When we designed the Cheese Grotto for home storage of naturally-made cheese wedges and wheels, we wanted to create a microclimate that would help all cheese types thrive. Cheese loves a humid, breathable environment: edible, natural cheese rinds will suffer when suffocated in plastic wrap, and condensation build up from tupperware can make a cheese too wet, inviting unwanted bacteria onto its surface and aromas/flavors of ammonia.
Based on our extensive testing in a dairy lab and with top cheese experts, we've found that a Cheese Grotto stored in the fridge can prolong the shelf-life of cheese 3X longer than cheese paper and tupperware, and 4X longer than plastic wrap.
From wedges and wheels of brie, semi to firm cheese, washed rind cheese, and blue cheese, the Grotto is a workhorse for them all.
There are two exceptions in its function and that is fresh cheeses with no ripening cultures and cheeses best stored in brine.
Keep fresh & brined cheeses in their original packaging or airtight container
What is a fresh cheese?
Ricotta, freshly made mozzarella, fresh goat cheese, ricotta, queso fresco, and fromage blanc are all examples of cheeses that are made to be eaten fresh. We don't recommend storing them in the Grotto with aged cheeses, as fresh cheeses have a delicate acidity level to them with no cultures for aging.
What is a brined cheese?
Brine is a salt-water solution (sometimes with whey or cultures added) that maintains a cheese's proper acidity level. Feta is aged in brine, and often found at the market packaged in brine, too. Some versions are wrapped in plastic. Feta's shelf-life is determined by maintaining a specific acidity level, which the brine preserves. While you can store Feta in the Grotto in the fridge, it wants that brine to maintain balance!
Leave a comment