Ricotta cheese how long after opening

If you and the supermarket did everything right when it comes to storage, ricotta should stay perfectly fine for up to three to five days past that date. Like with all dairy products, if it was mishandled in storage, ricotta can go bad even before its date. After opening, try to finish the ricotta within five to seven days. If yours is already pushing the date on the label, that time frame shrinks to about two days. Another thing to look out for is the cheese turning sour.

Last but not least, liquid on top. You can either drain the liquid, or stir it back into the cheese, either is fine [LC]. In other words, some water on top of ricotta or cottage cheese is nothing to be afraid of.

Not sure how to store ricotta cheese, or how long does it last? Your first clue that ricotta cheese has gone bad is a change in appearance. Although some types of soft cheeses, such as Brie or Danish blue may intentionally be coated with an edible layer of mold, any mold that grows on ricotta is a sign that the cheese has spoiled.

You can cut mold off hard cheeses and still eat the cheese, but once mold appears on ricotta, throw it away.

Some molds produce harmful toxins and the mold spores have likely infiltrated the entire container. The cheese may also be watery or have a light brown or yellow appearance, rather than white.

Unlike many cheeses that naturally have a pronounced odor, ricotta cheese has almost no odor. Ricotta is a mild, soft cheese that tastes and smells mostly of milk.

If you notice a sour or fermented odor, throw discard it. Ricotta cheese is highly perishable and should always be stored covered and in the refrigerator at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or cooler. When handling ricotta, use a clean serving spoon to scoop out a portion. Ricotta cheese that is safe and suitable to use does not have much of a discernible scent.

If you smell the ricotta cheese and you detect a spoiled dairy smell, do not use the ricotta cheese. Ricotta cheese kept cold in the refrigerator should stay fresh for two weeks unopened and one week after opening. Always check the sell by date on the ricotta cheese container.

Ricotta cheese will usually stay suitable to eat for approximately one week past this date. Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator, as well as an accomplished gardener, quilter, crocheter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator. As a regular contributor to Natural News, many of Hatter's Internet publications focus on natural health and parenting.