TikTok's Hack For Storing Cheese In Its Original Wrapper

If you've ever opened a block of cheese, eaten a small portion of it, then used plastic wrap or a ziplock bag to protect the exposed end, only to come back in a week and find its flavor, texture, and overall longevity lacking — you're not alone. This is a common experience among cheese lovers, but that doesn't make it any less heartbreaking. Thankfully, there's a reason for this slump in the cheese you've worked hard to preserve, and it's surprisingly easy to prevent in the future.

As seen on TikTok, there's a smart hack for storing cheese leftovers. Simply cut off the portion you want to eat in the moment right through the plastic packaging. Then save the part of the original wrapper that was holding that piece of cheese and simply shimmy it over the now-exposed end of the remaining block. Not only is this an easy and economical storing method — it's also a scientifically-backed way to keep your beloved dairy leftovers fresher for longer.

The surface-level benefits of this viral TikTok cheese hack are obvious. Not only is it fast and easy, but it also means you don't have to think about which size ziploc bag to use and you won't have to move through the dreaded dance of trying to cut off the necessary piece of plastic wrap without it becoming a tangled mess. 

@nannabea8

We all deserve fresh cheese without the cling film cheese foodie UARushChallenge

♬ original sound – Nannabea

This original wrapper storage method isn't just easy, though, it also uses scientifically proven wisdom for keeping cheese fresh and flavorful. While the intention behind tightly wrapping up our cheese in plastic wrap is to keep it safe from drying out or taking on pungent smells and flavors that don't belong to it, it actually does the dairy product a disservice. 

Because cheese is a living organism, wrapping it tightly in plastic is as good an idea as wrapping yourself in plastic — without air, you'll both suffocate. For your cheese, this might look like discoloration, slimy texture, and loss of taste. Your cheese might even develop an undesired plastic flavor from its new enclosure.

By covering your cheese with the would-be discarded wrapping, you're protecting it from contamination while still allowing it to breathe, much like it would in cheese paper. This means less waste on all fronts since you are reusing something you'd otherwise throw out and also keeping the cheese from premature spoiling.

To keep your cheese as delicious as possible for its full life cycle, there are additional steps you can take to preserve it. Breathing is important, but so is the environment it's stored in. The best part of your fridge for storing cheese is the produce or cheese bins since these offer the higher temperature and humidity areas where it will thrive. To prevent cheese from getting lost in these bins, however, it's also smart to put wrapped pieces in a reusable storage container. It will allow air to continue to circulate within, while also providing a more sturdy space for your leftovers.

While storing in the original wrapper is great for blocks of cheese, it won't work the same way for softer varieties like brie and those you buy from the cheesemonger already wrapped in plastic. If you don't have cheese paper, the best way to store cheese is to wrap it gently in parchment paper and tape or tie parcels all the way closed to prevent them from re-opening in the fridge. You can store these in the same airtight container as your block cheeses, so they aren't disturbed or damaged between uses.