Does Cheese Go Bad At Room Temperature?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

Does cheese go bad at room temperature? According to Sarah Hill, Manager of Cheese Education and Training for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board,

cheese can be left at room temperature for up to two hours

, as can all perishable foods.

How long does it take for unrefrigerated cheese to go bad?

And as for how long you can leave it out,

soft cheeses can stay out for 2 to 4 hours, while harder cheeses can stay out for up to 8 hours

. Beyond that, the fat will start to leach out of the cheese, giving the surface a greasy appearance, and altering its texture.

What happens if you leave cheese unrefrigerated?


Cheese will dry out when left in open air, especially in a warmer room, and start to look crusty and crumbly

. “After eight hours on a cheese board, cheddar will likely not have a lot of bacterial growth, but it won’t look appealing to eat,” Brock explains.

Can I eat cheese that was left out overnight?

What happens if sealed cheese is not refrigerated?

“Leaving cheese out overnight

may impact the quality of the product, but would not—in most cases—result in a food safety issue

,” explains Adam Brock, director of technical services at Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. If anything, there’s a good chance you’re over-refrigerating your cheese.

How can you tell if cheese is spoiled?

Cheese:

It smells like sour milk

.

If you spot mold on a hard cheese, it’s generally safe to cut off the moldy part and eat the rest, since the spores likely will not have spread throughout the cheese. Another sign that a cheese has gone bad is a smell or taste of spoiled, sour milk.

What happens if you eat spoiled cheese?

Dangers of eating moldy cheese


Molds can carry harmful bacteria, including E.

coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and Brucella, all of which can cause food poisoning ( 5 , 6 ). The symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea. In severe cases, it may lead to death.

Does unopened cheese need to be refrigerated?


Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, and goat cheese must be refrigerated for safety

. As a general rule, hard cheeses such as cheddar, processed cheeses (American), and both block and grated Parmesan do not require refrigeration for safety, but they will last longer if kept refrigerated.

How long can cheddar cheese go unrefrigerated?

When serving soft and processed cheeses, it is safer to discard them if they have been sitting out for more than

2 hours

, and hard cheeses should be wrapped well and put back in the refrigerator if they have been unrefrigerated for 4 hours or longer.

Can I eat pizza left out for 12 hours?

Sadly,

if your pizza has been sitting out for more than two hours it is not safe to eat

. According to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA), all perishable foods, including pizza, are not safe to eat after sitting at room temperature overnight.

Will unopened cheese go bad?

Generally, unopened hard cheeses don’t need to be refrigerated but will last much longer if they are.

Unopened blocks of hard cheese last 6 months in the fridge

(3). Soft cheeses last 1–2 weeks in the fridge after opening while most hard cheeses last 3–4.

How long does sealed mozzarella last unrefrigerated?

Bacteria grow rapidly at temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F; shredded mozzarella cheese should be discarded if left out for more than

2 hours

at room temperature.

Can you get sick from old cheese?

It could taste bad or you might get an upset stomach. In-between scenario:

You could have a moderate allergic reaction, contract a foodborne illness, or have respiratory issues

. Worst-case scenario: You could be hospitalized, put on dialysis, or even die.

Can you get food poisoning from expired cheese?

It’s important to note that sometimes spoiled cheese will smell fine but taste bad, or vice versa, so the listed expiration date is usually the safest gauge for whether or not to toss it. Cheese is good, but

it’s definitely not worth getting food poisoning over

.

Is it OK to eat cheese that smells like feet?

The most evident sign of rotten cheese is its flavor. The flavor of the cheese should be slightly sour or unpleasant. The odor of rotten cheese should be gone.

It’s preferable to stay away from it.

How can you tell if cheddar cheese is bad?

Cheddar cheese that is going bad typically will

develop a very hard texture, will darken in color, will develop a strong smell and mold may appear

; see instructions above for how to handle mold on a chunk of cheddar cheese.

What cheese can stay out of the fridge?

Typically,

processed cheeses like American cheese

don’t need to be refrigerated either, at least until you open them. Some common examples of these are canned cheese, squeezable cheese, and sealed loaves or blocks of American cheese.

Is there any cheese that doesn’t need refrigeration?

Why does cheese need to be refrigerated?

Can cheese pizza sit out overnight?

The United States Department of Agriculture advises you

not to let cooked food – like pizza or other kinds of takeout – sit at room temperature for more than two hours before throwing it away

.

Can you leave garlic bread out overnight?


Garlic Bread is best stored at room temperature – no need to refrigerate

. In fact, refrigeration is not recommended, as the bread can dry out quickly and become crusty and even stale. If you need to store the bread for an extended period of time, then freeze instead of refrigerate to preserve its integrity.

Can you eat food left in car overnight?

According to the FDA, bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses double every 20 minutes, even at room temperature. So

don’t leave groceries or leftovers in a warm car for more than two hours, or only an hour when it’s over 90 degrees

.

Can vacuum sealed cheese go bad?

Can cheddar cheese spoil?


Cheddar cheese will usually keep for 3-4 weeks in your fridge. After, it slowly but surely goes bad

. Signs that a block of cheddar has gone bad include mold stains on the surface, an off odor that wasn’t there when the cheese was fresh, and an excessively sticky, somewhat mushy texture.

What happens if you leave mozzarella out overnight?

If your kitchen is cool, and you bought your mozzarella in a tub of brine,

you can probably leave it out overnight without a problem, as long as the cheese is well submerged

. For longer storage, you’ll need the fridge—mozzarella has too much water and not enough salt or acid to stay fresh for long.

Can unopened mozzarella cheese go bad?

Generally,

vacuum-sealed containers of unopened, refrigerated fresh mozzarella will last up to four to six weeks from the date of manufacture

, assuming that it’s salted. You should also check the use-by date on the package. Once opened, it should be refrigerated and used within four to seven days.

Can you get sick from eating old mozzarella cheese?

How long does it take to get food poisoning from cheese?

Salmonella bacteria are often found in raw or undercooked meat, raw eggs, milk, and other dairy products. The incubation period is usually

between 12 and 72 hours

.

Can you get Salmonella from cheese?

How long can cheddar cheese go unrefrigerated?

How can you tell if cheese is spoiled?

Cheese:

It smells like sour milk

.

If you spot mold on a hard cheese, it’s generally safe to cut off the moldy part and eat the rest, since the spores likely will not have spread throughout the cheese. Another sign that a cheese has gone bad is a smell or taste of spoiled, sour milk.

Does unopened cheese need to be refrigerated?

What happens if you eat spoiled cheese?

Dangers of eating moldy cheese


Molds can carry harmful bacteria, including E.

coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and Brucella, all of which can cause food poisoning ( 5 , 6 ). The symptoms of food poisoning include vomiting, stomach pain, and diarrhea. In severe cases, it may lead to death.

Rebecca Patel
Author
Rebecca Patel
Rebecca is a beauty and style expert with over 10 years of experience in the industry. She is a licensed esthetician and has worked with top brands in the beauty industry. Rebecca is passionate about helping people feel confident and beautiful in their own skin, and she uses her expertise to create informative and helpful content that educates readers on the latest trends and techniques in the beauty world.