Mozzarella cheese lasts for different amounts of time in the fridge. How long it keeps depends a lot on what kind it is and if the package is open or not. Fresh mozzarella in water usually lasts only a few days after opening. Shredded or block mozzarella that hasn’t been opened can last several weeks past the date on the package, while opened block or shredded cheese might be good for about 1-2 weeks.
Mozzarella cheese is a favorite for many dishes, from pizza to salads. Knowing how long it stays good is important. It helps you avoid waste. It also keeps you safe from eating bad food. Let’s look closely at how long mozzarella cheese can stay fresh in your fridge. We will cover different types and how to keep them best.
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Deciphering Mozzarella Types
Not all mozzarella is the same. The way it is made changes how long it lasts.
Fresh Mozzarella
This kind is soft and often comes in balls. It sits in liquid, like water or whey. It has a lot of moisture. Examples are Mozzarella di Bufala, Fior di Latte, or small balls like Bocconcini or Ciliegine.
- Shelf life of fresh mozzarella in fridge: This type has a short life. It is meant to be eaten quickly.
- Unopened fresh mozzarella expiration: When unopened and kept cold, fresh mozzarella might last until the ‘Use By’ date on the pack. This is often just a few weeks from when it was made.
- Opened fresh mozzarella storage time: Once you open the package, the clock starts. Fresh mozzarella storage time in the fridge is usually only 3 to 5 days. The liquid helps keep it moist, but it also helps germs grow faster once the package is open.
Low-Moisture Mozzarella
This is the kind you usually find in blocks or already shredded. It has less water than fresh mozzarella. This makes it last longer. It’s the common cheese used for melting on pizza.
- Shredded mozzarella shelf life: Shredded cheese has a shorter life than block cheese once opened. More of its surface is open to air and germs. Unopened shredded mozzarella can last a while. It might be good for maybe 2-4 weeks past the date on the bag if kept sealed.
- Block low-moisture mozzarella shelf life: A block of mozzarella lasts longer than shredded. An unopened block can often stay good for 4-6 weeks past the ‘Best By’ date.
- Opened mozzarella fridge life (shredded/block): Once you open low-moisture mozzarella, either block or shredded, it usually lasts about 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge. Keeping it wrapped well is key.
Mozzarella Cheese Expiration Date Explained
Packages of mozzarella cheese have dates on them. These dates help you know how long the cheese is expected to be best.
- ‘Best By’ or ‘Best Before’ dates: These dates tell you when the cheese is likely to have the best quality, taste, and texture. The cheese might still be safe to eat after this date. But its quality might not be as good. For unopened, low-moisture mozzarella, this date is a guide. The cheese can often be good for weeks past this date if stored right.
- ‘Use By’ date: This date is usually on fresh, soft cheeses. It tells you when the cheese should be eaten by for safety reasons. Fresh mozzarella with a ‘Use By’ date should ideally be eaten by that date. It spoils faster because of its high water content.
Factors Affecting Shelf Life of Mozzarella in Fridge
Many things change how long mozzarella cheese lasts. Knowing these helps you keep your cheese good for as long as possible.
- Type of Mozzarella: As we saw, fresh mozzarella lasts a short time. Low-moisture types last longer.
- Packaging: Is the package sealed or open? Unopened mozzarella expiration is often much later than opened mozzarella fridge life. Air brings germs.
- Storage Temperature: The fridge must be cold enough. The right temperature is 35°F to 40°F (1.7°C to 4.4°C). Warmer temps make cheese go bad faster.
- How it’s Stored After Opening: How you store opened mozzarella fridge life makes a big difference. Leaving it open lets it dry out and lets germs get in.
- How it’s Handled: Touching the cheese with dirty hands or tools can add germs.
- Original Quality: How fresh was the cheese when you bought it?
Storing Mozzarella Cheese Properly
Good storage helps your shelf life of mozzarella in fridge. It keeps the cheese fresh and safe.
Storing Fresh Mozzarella
- Keep it in its liquid: Fresh mozzarella comes in water or whey. Keep it in this liquid in the fridge until you use it.
