There are some food items in our refrigerators that we simply have no clue how long they actually last.
Cream cheese appears to be one of those mystery foods that’s really difficult to determine whether it’s still good or not. I mean, it looks fine, but our gut is telling us that it must have spoiled by now.
If you’ve had a tub of cream cheese sitting in your refrigerator for more than two days, chances are this is what brought you to this article. Is your cream cheese still good to eat?
If you’ve found yourself asking the question above, then you’ve come to the right place.
Below, we’re going to be taking a closer look at everything there is to know about the storage and shelf life of cream cheese, so that you’re totally clear on the subject. To find out more, simply keep reading below, as we take a closer look.
Just How Long Does Cream Cheese Last?
So, why don’t we just jump straight in and answer the question at hand? Just how long does cream cheese last?
Well, this is slightly tricky to answer, as it depends on the specific brand of cream cheese in question, as well as whether it is opened or unopened.
So, for example, speaking in generic terms, if you’ve opened your cream cheese, and it’s been sitting in the refrigerator, it will still be okay to eat for one to two weeks.
Because of the variability of this prediction, be sure to check your cream cheese before consuming to make sure that it has no foul odors that indicate it’s gone bad.
If your cream cheese is unopened, but it’s passed the expiry date stated on the tub, your cream cheese is actually still safe to eat for approximately two weeks after this date. It can actually last even longer than this number.
So, make sure that you don’t simply throw your cream cheese away if it’s unopened and passed the expiry date, because the chances are that it’s still perfectly good enough to eat.
How Do I Store Cream Cheese?
Now that we’ve covered how long cream cheese lasts, we can move on to discuss how you may store this particular type of cheese. In general, once you’ve opened your cream cheese, you should always store it in the refrigerator so that it doesn’t spoil.
You don’t just want to leave it in the refrigerator with no top to seal it however, as this can promote the spread of bacteria.
Once you’ve opened your cream cheese, we’d recommend that you seal it with some saran wrap, or you can even consider putting it in a sandwich bag so that it stays extra fresh.
In terms of freezing, you can actually freeze your cream for up to two months without it going bad. Of course, as usual, make sure that it’s in a completely airtight container, to avoid any freezer burn from occurring.
We would point out, however, that if you choose to put your cream cheese in the freezer, it won’t taste as good as when it’s fresh from the refrigerator. Freezing the product unfortunately causes it to lose some of its flavor.
How Can I Tell If My Cream Cheese Has Gone Bad?
Now that we’ve covered how long cream cheese lasts, and some of the best storage methods, we can move on to discuss how you can best tell whether or not your cream cheese has gone bad.
If you want to determine whether your cream cheese has gone bad or not, the first thing you need to do is to take a closer look at the appearance of the cream cheese.
You will be able to tell whether your cream cheese has gone bad or not simply by taking a look at it visually.
Cream cheese typically has a thick, white, creamy appearance, but if your cream cheese has gone bad, you may notice little green flecks on the surface of the cheese, which are actually bits of mold.
These can be either yellowish or green, and will grow on the surface of your cream cheese. If you’ve noticed that there’s some superficial water on the surface of your cream cheese, then don’t worry, this is fine.
The water content of the cream cheese will separate naturally the longer it’s in the fridge, but this doesn’t indicate that it’s gone bad.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, once you’ve opened your cream cheese, you should aim to consume it within approximately two weeks. If you have a tub of unopened cream cheese in the refrigerator, this should typically still be good for approximately two weeks after the sell by date.
