Does Brie Go Bad? How Long Does Brie Last?

Brie is a type of cheese that is really popular, and it can be used in a variety of different recipes, or even on its own with a lovely cheese platter. Baked Brie is a family favorite. However, if you ever find that you have more than your recipe calls for, how long do you have until your leftovers go bad? Brie needs penicillium camemberti, a species of fungus, to aid in it's production. It gives the cheese it's hard crust.

The last thing that you want to do is taste-test your brie cheese leftovers to find out if they are still good to eat. So, if brie cheese can go bad, it is important to know how to tell that it has gone off before you try to eat it.

If you want to know if brie cheese can go bad, and how to tell if it has, just keep reading.

Does Brie Cheese Go Bad?

If you didn't already know, all types of cheeses can go bad, and brie cheese is no exception to this rule. However, the thing with cheese is that some types are known for going bad much more quickly than others. The general rule is that the softer the cheese is, the faster it will go bad.

How Long is Brie Good for?

As you already know if you are a lover of brie cheese, it is a soft cheese (not a hard cheese), which means that it generally has a much shorter shelf life. It will usually last for around 1 to 2 weeks after it has been opened, as long as it has been properly stored in the refrigerator. It is excellent in a puff pastry though.

How Do You Store Brie Cheese?

Brie cheese should always be tightly wrapped with plastic, but you should avoid letting the plastic touch the cheese itself. This is because the plastic can actually make the cheese taste weird. To avoid this situation, you should wrap the brie in some parchment or wax paper, or its original packaging. You can then wrap the packaging with some plastic film to ensure that it lasts for longer.

Ideally, you should store cheese in the back of the fridge if you want it to last, as this is where the moisture and temperature will be the most consistent. Some refrigerators will have a cheese drawer, which is another great place to store your cheese.

How to Tell If Your Brie Has Gone Bad?

The first thing that you should do is to check the rind of the brie. It should be mostly white and powdery in appearance. If it has any signs of gray, or it has become flaky, then it is likely that the cheese has started to go bad. You should not eat it past this point. Some darker spots are fine, but if you notice any mold, then you should discard the cheese straight away.

Another thing to look out for is a pink and slimy mold, which is a sign that the cheese needs to be thrown away. A slight smell of ammonia may seem like a really bad sign, but it does not indicate that the cheese has spoiled. This is actually a natural byproduct of the cheese aging process. 

You should allow the cheese to air out for a minute and smell it again. If the smell is really strong afterwards, you should not eat it. However, if the rind smells slightly, but the inside of the cheese does not, then it is fine to eat.

You should trust your nose when it comes to this, and know that any strong or overpowering unpleasant smells usually indicate that you should avoid the food. This does not mean that the cheese is really harmful for you to consume, but it probably isn’t going to taste very good. It can also cause digestive discomfort. 

Can I Freeze Brie?

Due to the fact that the texture of brie will change when it is subjected to really cold temperatures, it is not recommended that you freeze it. This is especially true if you are intending to freeze the cheese for a long time, unless you are planning on cooking the brie in another dish some time after it has been frozen.

Frozen brie is going to have a different texture to normal chilled brie, but when you cook it into another dish, these changes are not as noticeable. However, if you are planning to freeze it and later defrost it to eat by itself, then you might not get the results that you were hoping for. 

If you do decide to freeze your brie, you should make sure that you thoroughly wrap up the cheese following the method that we left for you above. Once you have done this, you will then need to put your wrapped cheese into an airtight container. This will keep any unwanted air away from the cheese.

Brie will typically keep in the freezer for around 6 months, and it can be thawed in the fridge in just a few hours when you are ready to use it. You can keep brie frozen past this point, but it might affect the taste and texture of the cheese.  Once you have defrosted the brie cheese, it should be soft with no bits of ice left in it. However, you might not have to fully defrost it if you are planning on cooking it.

It can be helpful to freeze your brie in slices, so you do not have to defrost the entire amount when you want to use it. Instead, you can take out as many slices as you need. Once your brie cheese has defrosted and reached room temperature, you should never freeze your thawed brie again.

As you can tell, brie is not like ricotta cheese, blue cheese, cream cheese, or feta cheese. It takes effort to store properly.