Cheese Basics / How to

How to pour shredded cheese from a zip bag without making a huge mess

You can usually find me with a bag of shredded cheese in my fridge. And, for the longest time I have been frustrated with the zip bag because—admit it— it’s not perfect. Usually, the zip bag makes a huge mess. I’m not sure why, but I suppose that the plastic groove of the zipping mechanism catches cheese and creates a blockage; so, the user ends up needing to use more strength to force it out—usually onto the floor.

Because dairy products expire so quickly I’m generally even more careful and avoid contaminating. While I have succumbed to scooping out cheese from the bag with my hand, after thinking about it for a while, even if my hands were 99% disinfected I still wouldn’t scoop out portions of yogurt. Needless to say, sticking my hand in the bag is no longer an option. Not that I cant eat food that I touch with my own hands, because that would probably indicate serious mental problems on my part. I’m just saying that in an effort to prolong the life of the cheese, I would like to keep the insides of the cheese as sterile as possible—or, at least, not introduce any new bacteria.

The Solution

So, what is the solution to this problem? Consider just folding over the edge of the zip bag so that the cheese bypasses the plastic ridge completely. This works pretty well; and, not only does it keep the cheese off the floor, but it keeps it more sanitary because you don’t have to reach in to the bag—you can just pour, effortlessly.

shredded cheese zip bag folded over

Easy, right? If you have a better solution you can tweet it to me @johneatscheese. Until next time.

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