How Long Does American Cheese Last (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 3 weeks

The shelf life of American cheese would be around 2 to 3 weeks depending on how the person stores it. It’s best to store the American cheese inside the fridge or freezer. American cheese is a kind of processed cheese that would come in slightly salty flavors.

There are 3 kinds of American cheese available in the market that everyone can use for making food. The quality of the cheese would start degrading if not provided with the required environment.

The temperature of air and ingredients used in the cheese would affect the shelf life. Nobody should store the American cheese in the fridge as it would not stay fresh for more than 1 to 3 hours.

How Long Does American Cheese Last?

In general, the American cheese would last for around 2 to 3 weeks inside the freezer. The packaged cheese comes with an expiry date. Everyone should try to use the American cheese before the best before or expiry date. If the cheese is in good condition, then people can use it after the best before date.

Cheddar cheese is used for making American cheese that may not stay fresh for more than 2 to 3 weeks in cool temperature. The use of lactic acid in American cheese would make it last longer as lactic acid plays the role of preservative.

If someone opens the seal of American cheese, then it should be stored in an airtight container. The cheese should not come in contact with the bacteria or viruses present in the environment. Bacteria growth would reduce the shelf life of American cheese.

People should avoid storing the American cheese at room temperature if the packaging is opened. Moisture exposure can be a very dangerous thing for the quality of American cheese. The moisture contact would start spoiling the ingredients present inside the American cheese.

The shelf life of processed cheese is always more than natural cheese as processed cheese contains preservatives.

Why Does American Cheese Last For This Long?

The addition of preservatives allows the American cheese to last for around 21 days. People should try to store the American cheese inside the freezer to make it last for around 1 to 2 months. Everyone should check the manufacturing date of the American cheese before storing it inside the freezer.

Storing an expired American cheese inside the freezer is not going to help. The American cheese comes with plastic wraps inside the outer packaging. People can either store the American cheese with the whole packaging or only the slices.

If someone is going to store the slices, then they can put them in a plastic or glass sealed container. Don’t put the American cheese with any other ingredients that may spoil faster. The Americans may get spoiled faster due to humidity.

Nobody should keep the American cheese in the hot temperature or directly facing towards the sun. In winters, the American cheese can stay fresh for around 2 to 3 hours at room temperature. In summers, the American cheese would not last for more than 1 hour at room temperature.

The cheese would start developing spoilage symptoms when they are about to expire. The cheese would start changing the color, texture, and smell if they are about to expire. Sometimes, the American cheese may get spoiled before the expiry date due to unfavorable conditions.

In such cases, people should avoid using American cheese. People can also prepare American cheese at their homes. People should be careful about the number of ingredients required for cheese preparation.

The homemade American cheese would last around 2 to 4 weeks inside the fridge or freezer if stored in the correct manner.

Conclusion

The shelf life of American cheese would be around 3 weeks inside the freezer. The American cheese should be wrapped with plastic if someone is willing to store it inside the freezer. As ice crystals can form on the American cheese if they are not wrapped properly.

If someone is planning to make homemade American cheese, then they should check all the ingredients used for making American cheese. As a single expired ingredient would not allow the American cheese to come out with proper structure and taste.

References

1. https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp/article-abstract/48/1/63/166254
2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1978.tb02552.x