I had unopened block cheese in my fridge for 8 months is it still good?

Question

I had unopened block cheese in fridge for 8 months is it still good?

Answer 1

Mold is usually the first sign of degradation. I just cut that stuff off. Listeria tends to hit softer cheeses, but there's always a danger. If it's not moldy, not Brie or similar, I'd eat it. I've eaten 2 year old fridge cheese before, and not died. But as with all matters involving health, you're on your own, and the question is really outside the purview of this stack.

Answer 2

The problem, generally speaking, is that your fridge is not a very good cheese cave. Yes, usually a homemade cave is made from a wine fridge but there is slightly more to it. You need to make your cave humid enough so that the bacteria you introduce to your cheese thrives. You would also need to have your cave in a dark place.

There is also a very real chance that the other foods in the fridge could lead cross-contamination, god only knows what micro organisms a piece of uncooked chicken could bring to aging cheese. Odours could also lead to unsavoury flavours.

A proper cheese cave is a controlled environment and without this control you really are just playing culinary russian-roulette.