Unopened blue cheese has a shelf life of one to 6 months, depending on its packaging and usually retains good quality for at least a few more weeks when stored in a refrigerator below 1.6″ (4°C).
Once you open the blue cheese package, consume the cheese within 3 to 4 weeks. The same goes if you buy a piece of cheese cut from a fresh full piece.
This shelf life of 1 to 6 months depends on the method of packaging. If your blue cheese is wrapped in cheese paper, plastic wrap, or cardboard packaging (similar to Brie), it probably has a short shelf life. But if it is hermetically sealed, it will stay in good quality much longer.
Fortunately, the packaged piece of cheese you buy at your grocery store usually comes with a sale date, which is a pretty good starting point. Of course, the cheese should be pretty good after a week or maybe two after that date, but don't expect miracles.
Sometimes the label says that you should eat the blue cheese within a few days of opening. If this is the case, try to consume it within this period (plus maybe a few days) or freeze the leftovers of blue cheese.
When it comes to crumbled blue cheese, it usually has a fairly long shelf life, up to half a year.
In general, as long as the package remains unopened, the cheese should remain fresh, until the date of labeling and perhaps up to 2-3 weeks longer.
And with well-preserved blue cheese you can prepare delicacies such as:
- appetizers with blue cheese;
- blue cheese sauces.
