Does cooking at a high temperature kill mould on shredded cheese?

Does cooking at a high temperature kill mould on shredded cheese?

At a glance:

  • The average Australian consumes 13.6 kilograms of cheese per year.
  • In the case of improper storage, shredded cheese is highly susceptible to mould.
  • Pure Dairy’s best Mexican melting cheese blend brings the authentic taste of Mexican cheeses right to your kitchen in Australia.

Cheese is a universal favourite, and we all love it dearly. It goes with everything from pizza and tacos to burritos and fries. But your heart is bound to sink when you find your beloved cheese sporting a blue and white bloom.

Yes, that’s a mould right there. Science Direct reports that some species of heat-resistant fungi can lead to spoilage in dairy products such as ultra-heat-treated (UHT) custard and cream cheese.

So what’s the alternative?

  • Do you throw it out?
  • Do you cut that slice and eat the rest?
  • Or do you think of heating the cheese so that mould eventually gets killed?

If you usually heat the moulded shredded cheese, you shouldn’t do that.

Why is it unhealthy to heat mould-infested cheese?

More awareness needs to be generated about the ill effects of heating mould-infested cheese. If mould has colonized your cheese, it’s best to throw it out.

Soft cheese is made from the coagulation of milk proteins and salts, which means it has a much higher moisture content. Even if you heat or bake mouldy soft cheese at high temperatures, this won’t kill off the mould.

It won’t help to heat bulk shredded cheese back up if it has gone bad, as high temperatures can damage its flavour and texture.

You can follow the below steps to identify mouldy cheese:

  1. Check for discoloration or mottling or of the surface of the shredded cheese. It may denote that the mould has penetrated deeper into the food. You can follow the below steps to identify mouldy cheese.
  2. Check for odour. If it smells off, don’t heat or eat it.

Even if the mycotoxins aren’t toxic enough to cause immediate harm, they can make you feel sick later. So, be careful.

How to prevent cheese mould?

Soft cheeses, like mozzarella, Mexican blend cheese, and chèvre, are much fresher than their aged counterparts and tend to spoil quickly if they don’t have added preservatives. In most cases, these cheeses should be kept sealed in their original containers.

However, Jeff Zeak of PMQ Pizza Magazine recommends removing them from the bringing solution and wrapping them in plastic if you want to keep your soft cheeses fresh for longer.

If you replace the plastic each time you open it and keep it tightly sealed with a lid or cap, your soft cheese can remain fresh for up to 7 days in the fridge.

The best way to store shredded cheese or Mexican blend cheese is in the refrigerator, as opposed to its original packaging. Wrap your cheese in wax paper and store it in an airtight container to ensure it stays fresh as long as possible.

It also makes removing the right amount of cheese easy. No more cutting off too much or too little.

Summing it up

Mould can hide on the inside of soft cheese. This means that there could be tons of it on the inside by the time it’s visible on the outside. Instead of heating away your cheese, throw out the entire block and start fresh.

To obviate this messy situation, buy high-quality shredded cheese and store it properly before and after use.

Julia R. Mallard

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