How long does blue cheese dressing last after expiration date

While we can find different blue cheese made using other milk and techniques, blue cheese is made explicitly using sheep’s milk. The aging of this sophisticated delicacy is done inside caves, which boosts it up with minerals. 

Nonetheless, what happens if it goes bad? You definitely wouldn’t want to consume something that could harm your body, would you? 

Well, don’t you worry, we have got your back covered. Here is a guide for anything and everything you need to know about blue cheese dressing. 

Blue cheese dressing can either be store-bought or easily made at home. Some people prefer store-bought as it has a longer shelf-life. Homemade blue cheese dressing, even though authentic, can go bad way faster than the store-bought ones.

Although store-bought blue cheese dressing contains some preservatives, it lasts longer. Homemade blue cheese dressing can also last longer if added preservative to it. But who wants to add preservatives to any homemade food, right? 

Every store-bought product comes with a ‘best by,’ which contributes to how long the product will last. And so does blue cheese dressing. It usually lasts from 6-9 months after opening. It is also considered okay to consume it for 1-2 months past its expiry date but not more than that.

Now that we are well aware of how long Blue Cheese Dressing lasts, let us understand whether it has gone bad. 

How to tell if Blue Cheese Dressing has gone bad?

Everything goes bad after a certain point in time, and so does blue cheese dressing. You can tell if blue cheese dressing has gone bad or not but considering a number of factors. How it smells, looks, and if or not it has any evidence of oil separation plays an essential role in determining whether it is good to go. 

Smell:

When the blue cheese dressing starts to smell somewhat noxious (unpleasant, poisonous), consider that it has gone wrong. Dressing that has gone bad can quickly smell rancid and have an odor similar to ammonia. 

Appearance:

Blue cheese dressing that has gone bad can quickly begin to look slimy. At times, small dots start to appear on the surface of the dressing. 

Even a color change can determine if blue cheese dressing has gone bad or not. If you see a pinkish, grey, or green color after storing the dressing for a while, make sure to throw it away.

If the dressing starts separating:

Separation of oil from the oil-based blue cheese dressing is normal and nothing to be worried about. You can always try stirring and shaking the dressing to mix it all back in. if it doesn’t get mixed up, that is when you should get worried.

Don’t hesitate to discard it if that happens, as it has definitely gone bad.

What happens if you consume expired blue cheese dressing?

Consuming expired products has its repercussion. There is a reason why it is called the date of expiry and which is why people shouldn’t consume it after that.

The most common side-effect of consuming expired blue cheese dressing is food poisoning, just like any other expired food item. You might witness the symptoms of food poisoning, such as vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. 

Even when you don’t have food poisoning, there are chances that you might go through at least some of these symptoms. A pregnant woman, who consumed expired blue cheese dressing at a pizza hut, faced no symptoms as the dressing was just about a month past its date. 

So as we discussed earlier in this article, it is considered okay to consume it for 1-2 months past the expiration date, but it’s not recommended. 

Author’s note:

It doesn’t matter if the blue cheese dressing is not expired yet. If you have delicate health, always make sure that you check the blue cheese dressing before consuming it.

Can you freeze blue cheese dressing?

Yes, blue cheese dressing can most definitely be frozen. Although, freezing blue cheese dressing does not necessarily increase the product’s shelf-life. 

After freezing the oil-based blue cheese dressing, you can see that the oil starts separating from it. This is not an issue to be worried about.

 The oil-based blue cheese dressing can quickly be brought to life by thawing. Thawing is the process of turning a frozen substance into liquid by warming it up. 

When discussing the dairy-based blue cheese dressing, this isn’t always the case. Upon thawing, there are chances that the dressing might start to curdle. 

And once the dressing curdles, no amount of whisking or stirring will make it better. You’re left with no choice except to throw it away.

What is the best way to store blue cheese dressing?

You can store anything, just like that, if you don’t want to pay more attention to it. Nevertheless, when you want to keep something for long and make sure it doesn’t go bad, here is how you can do it –

Cool dark place:

Storing your blue cheese dressing, especially store-bought, in a cool and dark place is a great idea. It keeps your dressing from going bad. This applies to when your blue cheese dressing is unrefrigerated and unopened.

Refrigerated:

After opening your blue cheese dressing, it is always a good idea to keep it refrigerated. Refrigerating your dressing can increase its shelf life, and you can enjoy it for much longer rather than when it’s unrefrigerated. 

If it came refrigerated, it should stay refrigerated:

If you see that the blue cheese dressing that you got came refrigerated, make sure you keep it refrigerated. If not, then chances are that it will go bad soon before its date of expiry. 

If you see that the blue cheese dressing that you got came refrigerated, make sure you keep it refrigerated. If not, then the chances are that it will go bad soon before its expiry date. 

Make sure you don’t let your blue cheese dressing stay out for more than 2 hours. Whether store-bought or homemade, your dressing will go bad. And you won’t be able to enjoy it the way you thought you would. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)-

Q. Does blue cheese dressing go moldy?

Yes, indeed it does. Even though blue cheese is made up of solid mold and is safe to consume, the liquid dressing might not be. The Penicillin Roquefort mold spores are present on the solid blue cheese. 

Q. Is blue cheese good for your gut?

Blue cheese in any form is suitable for your gut. It is made up of Penicillin Roquefort mold spores which come from the same variety as the antibiotic Penicillin. 

According to a study found on WebMD, blue cheese helps manage visceral fat levels that surround the area of the abdomen and assists in keeping your gut healthy.

The bottom line-

Considering how long store-bought and homemade blue cheese dressing last, and if it has gone bad or not, go hand in hand. If you store them past their date of expiry, the chances are that it will go bad, and you will notice the changes. And consuming expired blue cheese dressing can harm your health.

Freezing or storing blue cheese dressing properly might increase its shelf life but is not definite. What’s definite is if you don’t store the dressing appropriately, it will go bad.

Everything has a lifespan, and so does blue cheese dressing. So following the steps discussed in the article will undoubtedly help you cherish the blue cheese dressing that you like so much!

Let us know in the comment section below if you found this information helpful.

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Michael A. Antoine is a Sr. Chef at one of the leading chains of restaurants in the USA. He might raise hell in his kitchen, but his deep and practical knowledge about food and recipes helps us give you the best and tastiest recipes.