FOOD NEWS
Your Stale Cheese Deserves A Second Life
As Fondue
By Cristine Struble
If you find a stale cheese while rummaging through your fridge, think twice before throwing it in the bin. Unlike spoiled cheese, you can give life to your stale cheese by transforming it into fondue.
Stale cheese differs from spoiled cheese, as the latter needs to be thrown out and cannot be repurposed. Mold on cheese is not necessarily a sign of spoilage — white, blue, or green mold is natural, just like in blue cheese — but if you see red or black mold, or it smells like sour milk, throw it in the trash.
Harder cheeses can last up to nine months, while Dutch cheeses, like Gouda, can last about a month, so even if stale cheeses are past their prime, the potentially stale state is minimized once they’re heated. There’s no perfect cheese for fondue, but a traditional choice is Gruyere, often paired with Gouda and Fontina.
To achieve a creamy texture, a ratio of 2-to-1 cheese to wine is optimum for fondue, and white wine is often recommended since red wine creates a rather dingy color. You want to avoid large clumps in the mixture and serve it over medium heat to prevent breaking.