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It’s an ongoing debate in my household. Moldy cheese: to eat or not to eat? I eat it. I just shave off the mold. Hey, dairy products are expensive and they can take a bite out of your budget. My sister on the other hand thinks it’s gross and my father is reluctant. You don’t have to eat moldy cheese to save money, below I share tips.
1. Go solid – I skip the shredded cheese because it costs more. You end up paying for the convenience of having it ready to go. Buying a block of cheese will cost less. Just shred when needed.
2. Buy in bulk – This sounds counter intuitive, but it works if you freeze your cheese. Just make sure to compare prices at your local warehouse and grocery store!
3. Use stronger cheese – You’ll end up using less cheese and spending less money if you go for sharp cheese varieties. I particularly like sharp cheddar for grilled cheeses and chillies.
4. Divide and conquer – Shred solid cheese and divide it into portions. Freeze the rest and thaw when needed. I need to get better at this! If mold starts to grow on your cheese, don’t fret. According to the Mayo Clinic, you can slice of the moldy parts on hard and semi-soft cheeses and safely enjoy. Don’t try this with cottage cheese and cream cheese as the mold can send root threads throughout the cheese. Yuck!
5. Avoid grocery stores – Depending on the cheese you’re looking for, it may be less expensive to shop at gourmet stores. Grocery stores seldom have large quantities of fancy cheese and they can charge more. While you’re at it consider local farmers’ markets for great prices on artisan and local cheese.
Whip up these yummy cheese and egg recipe and mac and cheese recipe to use up your leftover cheese. How do you save money on cheese?
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Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
I mostly buy cheese in solid form, although I do keep a container of grated pecorino romano in the fridge for many pasta dishes. I tend to buy my cheese at Trader Joe’s, as I’ve had good luck with it. Like you, I simply cut away any mold that forms and use the rest of the cheese for cooked dishes, or grate and freeze it. Cheese freezes quite well, but doesn’t keep its flavor if left in the freezer too long. I’d say 6 months would be maximum freezer time.
@EllieD I never leave cheese in the freezer for too long, but it’s good to know that it won’t taste good if kept in there for a while. Thanks!
Remember if you freeze cheese it may make it a little crumbly when it defrosts..
I live in LA and there’s a local market (well, a chain of 4) and they have great sales on cheeses so I stock up. What I had read and what I do is to buy in bulk then rewrap—but not in plastic.
Take waxed paper (I double it) and wrap it well, then wrap in plastic, or if you’re going to use it anytime soon, put it in a ziplock bag and remove as much air as possible (anyone remember the drinking straw trick?)
Plastic wrap directly on cheese can make it sweat which increases the environment for mold-forming.
The advice I’d read was to buy parchment paper (used for baking, etc) but that’s pricier and wax paper works very well.
I’d found that even a little mold can alter the flavor of the cheese that’s left after you cut the visible mold off–a turn off unless you’re using it in a highly spiced dish.
For those who live in an area with a Smart & Final store, their 3# block of cream cheese is the best deal ever compared to the cost per 3 or 8 oz pkg.
If you’re doing a lot of baking or cooking that uses cream cheese, then head to S&F, their 1st Street brand. Sometimes they have good sales on block cheeses, too.
My favorite store has special sales on Tuesday and Wednesday…This Tues. they have hot pepper jack for $2.29 the pound: I use this for so many things, you know I’m going to get at least three pounds…they cut all cheeses for you (also deli meats) but for my purposes (and their happiness that they don’t have to slice it!) I ask for it in a single piece.
And unlike the warehouse stores (or chain stores) they’ll give you a sample of any cheese or meat you want–so you’ll know what you’re getting.
Sometimes the best deals are right around the corner!
@Lynda I’ve read that you have to wrap the cheese in parchment or wax paper and then in plastic wrap. If you use only wax or parchment paper, fridge odors can penetrate the cheese.
To save money on shredded cheese, I purchased it by the block in a large quanitity, and shred all of it while watching TV. Sometimes if my husband is watching TV I’ll ask him to do it and he’ll accept which means he can keep watching more TV. It’s a win-win. Cost savings for the family, time saving for me and more TV watching for my husband.
I keep just the right amount of shredded cheese out and freeze the rest in small zip lock bags with the date clearly posted. One stop shredding!
@Lynda ~ I’m glad to know the best way to rewrap cheese. I do know that plastic wrap is not good for it, but didn’t know about the waxed paper bit. I also live in the L.A. area, in the San Fernando Valley. What is your fave store, and is there one in the “Valley? I don’t use much cream cheese, but it’s nice to know that Smart ‘n Final has good prices on it.
@Wendy ~ Very good idea to shred the cheese right away, then freeze it.
@Lynda, I also live in the Valley and would to knkow about your fave store. My Mother taught me many years ago to freeze cheese in wax paper. Thanks for the reminder.
@Lynda – You can get parchment paper at the 99cent stores in the section with the waxed paper. A good deal.
Thanks Bobbi, I’ll look for it.
My favorite store doesn’t have a place in the Valley (yet). It’s Super King..I go to the one on San Fernando Road just off the 2 Freeway (near the I-5).
their website is http://www.superkingmarket.com/
Next Tuesday (4/3) the Jack cheese is 1.99#…all week (thru next Wed) the Russian Ham is 1.99#–I buy one piece (usually 1″ thick) and then cube it up to use in soups, casseroles, etc–less expensive than other ham products and I can still slice some up for a sandwich or two…
This Sunday is the anniversary of a minister’s ordination so for the potluck I’m going to make a macaroni & ham salad…(Italian pasta 79c # box on sale)…so I can afford to share and not break my budget.
(I use the waxed paper with the deli meats, also…just seems cleaner).
Yazmin,Julia,
I went to SK to buy the sale cheese–in a block as I mentioned above–same time I usually go. That night (Tues) there were three other people ALSO buying the cheese in 2 or 3 pound blocks…and that was all they bought at the deli counter…
Could be coincidence—or maybe more people read these columns or learned about it by word of mouth. Either way,
I hope they liked the cheese and the savings!
They had Russian ham on sale (1.99#) but they ran out…so they substituted Virginia ham for the same price (usually over $4 the pound…) other stores could have just said “sorry”.