Say cheese!

[scoobert]

So me and the wife found a pizza we can fill 3-4 people on for $2.
But other then grated, what other cheese will stay without a fridge?

[ozskipper]

Blocks of Cheddar

[zeehag]

any and most cheese is made without fridge. most merely ages when left out.
mexican cheese makes oil when left out, and continues to age.

[Teknav]

The harder the cheese, the lower its fat contents. Stock up on Parmesan cheese! Cheap pizzas have low quality cheeses or hardly any cheese; tastes like cardboard too. Stay away from Super Jumbo pizza for $10 USD; not possible to prepare with quality ingredients for that price. Bon appetit!

Mauritz
Chicago's Rosati's thin crust and Giordano's stuffed...yummm

[scoobert]

my wife does not like parm, or the issue would not exist.
think i will try some of the cheddar blocks, placing them in the bilge.

[captain58sailin]

That might cause the cheese to absorb diesel smells, or whatever fuel you use.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by scoobert

But other then grated, what other cheese will stay without a fridge?

If I buy vacuum packed cheese and don't open it, it generally lasts for months, even in summer. Once opened and unrefrigerated, mould will grow, and some cheeses will do this very rapidly in warm weather (a few days).

Soaking a couple of sheets of paper towel in white vinegar and wrapping this around the cheese before wrapping it in waxed paper (not plastic) will prolong the life by a couple of weeks, particularly if stored below the waterline (it need not be the bilge).

Storing it in oil in a jar with a screw top lid will give you a few weeks life (strain and use the oil afterwards rather than putting more cheese in it).

Soft cheese like feta keeps brilliantly for weeks if covered in salty water again in a screw top jar (about a tablespoon of salt in a couple of cups of water), then topped with a layer of oil.

[scoobert]

does vacuum packing it after use do anything? or will only the first vacuum pack work?

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by scoobert

does vacuum packing it after use do anything? or will only the first vacuum pack work?

I would imagine so if you could avoid contaminating the cheese ie don't touch it with your hands and use very clean utensils and work surface to cut off the bit you need before resealing. This is difficult on board a boat, but it would at least extend the life.

I don't have a vacuum sealer on board, so I haven't experimented.

[Pete7]

How about that stuff which is covered in a red wax, Edam I think.

Edam

Pete

[Teknav]

Gouda cheese, shown in the picture, (the red wax covered soft cheese) has to be refrigerated. The wax will not deter spoilage.

Mauritz

[Seaworthy Lass]

This wax covered Edam was vacuum sealed commercially. It was cut in either April or June (my Greek is not the best LOL) and is labelled as having an expiry of February 2014.

It was bought a few weeks ago and kept unrefrigerated on board (I have found this unnecessary with vacuum sealed cheese) and still looks perfectly OK.

[zeehag]

gouda in mexico has no wax. is hard an does not ooze oil when kept in no fridge environment. good stuff. very popular here.

[Craig Cape Town]

Try laughing cow cheeses. They come in a wheel of 8 individually wrapped wedges and don't need refrigeration.
It's no danish blue but I like it 'cause it is mild and spreads easily.

The Laughing Cow & Mini Babybel Home | The Laughing Cow

[JPA Cate]

Scoobert,

If you're making pizza from scratch, on a boat, the easiest way to approach the cheese issue is to buy professionally vacuum-packed mozzarella in 4 oz. lots if you can find it; otherwise, 8ozs., and make 2 pizzas. It will keep unrefrigerated quite a while, but it is still alive, and will "inflate" the vacuum packing, and the flavor will get stronger. This is another thing that you and your good lady can experiment with.

Cheeses are foods that people often have strong feelings about. I've eaten plenty of Vache qui rit cheese, but frankly, I prefer Brie.