Shredded Cheese Smells Like Feet? (Read This First)
Last updated on October 26th, 2022 at 05:20 pm
The best way to know when your cheese has gone bad is by observing the color change, smell, and taste.
Rancid cheese tastes sour, and in some cases, mold grows on it. The best way to tell if shredded cheese has gone bad without tasting it is by taking note of the smell.
Cheese as a whole doesn’t have the most pleasant smell, but its smell isn’t offensive.
When shredded cheese gets bad, it gives an offensive odor and should be discarded.
An “off” smell proves that your long shredded cheese has gone bad. Like spoiled milk, cheese is a dairy product and gives off an odor quite different from its natural smell when spoiled. Depending on the type of cheese, some cheeses maintain their appearance even when they’ve expired. Albeit how strongly cheese smells, it should be discarded when it begins to smell like feet.
If Cheese Smells Like Feet, Is It Bad?
Not necessarily. Different types of cheese have different appearances, flavors, tastes, and smells.
Some of the cheeses have strong odors, while others are mildly scented. A couple makes cheese of processes which include using certain healthy bacteria for production.
For instance, the Limburger, Entrames, and Muenster cheeses are made with the same bacteria found in sweaty feet.
When we wear toe-covering shoes, our feet sweat and become moist.
The bacteria called brevibacterium thrives in moist and salty environments, and since the sweat is usually salty, it multiplies, giving off the feet smell we perceive.
This is why the cheeses made with this bacteria smell like feet; this doesn’t mean they’re unhealthy for consumption.
Notwithstanding, not all cheeses are meant to smell like feet, and this can be noticed from the first time of purchase.
If, after some time, it begins to smell like feet, it indicates that the cheese is no longer suitable for consumption.
Colby Jack Cheese Smells Like Feet
Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which situation you find yourself in, Colby Jack Cheese isn’t one of the types of cheese made with brevibacterium.
The brevibacterium is the bacteria that causes some long shredded cheeses to smell like dirty feet, and it is not included in the production of Colby Jack cheese.
Therefore, if your Colby Jack long shredded cheese smells like feet, it indicates that the cheese is rotten.
Common things that indicate when the cheese has gone bad are the change in taste and smell because sometimes it may still appear healthy.
Except by mistake, it is not advisable to consume rotten cheese; therefore, instead of insisting on taste, gradually slice a chunk of it and perceive it.
If it has been bad for a while, the smell will be offensive enough for you to get it without necessarily taking it so close to your nose.
But if it is just beginning to spoil, you may want to pay close attention to the smell and also look out for molds, as they’re also a sign of rotten cheese.
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese Smells Like Feet
Mozzarella Cheese that smells like feet is bad and should be thrown away.
It Is one of the most popular cheeses used in restaurants and homes and comes in different varieties.
Here is a list of the different types of mozzarella cheese and how to identify when they are rotten.
#1. Curd Mozzarella
Curd Mozzarella is an uncommon type of mozzarella cheese usually extracted at the early stages of cheese production.
It is usually the first solid fermentation obtained from boiling the milk and has a whitish look. When rotten, curd Mozzarella Cheese grows mold and smells sour.
#2. Pecorella Cheese
This mozzarella cheese is made purely from sheep’s milk instead of a buffalo or a cow
It is soft and can last only for a few weeks from the time of production; although the method of storage matters, it doesn’t last as long as hard cheese.
When soft cheese is bad, blue or green molds become visible on it; while blue mold does not always indicate danger, take precautions when eating cheese with visible mold.
#3. Bocconcini Cheese
They’re made purely from Buffalo milk, but some Bocconcini are mixed with cow’s milk. They’re made in small sizes and have a stretchy texture.
Unlike other cheeses, this mozzarella cheese may not have an offensive odor or mold when rotten.
However, when it has gone bad, a bocconcini cheese may burn your tongue or cause a tingle in your mouth when you bite into it.
#4. Burrata Cheese
This Mozzarella is usually used as a bread spread because of its soft nature.
It comprises cream and stracciatella wrapped in a thin wall of Mozzarella, making it very soft and delicious.
