How can I use leftover cheese?

What can I do with leftover cheese?

Cooking is the best use for odds and ends, especially ends that have dried out. These ideas come from a food-waste guide.

• Soup or stock: simmer hard-cheese rinds such as Parmigiano-Reggiano in soup or water for savory depth. The stock can be frozen.
• Fromage fort: blend cheese scraps, even dry ones, with butter or cream, wine or sherry and seasoning into a spread for toast.
• Pub or pimento cheese: bind shredded cheddar with something creamy and season it.
• Quiche: add cheese to the filling, such as Swiss with ham or cheddar with broccoli.
• White pizza: skip the red sauce and mix a mild cheese with a strong one.
• Cheese biscuits: mix grated cheese into the dough.
• Glamorgan sausages: a Welsh dish that combines cheese and stale bread.

How to store cheese so it lasts

• Rewrap in waxed paper, foil or cheese paper so it can breathe, instead of tight plastic.
• Keep it in a covered box in the fridge to hold humidity and contain aromas.
• Eat soft cheeses sooner; hard cheeses last longest.

Can you freeze leftover cheese?

Yes for cooking, no for the cheeseboard. FoodPrint advises freezing firm cheeses and rinds you will cook with, for up to about six months, and not freezing cheese for the board because freezing turns it crumbly.

When to throw it away

For moldy cheese, follow your national food-safety guidance on what to discard and how much to cut away, and when in doubt, throw it out. Do not eat cheese that smells off or feels slimy.