As we have often said, we love cheese, but sometimes we love it too much: we buy some beautiful cheese, and then we’re conflicted about “saving it for a special occasion” or not eating too much. Unlike our friends in France and Italy, cheese is not an every-night course. So we eat a little, and we save the rest for the next time … which usually isn’t tomorrow night …. And then we discover that it’s gone bad because we showed too much restraint and we waited too long to enjoy it! There are solutions to this wastefulness: eat what we buy, don’t buy so much, or make fromage fort and enjoy the cheese slightly differently … but the real solution is how to prolong the life of the cheese, so that you can enjoy it with multiple meals and have it taste as good each time you open it, as it did the day you brought it home. We’ve tried everything: zip-lock bags, vacuum-sealed bags, parchment paper, wax paper, the paper the cheese came in, but nothing worked, until now.
"If you're wrapping cheese in plastic, you're doing it wrong." Bon Appétit
"Wrappng cheese in plastic is lactic murder." Details
"Cheese lasts longer if stored in a breathable wrap instead of non-porous film." The San Francisco Chronicle
When we tested Formaticum Cheese Paper, we were sceptical. Yes, it might make your refrigerator remind you of that Fromagerie in Paris, but will it really do anything for the cheese?” We tried it on a few pieces of cheese, and then a few more, and we were amazed at how it really did extend the life and health of the cheese.
Each sheet of the Cheese Paper is 11”X14”, so if you have a smaller piece of cheese, you simply cut a sheet in half. There are 15 sheets to the box and 30 resealable labels; enough to wrap thirty ¼ pound pieces of cheese.
And the folks at Formaticum have expanded their line to include Cheese Bags - a really convenient way to have the benefits of the Cheese Paper in a familiar, user-friendly format.
These cheese wraps are made in France specifically to wrap and store cheese and are similar to what cheese mongers use to wrap their cheese. Each wrap has two layers: the inner layer of porous plastic wicks the moisture away from the surface of the cheese; the outer layer of waxed paper allows for oxygen exchange, while preventing moisture from escaping. The Cheese wraps are porous enough to let the cheese breathe, while maintaining optimal humidity - just like a cheese cave - to prevent the cheese from drying out.
Use is so simple. First, mark the bag or label: the name of the cheese, the date you “packaged” it, and circle the small animal printed on the bag to remind you of the “milk of origin”. Then insert your remaining cheese, wrap the cheese or fold over the bag, and store! And, if you eat the remainder soon enough, the wraps can be reusable.
Can paper be a Cool Tool? It can and is when it protects your investment in cheese and performs its function so well, all at a reasonable price. Definitely a Cool Tool! And a great gift for your Cheese-loving friends, alone or paired with the Porcelan Cheese Labels.
Facts:
- Manufactured in France.
- Each package of Cheese Bags contains fifteen 6¼” x 11” paper bags.
- Each package of Cheese Paper contains fifteen 11" x 14" sheets and thirty adhesive labels.
- Labels have a special removable adhesive that allows for resealing multiple times.
