The main reason for vacuum packing cheese is to prevent it from drying out, developing surface mould and losing its fresh flavour and appearance. As a general rule, hard cheeses vacuum pack better than soft cheeses. For example, un-grated Parmesan retains its fresh flavour for months when vacuum packed in a refrigerator. It is a good idea to cut a large piece of Parmesan into smaller portions and to vacuum pack these individually before storing them in the fridge. You will find that when grated onto a pasta dish the vacuum packed Parmesan will retain the clean and fresh taste which is normally lost as the cheese dries out.
It is possible to vacuum pack grated Parmesan but if you try grating a softer cheese, for example cheddar and then vacuum packing it, you will usually find that it sticks itself back together.
Medium hard cheeses such as Cheddar and Red Leicester are very prone to surface mould as well as drying out. The vacuum packing process prevents both of these from happening as well as helping to retain the full flavour of the cheese.
Softer cheeses, for example, Brie and Camembert can be vacuum packed, but these cheeses are usually better eaten at the point at which they naturally ripen.
To summarize, most cheeses vacuum pack very well and the storage time in the fridge is usually increased by around three to four times as shown in the table below.
Stored in the Refrigerator Regular Storage Vacuum Storage
Hard cheeses 12-15 days 50-55 days
Soft cheeses 5-7 days 13-15 days
Remember that vacuum packing is not a substitute for proper temperature control. All dairy products should be stored in the fridge or in a cool place even if they have been vacuum packed.
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