- After opening: Put any leftover cheese and its liquid in a clean, airtight container.
- If the liquid is gone: You can use clean, cool water. Add a little salt to the water (about 1/2 teaspoon per cup of water). This helps keep the cheese firm and fresh.
- Use it fast: Remember, fresh mozzarella storage time after opening is just 3-5 days.
Storing Low-Moisture Mozzarella (Block or Shredded)
- Original package: Keep it in its sealed bag or wrapper until you need it.
- After opening block cheese: Wrap the cut end tightly. You can use plastic wrap, wax paper, or cheese paper. Then put it in a resealable bag or a plastic container. The goal is to keep air out.
- After opening shredded cheese: Squeeze out as much air as you can from the bag. Seal it tight with a clip or put the bag inside an airtight container.
- Where in the fridge: Store cheese in the cheese or deli drawer. This is often the coldest part of the fridge and helps keep it at a steady cool temperature. Avoid storing cheese in the door. The temperature changes too much there.
How to Tell if Mozzarella is Bad
Knowing the signs of spoiled mozzarella is very important. Eating bad cheese can make you sick. Do not rely only on the date on the package. Use your senses.
Signs of Spoiled Mozzarella
- Smell: Fresh mozzarella has a milky, clean smell. Low-moisture mozzarella smells mild. If the cheese smells sour, like old milk, or has a strong, off smell, it is likely bad. This is one of the clearest signs of spoiled mozzarella.
- Look: Check the color and surface.
- Color changes: Fresh mozzarella should be white. Low-moisture is usually pale yellow to white. Pink, green, or gray spots are bad signs of spoiled mozzarella.
- Slime: A slimy feel or look on the surface is a bad sign. This is often due to bacteria growing.
- Mold: Mold on mozzarella cheese is a common sign it is spoiled.
- Feel: Fresh mozzarella is soft and bounces back a little. Low-moisture block cheese is firm. Shredded cheese is loose. If fresh mozzarella feels hard or dry, or low-moisture cheese feels extra hard or dry and crumbly, it might be old. Slime is a definite bad sign as mentioned.
- Taste (Be Careful): If the smell and look seem okay, you might taste a tiny piece. But it’s safer not to if you see other bad signs. Spoiled cheese will taste very sour, bitter, or just wrong. If it tastes bad, spit it out.
Mold on Mozzarella Cheese
Finding mold on mozzarella cheese needs careful thought.
Hard Cheese (Low-Moisture Mozzarella)
- If you see a small spot of mold on a block of low-moisture mozzarella, you might be able to save it.
- Mold usually stays on the surface of hard cheese.
- Cut off at least one inch around and below the mold spot. Be careful not to touch the mold with your knife.
- Keep the knife away from the clean cheese.
- Rewrap the cheese in fresh wrap.
- However, if there are many mold spots, or the mold has spread a lot, it is safer to throw the whole block away.
Soft Cheese (Fresh Mozzarella)
- If you see mold on mozzarella cheese that is fresh mozzarella (in water), throw the whole thing away.
- Mold on soft cheese can send tiny roots deep into the cheese that you cannot see. These roots can carry harmful bacteria.
- It is not safe to just cut off the moldy part on fresh mozzarella.
Shredded Cheese
- If you see mold on mozzarella cheese that is shredded, throw the whole bag away.
- Mold spreads easily through shredded cheese because there is so much surface area. You cannot safely cut mold off shredded cheese.
Signs of Spoiled Mozzarella Summary
Here is a quick list of signs of spoiled mozzarella:
- Sour or off smell
- Pink, green, gray, or dark spots (not just white crystals which can be normal on aged cheese, but less common on mozzarella)
- Slimy feel or look
- Visible mold on mozzarella cheese (especially on soft or shredded types)
- Hard or very dry texture on fresh mozzarella
If you see any of these signs of spoiled mozzarella, it is best to throw the cheese out. Do not taste it to check. When in doubt, throw it out. Your health is more important.
