Putting cheese and crackers out at a party, whether sliced sharp cheddar and Triscuits or Humboldt Fog and crostini, is a simple way to welcome guests. Everyone loves cheese, and people will snack on it all night. But if hours go by and there’s still half a wedge of Brie on the cheese board, are you putting your friends in danger? In other words: How long can cheese sit out before you get sick...or die?
Bringing cheese to room temperature is essential to help the fat loosen up, which gives the cheese a better texture and flavor. However, there is a ticking clock on how long it should stay out past that hour (or two) out of the fridge. To keep yourself safe from bacterial growth or spoilage, you should only keep cheese out for four hours, according to Adam Brock, director of food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin.
With that said, some cheeses fare better than others with quality after those four hours elapse. Higher moisture cheeses like ricotta, queso blanco, and mascarpone will deteriorate in quality and spoil faster when left on the counter. Soft cheeses—including Brie, Camembert, or a bloomy-rind fancier cheese like Jasper Hill’s Harbison—will last a little longer, and harder cheeses from cheddar to Gouda to Parmesan will hold up the longest. “Parm, Romano, or harder cheeses will likely not have microbacterium growth, or very insignificant amounts throughout the duration of a party,” Brock adds. Those cheeses you’ll often see hanging in Italian markets or cut into pieces on display at the grocery store because they don’t require constant refrigeration.
Long before you get an upset stomach from cheese (uh, unless you’re lactose intolerant), you’ll probably notice that it’s looking a little…sad. Cheese will dry out when left in open air, especially in a warmer room, and start to look crusty and crumbly. “After eight hours on a cheese board, cheddar will likely not have a lot of bacterial growth, but it won’t look appealing to eat,” Brock explains. However, there is no way to tell if there’s bacteria on a piece of cheese based on looking because it’s microscopic. One thing you can tell immediately about a cheese gone bad is if there’s mold growing on it in the fridge. If you see that, cut off about 1–1½ inches around the mold and continue eating it. However, if a high-moisture cheese like ricotta or cream cheese has a spot of mold, throw it out—it will have contaminated the entire container.
