I made a cheeseboard as the final course of a dinner party the other night, and while it went down a treat, I always have leftovers.
I’d always much rather this than that we run out while guests are still hungry!
The conversation went on, though, and by the time I was tidying up I was wondering whether the goat cheese would still be fine to put back into the fridge.
I didn’t know how long it could stay out, so I decided to look into it.
So, how long can goat cheese sit out?
Goat cheese should not sit out at room temperature for any length of time if it isn’t being eaten. Indeed, most recommend that it’s more or less inedible after a couple of hours at room temperature. Bacteria start to multiply, which could easily make you sick.
So, in other words, not really any time at all.
You should always store it in the fridge, or you run the risk of bacteria multiplying on the cheese and making you seriously ill.
Food poisoning is no fun, let me tell you!
So, only get out as much cheese as you intend to eat.
Let’s look at this in more detail.
How long can unopened goat cheese sit out?
First things first, there’s obviously going to be a bit of a difference between opened and unopened goat cheese.
This is where a lot of the problems occur, since people tend to assume that goat cheese is fine to store at room temp if it is unopened.
However, there’s really very little difference whether it’s opened or not.
Sure, opened goat cheese that is completely exposed to the air will go bad quicker than unopened cheese.
However, you’re still really not safe to eat unopened goat cheese that has gone unrefrigerated for more than a few minutes.
Bacteria will grow very rapidly at temperatures between 40 and 140 Fahrenheit, whether or not the cheese is open.
So, you should simply never store goat cheese out of the fridge, whether or not it’s open.
Your cheese won’t just be dried out and less tasty.
It stands a real chance of making you ill, so do not take any chances—store your goat cheese in the fridge.
How long can opened goat cheese sit out?
It should not sit out for any time at all unless you’re using it. as I said, there’s really no distinction between opened and unopened, for practical purposes.
Opened is, naturally, a bit worse, but after any time at all sitting out, goat cheese will begin going bad.
So, you can’t leave goat cheese out. It should always be refrigerated.
No ifs, no buts—unless you live inside an icebox!
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Does goat cheese need to be refrigerated if unopened?
Yes, it does.
Many types of packaging do a good job of protecting food if it gets left out, but the problem with cheese is that the bacteria that make it inedible come from within.
Making cheese is a process already involving bacteria.
That’s how the process works, to put it simply.
Bacteria ferments the cheese in a particular way, producing flavors and particular kinds of cheese.
If you leave, say, an apple out on the counter, it’s fine because the things which decay it come from outside itself.
It takes much, much longer to go bad.
Goat cheese is completely the opposite.
The bacteria that create it can also destroy it.
These bacteria will multiply at higher temperatures, and within a couple of hours it’s dangerous to eat.
Don’t just take it from me, either.
The USDA warns not to let goat cheese sit out for more than two hours, or it becomes dangerous.
Whether opened or not, then, keep your goat cheese in the fridge at all times.
One other question I’ve had more than a few times is whether it’s safe to eat goat cheese that has sat out overnight.
Let’s consider this question—though I’m sure you can guess the answer.
Is it ok to leave goat cheese out overnight?
If you eat goat cheese that has sat out overnight, you are almost certainly going to get sick.
Whether it’s a few hours of nausea or full on, days-long food poisoning, you’re not going to have a good time if you do that.
As I said, the USDA suggests no more than two hours before goat cheese is a potential hazard if it hasn’t been refrigerated.
Overnight, then, the bacteria are going to have multiplied many times over, and this is a huge threat to your health.
So don’t do it.
All this said, if you keep goat cheese in the fridge, it can last as long as three weeks.
Don’t let your good food go to waste, and don’t take the risk of making yourself ill.
Cheese is a complicated food, and as much as we might love it, you need to replace it if you’ve left it out for any length of time.
So, as you can see, there’s a simple answer to this question.
Goat cheese cannot be left at room temperature, really, for any time at all.
It needs to be refrigerated unless you’re literally about to eat it.
Cheese is created using a unique process which necessarily involves bacteria.
Those bacteria can be detrimental if the cheese is not stored properly.
So, be careful with how you store your goat cheese, or you’re going to find yourself throwing a lot of it away.