Shelf stable cheese

[ben .]

that's good to know. i'm mildly lactose intolerant, so i was aiming for a hard cheese i knew was aged a few years, since those tend to have almost no lactose content. the baby bel's mention being 'creamy' which doesn't sound very aged. :)

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

Well, I can't say it is 100% safe but honestly…if it is old school cheese, hard brick, unless you are hiking in humid, freaky hot temps, cheese is OK. I fear the highly processed cheeze more than the old school ;-) Yes, cheese does get soft as you carry it, and may leak oil. That is normal. In the olden days, people cut off small pieces and dipped them into wax, to seal it, keeping it fresh longer. To keep cheese clean and safer, don't handle it with bare hands, and cut with a clean knife.

[Katherine .]

but let's not malign all that they sell, it's just those triangular ones. I recently tried the freeze dried cheddar in some beans & rice and it worked great. not for snacking straight though.

[Billy Ray]

I take individually wrapped string cheese and aged, dry parmesan. Both will last a week if it's not too hot. Billy

[James Marco]

Cheese is already spoiled milk. As a general rule, anything that is spoiled cannot spoil twice. So, cheese is always good in that regard. Mold may build up. This is not harmful to most people and can be eaten. Blue cheeses are already molded. As far as hot weather, wax (as was mentioned) is a good option. Sealing is good, too. I use a taco wrap around the cheese to soak up any oils that may leak out. Good to eat, if a little pasty. As Sarah says, avoid the new fangled processed cheese. It may or may not be good after a week with no refrigeration at 80F.

[ben .]

thanks guys. i will relax on this one! heading to the sierra next week – should not be very hot in the first place.

[marjolein Keuning]

as a dutch person I feel I HAVE to respond :-) the best cheese to take is the oldest: least moisture, most taste, and most calories per ounce. brie ( french ) tastes great but has a lot of moisture+ weight. the swiss have dried cheese in powder form but pretty tasty: great alternative, long lasting. but a big block of Gouda cheese, cut in chunks in a ziplock, or just a great big rock to scrape off and put in the pasta: you can't beat it! by the way: Amsterdam is a city and so is Gouda: what the …. is Amsterdam Gouda? LOL

[Bill Segraves]

Not as fancy as some of the other suggestions, but my go-to for general backpacking use is Trader Joe's grated parmesan/romano blend (fwiw, this bears no resemblance to the sawdust-like standard grocery store grated parmesan). It keeps very well, tastes good, requires no further processing, and is very versatile. I sprinkle it over corn chips, mix it into soups, potatoes, couscous, etc., and just eat it by itself sometimes. Cheers, Bill S.

[Valerie E]

I agree with Greg — the cheese triangles are "cheese in name only". Both the texture and the taste are only *slightly* better than Velveeta. That said, I occasionally take them for long, warm weather trips where REAL cheese wouldn't hold up, and where I'm really craving variety. OTOH, my husband looooooves them, and will eat one every day on thru-hikes. But he's a lot less fussy about food than I am… by the end of the CT I was basically only eating Lay's Original Potato Chips (Potatoes, oil, salt) and Snickers…which I wouldn't eat at home, but I like them on the trail!

[Nick Smolinske]

I've never done a hike that was too hot or too long for good old cheddar. Then again, I love it when it gets sweaty, so YMMV. I also haven't done any hikes more than about a week long in the summer, only in the winter (I've kept cheddar for 2 weeks in the Grand Canyon during winter just fine). With any block of cheese, it helps to eat it from the outside in, rather than from one end to the other – that'll keep it from getting moldy longer.

[Roger Caffin]

REAL cheese was made in the mountains of Europe by the herders, and stored up there for some time, LONG BEFORE refrigeration ever existed. Of course it can survive a few days in a pack. Granted, there are some cheeses which 'mature' and should be eaten within a certain time – cheeses like Brie and Camembert. Both are YUM, and can be taken in a pack, provided you know what you are doing. But the words 'processed' and 'cheese' should never appear together. Some of the things the multinationals do to what should have been good food border on the criminal. Cheers

[Anonymous]

"Some of the things the multinationals do to what should have been good food border on the criminal." Border? ;0) Unfortunately, the fact that they continue to do so indicates it is profitable, which makes a majority of us accomplices.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

You should all try making cheese. It is fun – and even better – it is science! ;-)

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