Fresh Mozzarella (in Water or Brine) – The Spoiler Champion
You’d think that swimming in brine would protect fresh mozzarella, but this soft cheese is actually more susceptible to mold due to its high moisture content and lack of preservatives. Unlike firmer cheeses, mozzarella lacks preservatives and is best stored in the liquid it comes with to maintain its freshness. But here’s the kicker – even in its protective bath, mozzarella can develop that unappetizing orange color within days. With soft cheeses and mozzarella, in particular, they usually turn orange, but although it’s a form of mold, it is more accurately described as a bacteria and is harmless. That fishy smell? That’s your cue to toss it immediately.
Ricotta – The Speed Demon of Spoilage
Any fresh soft cheese—ricotta, mascarpone, chèvre and the like—should just be discarded since the damp environment means that the mold has likely penetrated deep into the cheese. Think of ricotta like a sponge – all that moisture creates the perfect playground for unwanted microbes. Any signs of mold on these kinds, which include cream cheese, cottage cheese, and ricotta, mean that it should be thrown out at once — as the spores can easily contaminate the entire product. Unlike aged cheeses that develop protective barriers, ricotta sits there defenseless, practically inviting bacteria to the party. Opened fresh cheeses like ricotta and cottage cheese have an even shorter shelf life and are best consumed within a week or two of opening.
Goat Cheese (Chèvre) – The Delicate Darling Gone Wrong
Chèvre’s creamy texture comes at a price – it’s basically a mold magnet waiting to happen. Any fresh soft cheese—ricotta, mascarpone, chèvre and the like—should just be discarded since the damp environment means that the mold has likely penetrated deep into the cheese. You might buy that gorgeous log of goat cheese with the best intentions, but within days, you’ll spot those telltale fuzzy patches. Mold on fresh selections like chèvre, fromage blanc, and mozzarella, unfortunately, means that cheese should be composted. The high moisture content combined with its soft structure means mold doesn’t just sit on the surface – it infiltrates the entire cheese like a sneaky invader. Even if you only see a small spot, the invisible mold threads have likely spread throughout.
Brie & Camembert – The Ironic Mold Magnets
Here’s the irony – cheeses that are literally made with mold are surprisingly prone to the wrong kind of mold. Penicillium camemberti forms the white rind on Brie and Camembert, giving these cheeses their creamy texture and earthy taste. But when these bloomy beauties go bad, they really go bad. Soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert have a shorter shelf life and unopened, they typically last for a few weeks to a couple of months past their ‘best by’ date when refrigerated. The problem is distinguishing between the “good” white mold rind and the “bad” fuzzy growth that signals spoilage. In particular, fuzzy white, green, pink, or grey spots growing on the surface of blue cheese may indicate that it has gone bad. That ammonia smell? Time to say goodbye.
Blue Cheese (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton) – When Good Mold Goes Bad
Blue cheese lives in this weird paradox where it’s supposed to be moldy, but not too moldy. Blue cheese is made using Penicillium, a type of mold that’s responsible for its unique taste, smell, and appearance, and unlike other types of mold, Penicillium does not produce toxins and is safe to consume. The challenge is spotting when your intentionally moldy cheese has crossed the line into accidentally moldy territory. Blue mold native to blue cheese isn’t fuzzy, but if there are some patches of grey or black mold that’s fuzzy, discard the cheese. Blue cheese has a distinct smell, and people often say it smells like old socks, but if that odor becomes strong, or much stronger than it was when you first bought it, or the cheese smells stale, it’s gone. When your stinky cheese starts smelling stinkier than usual, that’s nature’s warning system kicking in.
Feta (in Brine) – The Salty Surprise
You’d assume all that salt would protect feta from mold, but surprise – it doesn’t always work that way. Due to its high moisture content, feta cheese provides an ideal environment for mold growth. Soft cheeses like feta should be discarded if mold appears, as feta is a soft cheese that allows mold to penetrate deeper into its structure. While certain fresh hard cheeses, like feta, are stored in brine, which acts as a preservative and can last almost indefinitely at room temperature, similar to pickles, once that protective brine environment is compromised or the cheese is exposed to air, mold can develop rapidly. Soft cheeses like blue cheese, brie, cottage cheese, cream cheese, feta, goat cheese, mozzarella, and ricotta can last for about 7 days in the fridge after opening. That crumbly texture that makes feta so perfect for salads also makes it vulnerable to contamination.