Sadly, it cannot be stored for months like other types of cheeses since its shelf life is considerably less than the rest.
The signs of a burrata that is bad are the apparent smell of rotten milk and sour taste. It should not be consumed when this is noticed.
#5. Ciliegine Mozzarella Cheese
This is like mini bocconcini with the same ingredients and served the same. You might have seen a Ciliegine cheese in an Italian restaurant served alongside other appetizers.
Since it is made from the same ingredients as the bocconcini, it gives the same signs when bad; rotten smell and mold.
#6. Mozzarella di Bufala
Coming across this name on a restaurant menu should not be confusing since it already suggests what is used in making it.
This cheese is made from Buffalo milk and contains no cow’s milk. It isn’t easy to find it in random supermarkets because of the laws guarding cheese production.
However, it is very creamy and among the richest mozzarella cheese types.
It is easy to tell when a mozzarella di Bufala cheese has gone bad because it shows visible signs like;
- A bloated bag
- Visible mold
- It smells and tastes sour or even bitter.
#7. Ovolini Cheese
This cheese can be made with two kinds of milk, buffalo or cows. It is usually small but bigger than the ciliegine. When it gets bad, an ovolini cheese smells and tastes sour.
#8. Perlini Cheese
These are made in tiny pearl-like balls that can go into vegetable salads.
They’re smaller than ciliegine and can also be served as an appetizer. There’s always a change in odor when it gets bad.
#9. Treccia Cheese
It can be made from both buffalo and cow’s milk. It is usually stretchy and made to look like braided challah. It also tastes and smells sour when rancid.
#10. Stracciatella Cheese
If you’ve bought shredded mozzarella cheese before, you are highly likely to buy stracciatella Cheese.
It is usually shredded in cream and wrapped in a burrata. Awful smell and sour taste are indicators of bad shredded cheese.
#11. Smoked Mozzarella
Not so many people are familiar with smoked Mozzarella, but it does exist and may be included in some of your favorite Italian dishes.
It has a hard and golden appearance. When bad, it grows mold and begins to smell.
Shredded Mexican Cheese Smells Like Feet
Most of the popular cheeses we consume are Italian cheese, and because of this. Many people do not know about Mexican cheese, but they exist.
However, one of the reasons it is not well heard of is its low shelf life compared to Italian cheese.
While some Italian cheese can be for months after purchase, Mexican cheese lasts only a few weeks.
But the common thing between the two is that they both develop feet that smell bad.
There’s a difference between Italian and Mexican cheese, listed below.
| Mexican Cheese | Italian Cheese |
|---|---|
| It takes a shorter time for production. | Italian cheese, on the other hand, takes months to be produced |
| It has a lighter flavor as compared to Italian cheese. | The flavors cannot be missed on a first bite. |
| It isn’t left to ferment for long months like the Italian cheese, which makes it have a lesser shelf life. | It is left to age and ferment for weeks, allowing the bacterium to work on it well, which makes it last longer after purchase. |
Both kinds of cheese taste amazing, and one can be substituted for another for any Mexican or Italian meal.
Why Does My Shredded Cheese Smell Like Feet?
Two reasons why your long shredded cheese smells like feet are;
- The brevibacterium was used as the culture during the production of the cheese. Not all cheeses are made with this bacteria, but for those made with it, they end up smelling like feet. For instance, Limburger Entrames and Muenster are typical examples of the types of cheese made with bacteria and, thus, are likely to smell like feet.
- It has become rancid. When cheese spoils, it smells awful; some like feet, others worse. And in some cases, the smell may not be evident, but 7Only the type of cheese made with the brevibacterium smells like cheese.
To be precise, here is a list of the cheese made with the brevibacterium and smells like feet.
- Limburger Cheese
- Entrames Cheese
- Muenster Cheese all smells like feet.
But not limited to them alone, some cheese may smell like feet when bad.
Conclusion
Having shredded cheese that smells like feet stocked up in your fridge isn’t always an indication that it has gone bad.
To confirm this, inspect for other signs like mold and if the odor is not too offensive, taste it to ascertain if it is sour. Sometimes the type of cheese warrants it to smell like feet.
