When you first slide the bag in the sealer, push it in as far as you can. Then set it to seal & slowly slide it in until it seals a second time. You will have 2 seals next to each other.


----------



## ellymae

^^^^ Bingo!


----------



## id2nv2nj2ca

SmokinAl said:


> When you first slide the bag in the sealer, push it in as far as you can. Then set it to seal & slowly slide it in until it seals a second time. You will have 2 seals next to each other.



Ohhhh, OK. Thank you. I think I've seen a vacuum sealer that does two seals automatically. Great tip, thanks again.


----------



## mr t 59874

Mr T 59874 said:


> DuaneS,  I take it you are asking about hard cheese.  Hard cheeses such as cheddar will keep a very long time.  I have some in the packaging it was purchased in that is over three years old.  I do that so that it will age as we prefer a sharp cheese.  I keep it at temps between 70° and 35°.  Soft cheese should be kept in refrigerator at 35°.  I have some Limburger that is 11 years old and is the best cheese I have ever eaten.  If you have smoked it, I would suggest that you preserve it in cheese wax as this will allow the cheese to age even better along with destroying any bacteria that may be on the surface.
> 
> I will soon post a thread on aging, smoking and preserving cheese.  Hope this helps a little.  If you have questions, please ask.
> 
> Mr. T
> 
> When in the kitchen,  “Learn to deal with the facts, not tradition or sympathy.”


Mr T's "Smoked Cheese From Go To Show" w/ Q- View

T


----------