Can You Eat Mozzarella After the Expiration Date?
This question relates back to the mozzarella cheese expiration date and the type of cheese.
- Unopened, low-moisture mozzarella (block or shredded): Often, yes. If stored well (kept sealed and cold), this type of cheese can be safe to eat for several weeks, sometimes months, past the ‘Best By’ date. Use your senses to check (smell, look, feel). If it looks and smells okay, it is likely fine.
- Opened, low-moisture mozzarella: Maybe, but less likely. Once opened, its opened mozzarella fridge life is only about 1-2 weeks. It is less likely to be good weeks past the ‘Best By’ date if it has been open that long. Always check for signs of spoiled mozzarella.
- Fresh mozzarella: Generally, no, or be very careful. The ‘Use By’ date on fresh mozzarella is more about safety. Because it has lots of moisture, harmful bacteria can grow more easily after this date. It is best to use fresh mozzarella by its ‘Use By’ date or very soon after, if it still looks and smells perfectly fine (no sour smell, no slime). If it’s past the ‘Use By’ date and you see any signs of spoiled mozzarella, throw it out.
Think of the mozzarella cheese expiration date as a guide. For hard cheeses, it’s mainly about quality. For soft cheeses, it’s more about safety.
Extending Mozzarella Shelf Life
Proper storage is the main way to get the most out of your shelf life of mozzarella in fridge.
- Keep it cold: Make sure your fridge is at the right temperature (35-40°F).
- Seal it well: After opening, wrap block cheese tightly. Seal shredded cheese bags well or put them in airtight containers. This limits air and moisture loss/gain. This is key for opened mozzarella fridge life.
- Use clean tools: Cut cheese with clean knives. Touch it as little as possible with your hands.
- Store properly: Put it in the deli drawer if you have one.
- Freezing: Can you freeze mozzarella? Yes, but it changes the texture.
- Shredded mozzarella: Freezing works quite well. Put the unopened bag in the freezer. Or put opened shredded cheese into a freezer bag or container. It might become a bit crumbly, but it’s fine for cooking (like on pizza). It can last several months in the freezer.
- Block mozzarella: You can freeze blocks, but it might become more crumbly after thawing. It’s still good for cooking. Wrap it very well to prevent freezer burn.
- Fresh mozzarella: Freezing is not recommended for fresh mozzarella. The high water content forms ice crystals that ruin the texture, making it mushy and watery when thawed. It’s best to use fresh mozzarella quickly.
Freezing stops the clock on spoilage. But it can affect quality. Use frozen cheese within a few months for best results. Thaw frozen mozzarella in the fridge.
Summarizing Shelf Life
Here is a simple guide to how long does mozzarella cheese last in the fridge:
| Type of Mozzarella | State | Typical Fridge Shelf Life | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh Mozzarella (in liquid) | Unopened | Until ‘Use By’ date (often ~2-4 weeks) | Check date, keep liquid. |
| Fresh Mozzarella (in liquid) | Opened | 3-5 days | Store in liquid, airtight container. |
| Low-Moisture Block | Unopened | 4-6 weeks past ‘Best By’ date or longer | Store sealed, check before using. |
| Low-Moisture Block | Opened | 1-2 weeks | Wrap tightly, keep air out. |
| Low-Moisture Shredded | Unopened | 2-4 weeks past ‘Best By’ date or longer | Store sealed, check before using. |
| Low-Moisture Shredded | Opened | 1-2 weeks | Seal bag well or use container. |
Remember, these are just guides. Always check your cheese for signs of spoiled mozzarella before you use it. The shelf life of mozzarella in fridge can change based on how you treat it. Storing mozzarella cheese properly is key.
Grasping Storage Tips
Let’s look at the best ways for storing mozzarella cheese properly again. These steps help you get the longest opened mozzarella fridge life and keep unopened cheese fresh until its unopened mozzarella expiration or beyond.
- Keep it cold: The fridge temperature should be between 35°F and 40°F (1.7°C to 4.4°C). Colder is better, but don’t freeze it unless you plan to freeze it properly.
