Is Moldy Cheese Safe to Eat?
According to the Mayo Clinic, some moldy cheeses are safe to eat after the mold has been sliced off, while others are toxic.
The answer depends on the type of cheese, says Mayo Clinic nutritionist, Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. "Molds are microscopic organisms that have thread-like roots that burrow into the foods they grow on," she says.
There are good molds and there are bad molds. Most molds are harmless and safe to eat (unless you are allergic to mold, of course). These molds are even used to make some kinds of cheese, including brie, roquefort, gorgonzola, and camembert. Some bad molds produce mycotoxins, which can make you sick.
With hard and semisoft cheese, such as parmesan, Swiss, romano and cheddar, you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese, says Zeratsky. "Keep the knife out of the mold itself so that it doesn't cross-contaminate other parts of the cheese," she warns. "Cut off at least one inch around and below the moldy spot."
With soft cheeses, such as brie, chevre, blue cheese and ricotta, however, the mold that grows cannot be safely removed so these cheeses should be discarded. The same goes for any cheese that has been shredded, crumbled or sliced.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
jval1518 Oct 27th 2009 8:16PM
How can you tell if blue cheese crumbles are moldy.
Even when just purchased, they look moldy
poisonappleart Oct 29th 2009 7:41AM
Blue cheese gets a soft fuzzy look to it when it's moldy. If left alone for too long, it will get a greenish color. Blue is good, green is bad. It also smells a lot stronger.
milly57129 Oct 29th 2009 8:29AM
Oh trust me....... you'll know when they're moldy. They get furry looking and smell AWFUL.
mary henderson Oct 29th 2009 4:21PM
well..........i guess thats why they call it "blue" cheese? LOL> its nasty to me, dont know about you, i think it smells like yesterdays dirty socks. lol.
shortybaby4u1123 Oct 29th 2009 5:03PM
blue cheese.. is mold. thats how they make it. thats the "blue" part.
grands4teencom Oct 29th 2009 6:26PM
i follow the over 100 year old rule in our family " WHEN IN DOUDT THROW IT OUT" it will be on your mind all through the meal or longer.
Gary Oct 29th 2009 7:34PM
When you eat a cheese that is made and good due to the mold within the cheese, like Blue or Gorgonvola, the mold veins are supposed to be within the cheese and not growing on the outside in fuzzy clumps. With Gorgonzola, which I eat often when in Italy during my summers, I know it has gone bad when the cheese part has gone yellow and hardened a bit and the smell could over power a fresh piece of sushi. Plain bad. In Europe, since they buy things more often, unlike us who do, per se, a weekly shopping, many don't even refridgerate their cheeses. Buy every day or so in smaller portions so does not go bad that quickly. Most fridges are not even 1/3 the size of ours due to their daily shopping. Most have time, especially in S. Europe since they still, usually, have the 3 hour lunch break to eat and then rest, so most stop by the local bread/prosciuto/parmigiano shops. Indeed, those 3 items, give or take the cheese (usually having a variety not just one), is my regular meal and could eat it for B/L/D every day. Remember, if the mold looks like those fuzzy catepillars growing on your food, boot it...but if it is a part of the cheese, not clinging onto it, and smells normal, go for it. Hard cheese have less fat and calories than the soft, high in fat and calories brie's, camemberts, gorgonzolas. Eat up! Mangia!
Susan Oct 29th 2009 8:31PM
I had the same question. I asked the girl in the cheese department. She said that with cheeses such as ricotta, blue cheese-the cheese turns pink.
Diane Lizak Oct 29th 2009 1:37AM
I've always wondered the same thing. How to tell if moldy blue cheese is
safe to eat. My husband and aunt love the stuff, and insist it is safe to eat
even if fuzzy.
Paxrail Oct 29th 2009 2:59AM
It's hard to retrieve cheddar or jack or other brick type cheese after mold growth because the mold ruins the flavor, no matter how much you cut off.
JustMe Oct 29th 2009 8:59AM
One of the problems with cutting off the mold comes when handling the cheese, especially those in brick form. I use a piece of paper towel in the other hand so I don't accidentally touch the clean part while cutting off all the mold which could also be along the side.
Lotte Oct 29th 2009 4:21AM
I'm sorry, but I am sick and tired of the "experts" (and that includes "scientists") telling us eat this, don't eat that, this will make you sick, that won't.
My first job in high school (waaaay long time ago) was in a "cheese house". We carried over 70 different types of imported and domestic cheeses and smoked meats.
It wasn't/isn't at all uncommon for cheeses to get mold - we would slice it off, sometimes a customer WANTED it on there (and I don't mean those meant to have mold i.e. the 'famous' bleu and roquefort - ewww). We were always taught that as long as all of the mold was removed it was fine. And not an INCH in all directions either!!! None of this 'some has long roots and this and that and on and on ad nauseam! Well, guess what? Over forty years later, after all our friends and family have eaten the cheeses after removing mold, NO ONE EVER GOT SICK!!! The absolute only cheeses we were told to never use even after removing mold were the "processed" cheeses, such as american. And this information came directly from the doctors and other experts back then!
Just more scare tactics - we're all sanitizing, anti-bacterializing and scaring ourselves to death! Give it a bloody rest already!
Priscilla McDaniel Oct 29th 2009 9:56AM
I couldn't agree more...common sense should tell people don't eat anything that is fuzzy...but in hard cheeses such as block cheddar is fine if you cut away the mold..
lottabaggage_fun66 Oct 29th 2009 1:07PM
you go. I agree with you 100%.all the bs about things that are bad for us is mainly cause they keep testing things. leave them alone! the human race has been here longer, and safer before all the preventatives, that add to the problems.
Millerson Oct 29th 2009 2:06PM
LOTTE - absolutely correct. I have been a chef for decades now, and mold on almost every type of cheese can be sliced off with absolutely no effect to the cheese below the mold (except for grated cheeses and very soft cheese like ricotta). This article is a good example of someone who is talking out of their butt.
dowellgodwin Oct 29th 2009 2:39PM
i'm sure you're right, but i have to say i got a laugh out of your disdain for "experts", based on what you learned from experts, and using your experience that gave you some 'expertise' on the subject.
i worked in a funeral home for a year in high school....i doubt you would come to me fro service these 40 years later!
i've cut a lot of mold off of a lot of cheese, far as i know, it ain't hurt me!
GALE Oct 29th 2009 2:45PM
YOU GO GIRL! My folks ate it, my Grandparents ate it, and I ate it growing up, And none of us were ill from it either. Makes great grilled cheese, and chees over broccoli and cauliflower!
Sara Oct 29th 2009 2:51PM
I am with you. Just cut off the mold and it's fine.
dowellgodwin Oct 29th 2009 3:07PM
i'm sure you're right, but i have to say i did get a laugh out of your disdain for 'experts', using experts to support your claim, and offering up your experience that provided you with a certain 'expertise' on the subject.
i worked in a funeral home for a year while in high school, but i don't think you would want to come to me for service all these 40 yrs later.
i have cut much mold off of much cheese, never had a problem
duffhessian1776 Oct 29th 2009 4:45PM
GO LOTTIE, GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!