You open the fridge, see mold on cheese. What’s your thought process?

[Anonymous]

Soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, cream cheese and ricotta, with mold should be discarded. The same goes for any kind of cheese that's shredded, crumbled or sliced.

With these cheeses, the mold can send threads throughout the cheese — contaminating more than you see. In addition, harmful bacteria, such as listeria, brucella, salmonella and E. coli, can grow along with the mold.

Mold generally can't penetrate far into hard and semisoft cheeses, such as cheddar, colby, Parmesan and Swiss. So you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. Cut off at least 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) around and below the moldy spot. Be sure to keep the knife out of the mold, so it doesn't contaminate other parts of the cheese.

Of course, not all molds pose a risk. Some types of mold are used to make cheeses, such as Brie and Camembert. These molds are safe for healthy adults to eat. However, these cheeses, as well as other soft cheeses and cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, are best avoided by people with weakened immune systems, older adults, pregnant women, infants and young children.

If you're not sure what type of cheese you have or what to do if it grows mold, the safe course is to discard it.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/food-and-nutrition/faq-20058492

I throw it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it’s a hard cheese, cut off. If it’s a soft cheese, throw out.

+1. I don't usually buy soft cheeses, but for hard cheeses, I am not even thinking - just cut the moldy piece off and keep going.

Same here.

But what would you do about a block of feta? That’s my current quandary.

Sits in water? I'd toss and I'm a pretty liberal "cut it off and eat it" type.

[Anonymous]

Soft - toss it
Block of hard cheese - cut off the mold and use the rest
Shredded cheese - toss it
Feta in brine - haven’t come across that one yet, feta never lasts that long in my house, but I’d probably toss it. Hard to say for sure where the mold has migrated to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trash.

+1 not worth my time or potential illness, toss immediately

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first thought would be "why is there cheese in a vegan household? who brought this in here?"

This made me laugh. I cut mold off hard cheese if it’s a small spot. If the mold is extensive or diffuse I toss the cheese.

[Anonymous]

Give it to my husband.