About Cheese & Tips on Storing It.
An ancient legend claims that cheese was accidentally made by an Arabian merchant who was carrying his supply of milk in a pouch made from sheep's' stomach. While crossing the desert, the rennet in the lining of the pouch and the heat of the day caused the milk to separate into curd and whey. At the end of the day, being thirsty, he drank the whey and being hungry he ate the curds.

• The key to proper cheese storage is airtight packaging. If the cheese has a rind, leave it on during storage to keep the cheese from drying out. Wrap unused cheese tightly in foil or plastic wrap, then seal in a plastic bag or container with a tight-fitting lid. Store on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator or in a vegetable bin.
• Many cheeses come stamped with a "sell by" date on the package. In general, the softer the cheese, the shorter the storage life. If there is no date on the container, soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese and ricotta, should be stored no longer than 5 days. Firm and hard cheeses have less moisture and can be stored for several weeks.
• Cheese can be frozen, but its texture suffers. Semi-soft and hard cheeses become crumbly, and soft cheeses tend to separate. Because of these texture changes, thaw frozen cheese in the refrigerator and use it only for cooking.
• As cheese ages, it develops more flavor and may grow surface mold. Most surface mold is harmless but looks unappealing. On firm cheese, cut away at least 1 inch around the moldy area before using the rest. Discard soft cheeses that have mold.

Serving Cheese
Cheese tastes best when served at room temperature. Allow firm cheeses to stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours and soft cheeses to stand for 1 hour before serving.