Do You Have To Keep Cheese Truckles in the Fridge?

Do You Have to Keep Cheese Truckles in the Fridge? Here’s What to Know

Cheese truckles are wheels or cylinders of cheese covered with a protective wax coating.

Waxing is popular for semi-hard and hard cheeses, such as Cheddar and Gouda.

Edam cheese is famously wrapped in an iconic bright red wax coating. These hard cheeses have a low moisture content, and the wax helps to keep them from drying out and losing their flavour.

For centuries, cheese has been preserved in waxed paper, keeping it fresh during transportation to market.

Nowadays, truckles are popular as cheese gifts. Buying cheese online to send to a cheese-loving friend is easy and bound to be well received.

However, your favourite cheese will require some TLC to keep it in the best condition, and refrigeration is an excellent way to extend the shelf life of any cheese truckle.

The benefits of waxing cheese

The benefits of sealing cheese include the following:

The wax on cheese discourages the development of mould and harmful bacteria.

Wax provides a protective barrier that prevents moisture loss and preserves the texture and fresh taste of the cheese.

A wax coating provides a stable environment in which the cheese can continue maturing, resulting in a fuller flavour.

So why do waxed truckles need to be refrigerated?

Cheese truckles can be kept out of the fridge for a couple of days, but the wax coating cannot preserve the shelf life of the cheese in the long term.

The cool environment of your fridge will discourage mould growth on the cheese's surface.

You may have noticed that unwrapped cheese quickly becomes dry and hard when left out.

Even so-called hard cheese contains moisture, which evaporates quickly at room temperature and above.

Keeping your cheese in the fridge will reduce evaporation and preserve its perfect texture.

The wax of the truckle itself may dry out and crack, exposing the cheese within to undesirable high temperatures.

We recommend keeping your cheese truckle between 5 degrees and 8 degrees centigrade.

How long can I keep cheese in the fridge?

Hard cheeses in waxed truckles can be kept in the fridge unopened for up to six months.

See our blog for exactly how long cheese can be kept in the fridge.

Do I need to remove the wax before eating cheese?

The wax coating is not edible, unlike the natural rind that develops on some cheese. However, it does not need to be removed before serving.

We like to cut the whole truckle into wedges like a cake and leave the wax for the eater to remove.

How do I store an unfinished truckle of cheese?

If you don't finish the whole truckle in one sitting, you can leave the uncut cheese in the remaining wax and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

Alternatively, cheese can be wrapped in waxed paper or cling film, but not too tightly, as it needs a little space to breathe.

Cheese needs to be covered as it may absorb the odours of other foods. This is particularly important for soft cheeses.

However, a sealed container also protects other food in the fridge from being tainted by the odours of pungent cheeses, like blue cheese or our chilli and garlic Cheddar cheese.