Do You Really Need Cheese Paper


Do You Really Need Cheese Paper
There’s nothing worse than treating yourself to an expensive piece of cheese, then having to toss it in the trash a couple days later because it’s hardened or gotten moldy. The fact is, since it requires striking a delicate balance between moisture and air exposure, keeping cheese fresh in the refrigerator is tricky. Unless, of course, you’ve got Formaticum Cheese Bags, which keep your cheese fresh far longer than any other homemade wrappings do.
Gadget name: Formaticum Cheese Bags
Price: $9 for 15 bags
How it’s supposed to work: As cheese releases moisture, tight wrapping encourage mold, while loose ones let it dry out and harden. These bags’ two-ply material—wax-coated paper lined with thin, porous polyethylene plastic—allows moisture to wick off the cheese but not escape entirely.
How we tested it: We wrapped brie, goat cheese, and cheddar in the cheese bags and in a homemade double-wrapped combination of parchment and foil, which we’ve found works better than wrapping cheese in the usual plastic wrap or bag. Then we put both sets of samples in the refrigerator and checked on them every other day for a month.
How it actually works: This product worked for a solid two weeks longer than our homemade wrap.
Good to know: Formaticum also makes Cheese Paper, which uses the same material to keep cheese fresh. In our head-to-head testing, the Cheese Bags edged out the paper for their convenient fold-and-refrigerate convenience that doesn’t require you to seal them with stickers.
My favorite part: When you open and reclose the package, they don’t fall apart or rip like homemade wrappers.
Best for: The cheesehead who doesn’t want to eat an entire chunk of fancy cheese in one sitting.
Overall: It’s a great investment in keeping cheese fresher longer.

Cheese Storage Wraps


Cheese Storage Wraps
Keeping cheese fresh in the refrigerator is tricky. As cheese releases moisture, tight wrappings encourage mold; loose ones let it dry out and harden. But one cheese-wrap outfitter uses a two-ply material—wax-coated paper lined with thin, porous polyethylene plastic—in both its Cheese Paper ($9 for 15 sheets with stickers) and Cheese Bags ($9 for 15 bags). This combination (often used by professional cheesemongers) has a salutary effect, allowing moisture to wick off the cheese but not escape entirely. We wrapped cheddar, Brie, and goat cheese in both the paper and the bags, put them in the refrigerator, and checked on them every other day for a month. Both products kept all cheese types pristine for two weeks longer than identical samples that we double-wrapped with parchment and aluminum foil. Slightly more convenient to use than the cheese paper, the bags didn’t need to be sealed with stickers: Just fold over the ends a few times to close.

It's In The Bag


It's In The Bag

Formaticum has turned its cut-to-size Cheese Paper — a two-ply material that works like Gore-Tex, replicating the conditions of a cheese cave by wicking away excess moisture while allowing oxygen to pass through — into foldable Cheese Bags ($7 to $12 for a package of 15). “There’s no origami to get your cheese wrapped well,” says Mark Goldman, the company’s president. The bags hold about 1 pound and can be reused for similar types of cheese (consecutive purchases of Parmigiano, say, though not a comte after a Roquefort), and you’ll find you can preserve a brie or camembert for twice as long as wax paper or plastic. Available at Sur La Table stores, and some Whole Foods Market locations, or go to www.formaticum.com.

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Great Gifts For Foodies


Great Gifts For Foodies

"Cheese, properly stored, keeps longer, and that means less waste and expense. The goal is to keep air out without suffocating the wedge in plastic. That's why a splurge on cheese paper is a great gift for cheese lovers. Formaticum makes a pack with enough paper to store 24 quarter-pound pieces of cheese, and its benefits are especially apparent for soft-ripened cheeses like Brie, triple cremes, and mold-ripened chèvre."

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