Kitchen Tip: What to Do with Moldy Cheese

September 11, 2008

I was in the middle of making calzones the other night (which turned out to be the best calzones I’ve ever eaten, but I’ll save that for another post), when I opened my tub of ricotta cheese and found a spot of mold on one of the edges. I didn’t know what to do. Could I scoop out the moldy part and eat the rest? Or did I have to pitch the whole tub? After a bit of googling, here is what I found.

First, remember that molds are microscopic – there is much more to them than what you can see on the surface. Therefore, whether you can cut away the moldy part of cheese and eat the rest depends on the type of cheese.

For fresh (ricotta, cottage, mozzarella, queso fresco, etc.) and soft (brie, camembert, limburger, etc.) cheeses, the whole piece needs to be thrown away. It is easier for mold to penetrate these cheeses because they are softer, and therefore it is likely the mold has contaminated the whole piece, whether you can see it or not.

For semisoft (havarti, monterey jack, muenster, etc.), hard (cheddar, jarlsberg, provolone, etc.) and grating (Parmesan, asiago, pecorino, etc.) cheeses, the moldy part can be removed and the rest of the cheese can be eaten safely. The Mayo Clinic does recommend that you cut off an inch around the outside of the mold, being sure not to touch the knife to the mold, and move the remaining cheese to a new container.

I hope this helps the next time you find a piece of moldy cheese.

Posted in Health, Kitchen Tips |