- Avoid temperature swings: Don’t leave cheese out on the counter. Put it back in the fridge right away after using it. Storing it away from the door helps keep the temperature steady.
- Limit air: Air is cheese’s enemy once opened. It dries cheese out and brings mold spores and bacteria.
- For block cheese, use plastic wrap, wax paper, or special cheese paper pressed right against the cut surface. Then maybe another layer or put it in a bag.
- For shredded cheese, push the air out of the bag before sealing. Or put the bag into an airtight container.
- Keep it clean: Use clean hands and tools when handling cheese. This stops you from adding new bacteria to the cheese.
- Store different cheeses separately: Stronger cheeses can affect the taste of milder cheeses like mozzarella. It’s best to store mozzarella away from cheeses with strong smells.
By following these simple rules for storing mozzarella cheese properly, you can help your cheese last longer. You reduce the chance of seeing mold on mozzarella cheese too soon.
Interpreting Best By vs. Spoilage
It’s easy to confuse the mozzarella cheese expiration date with when the cheese actually spoils.
- The ‘Best By’ date is about quality. The cheese might not taste quite as good after this date, but it’s often still safe.
- Spoilage means the cheese has gone bad and is not safe to eat. This happens when harmful bacteria or mold grow too much. This can happen before the ‘Best By’ date if the cheese is not stored properly (e.g., left out, not sealed). It can also happen after the ‘Best By’ date, which is more common.
Always check for the signs of spoiled mozzarella no matter what the date says. The date is a guide, but your senses are the final test for safety. If you see mold on mozzarella cheese (especially soft/shredded), smell something bad, or see slime, the cheese is spoiled.
How to Tell if Mozzarella is Bad – A Closer Look
Let’s go into more detail on how to tell if mozzarella is bad.
- Smell Test: This is often the first and best sign. A fresh, milky smell is good. A sour, ammonia-like, or rotten smell is bad. Even a slight off smell means check carefully.
- Visual Check: Look closely at all surfaces.
- Is the color right? White for fresh, pale yellow/white for low-moisture. Any pink, green, or dark patches (other than herbs added) are bad.
- Is there slime? Touch it carefully if you must, but often you can see a slick or slimy layer. Slime is a definite throw-away sign.
- Is there mold? Mold on mozzarella cheese looks like fuzzy or dusty spots. It can be white, green, blue, or black. Remember the rules for hard vs. soft cheese mold.
- Texture Test:
- Fresh mozzarella should be soft and moist. If it’s hard, dry, or feels strange, it might be bad or just very old/dried out.
- Low-moisture cheese shouldn’t be slimy or unnaturally hard/soft.
- Taste Test (Use with caution): Only taste if smell and look are okay. Take a tiny piece from a non-edge part. If it tastes sour, bitter, or off, spit it out and throw the rest away.
Using all your senses helps you determine how to tell if mozzarella is bad. Do not guess. If it seems questionable, it is safer to discard it.
Fathoming the Role of Moisture
Mozzarella’s moisture level is key to its shelf life of mozzarella in fridge.
- High Moisture: Fresh mozzarella has a lot of water. Water helps bacteria grow faster. This is why fresh mozzarella storage time is so short, just 3-5 days after opening. It’s also why the mozzarella cheese expiration date (Use By date) is sooner for this type.
- Low Moisture: Low-moisture mozzarella has less water. This makes it harder for bacteria to grow quickly. This is why its shelf life of mozzarella in fridge is much longer, weeks instead of days for unopened packages. Even opened mozzarella fridge life is longer for low-moisture types compared to fresh.
Proper storage helps control moisture. Wrapping well keeps low-moisture cheese from drying out. Keeping fresh mozzarella in its liquid (or salt water) keeps it from drying but doesn’t stop spoilage; it just helps maintain quality for those few days.
The Impact of Opening the Package
Opening the package changes the shelf life of mozzarella in fridge a lot.
