---
title: "Does Hard cheese expire? Indefinite if stored properly"
description: "Cut the mould off hard cheese and eat the rest. This does not apply to soft cheese. What actually changes over time, whether it matters, and how to store it."
url: https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/hard-cheese/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Does Hard cheese expire?

**Does Hard cheese expire?: Cut the mould off hard cheese and eat the rest. This does not apply to soft cheese.**

Months refrigerated; whole waxed wheels keep far longer

Hard cheese has too little moisture for mould to send its filaments deep, so surface mould stays on the surface. The standard food-safety advice is to cut at least 2.5 cm around and below the spot and use the rest. Soft cheese is the opposite case: high moisture lets mould and any bacteria travelling with it spread invisibly through the whole block, so a mouldy soft cheese goes in the bin. Parmesan and similar hard cheeses are essentially preserved food and were designed to be.

## How to store it

- Wrap in waxed or greaseproof paper rather than plastic film — cheese needs to breathe or it sweats.

## How to tell it has gone

- Surface mould on hard cheese: cut it out. On soft cheese: discard.
- Ammonia smell means it has gone too far.

> "Use by" and "best before" are legally different. Use-by is a safety date and should be respected; best-before is about quality, and food is usually fine well past it. Where the two diverge matters, the page above says which applies.

## Common questions

### Does Hard cheese expire?

Cut the mould off hard cheese and eat the rest. This does not apply to soft cheese.

### How long does Hard cheese last?

Months refrigerated; whole waxed wheels keep far longer

## Related pages

- [Does Frozen food expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/frozen-food/)
- [Does Canned food expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/canned-food/)
- [Does White rice (uncooked) expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/white-rice/)
- [Does Spirits (whisky, vodka, gin, rum) expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/spirits/)
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- [Does Dried beans and pulses expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/dried-beans/)
- [Does Soy sauce expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/soy-sauce/)
- [Does Honey expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/honey/)
- [Does Eggs expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/eggs/)
- [Does Medicines expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/medicines/)
- [Does Milk expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/milk/)
- [Does Sunscreen expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/sunscreen/)
- [Does Salt expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/salt/)

## Sources

- Food Safety and Inspection Service — US Department of Agriculture (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]