Prevent Mold On Semi-Hard Cheeses With A Thin Layer Of Butter

Whether you're saving a specialty cheese to make fondue over the weekend or just scored novelty gouda from the local farmer's market that you're hoping to savor for as long as possible, it is possible to extend the life of your most precious cheeses.

True foodies agree that no good part of cheese should go to waste. Thankfully, steps can be taken to avoid having to chop off the edges of a slimy, hardened, or moldy hunk of cheese. If coating your favorite cheeses in butter seems like a sin or, at the very least, an overdose of dairy servings, we can promise that this step is the trick you need to protect your cheeses from unnecessary fates.

While semi-hard cheeses typically last a few weeks when wrapped properly and stored in the fridge, a quick spread of butter can help lengthen the time your cheese stays fresh and usable, even after you start cutting into it.

After you've sliced pieces of cheese to enjoy for a midday snack, don't hurry to place the rest back into the refrigerator just yet. Before wrapping up the cut brick of cheese, spread a thin amount of butter along the now-exposed edge. Once the butter covers the exterior, rewrap the cheese, and put it back into the fridge. This gentle coat of butter can help protect your cheese until the next recipe (or craving) calls for a taste of the satisfying ingredient (via Reader's Digest). 

As simple as this hack might be, cooks hoping to keep their cut cheese blocks soft and mold-free have been swiping butter onto them since at least the 1800s. If you're not keen on getting the taste of butter from your gourmet cheeses, simply wipe the extra dairy product off before slicing or thinly shave the piece that has been coated. You'll enjoy fresher, smoother bites of cheese for much longer with this easy trick.