- Unopened mozzarella expiration: Before opening, the cheese is in a controlled environment. Often there’s no air, or a special gas mix, to stop germs from growing. This lets unopened mozzarella expiration dates be much further out, especially for low-moisture types.
- Opened mozzarella fridge life: Once opened, the cheese touches the air in your fridge. This air has mold spores and bacteria. The cheese also starts to lose moisture or gain weird smells from other foods. This greatly shortens the opened mozzarella fridge life. This is why even low-moisture cheese only lasts 1-2 weeks after opening, while fresh cheese lasts only 3-5 days.
This highlights why storing mozzarella cheese properly after opening is so important. Sealing it up again limits its contact with the air and its germs.
How Long Does Mozzarella Cheese Last – Common Situations
Let’s look at some common scenarios for how long does mozzarella cheese last in the fridge:
- A sealed ball of fresh mozzarella: Check the ‘Use By’ date. It will likely last until then. Once opened, 3-5 days.
- An unopened bag of shredded mozzarella: Look at the ‘Best By’ date. It can often last 2-4 weeks past this date if sealed. Once opened, 1-2 weeks.
- An unopened block of low-moisture mozzarella: Check the ‘Best By’ date. It can often last 4-6 weeks past this date if sealed. Once opened, 1-2 weeks if wrapped well.
- Leftover shredded mozzarella for pizza: If the bag was just opened, maybe 1-2 weeks if sealed well. If it’s been open for a week already, use it fast or check carefully.
- A half-used ball of fresh mozzarella: Store in clean liquid in an airtight container. Use within 3-5 days. Look for signs of spoiled mozzarella.
Remember to always check for signs of spoiled mozzarella like smell, look, and feel, even if the time frame seems okay.
Final Thoughts on Mozzarella Freshness
Getting the most out of your mozzarella means respecting its shelf life of mozzarella in fridge. Fresh types need to be used fast. Low-moisture types last longer, but proper storage after opening is key to their opened mozzarella fridge life. Pay attention to the mozzarella cheese expiration date but use your senses to spot signs of spoiled mozzarella. Learning how to tell if mozzarella is bad will save you from bad food and wasted money. Storing mozzarella cheese properly extends its life and keeps it tasty and safe. Watch out for mold on mozzarella cheese, especially on soft and shredded kinds.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
h4 Is it safe to eat mozzarella after the ‘Best By’ date?
For unopened, low-moisture mozzarella, often yes. The ‘Best By’ date is about quality, not safety. Check for bad smells, strange looks, or mold first. If it seems fine, it is likely safe. For fresh mozzarella with a ‘Use By’ date, it’s riskier after the date. Use your senses carefully and be more cautious.
h4 What does spoiled mozzarella smell like?
Spoiled mozzarella usually smells sour, like very old milk. It might have a strong, unpleasant, or ammonia-like smell. Fresh mozzarella smells clean and milky.
h4 Can I cut mold off mozzarella?
It depends on the type. For mold on hard block mozzarella, you can often cut away the moldy part plus a good inch around it. For fresh mozzarella or shredded mozzarella with mold, you must throw the whole thing away. Mold roots can go deep into soft or shredded cheese.
h4 How should I store fresh mozzarella after opening?
Keep it in its original liquid if possible. If not, put it in a clean container with cool, lightly salted water. Keep it in the fridge. Use within 3-5 days.
h4 How can I make opened shredded mozzarella last longer?
Push as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing it. Use a clip or rubber band. For best results, put the opened bag inside an airtight container or a zip-top bag. Keep it cold in the fridge, away from the door. It usually lasts 1-2 weeks once opened.
h4 Is slimy mozzarella bad?
Yes. Slime on mozzarella cheese is a clear sign of bacterial growth and spoilage. You should throw away slimy mozzarella.
h4 Can I freeze mozzarella cheese?
You can freeze low-moisture mozzarella (block or shredded). It works well for cooking, but the texture might change a bit. Wrap block cheese tightly. Put shredded cheese in a freezer bag. Do not freeze fresh mozzarella; its texture will be ruined.