how long will a soft cheese, like a brie, stay good withour refrigeration?
 

I'm in a hotel right now and have some nice brie I've been snacking on. Without a refrigerator how long can I expect the cheese to keep fresh and not have its taste change substantially?

Depends on the ripeness of the cheese, but generally a couple of days.

You could probably set in on ice in the ice bucket.

You do realize some of your "favorites" here are going to call you "elite" and full of hubris, right? ;)

I'm pretty lax about food safety, but I'd think brie would start to get kind of stinky (it gives off ammonia gas as it ripens) after 24 hours. Though it would probably still be safe to eat for a day.

I'm in Europe. Ice hasn't been invented here yet.

LOL I fully expect it and would be disappointed if it did not occur. :)

It really depends on how ripe the cheese is, and the temperature of the room, since the OP is in the EU, I'm assuming he doesn't have a cheese cave US hotel AC to keep it at cellar temp.

Might also be an unpasteurized product if produced in Europe, so that might hasten its demise as well.

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William R. Sanders
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Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

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I guess I'll give it a shot tomorrow (24 hours in) and let you know if I die from it. I will also inform the stinkiness level and taste adjustment.

How do you plan on doing that, exactly?

Back on point: if you are in Europe, and it is reasonably chilly outside, why not just leave the cheese on your windowsill?

It also depends how ripe it was when it was sold.

But a good unpasturized brie at room temperature has me drooling right now... mmmmm.

I've yet to have a brie go off outside of a fridge before it was finished. Perhaps that says more about my self control around cheese than the keeping quality of cheese tho...

By never posting on FT again.. someone would miss me, I'm sure.

That's a reasonable idea though the hotel I'm staying at doesn't have windowsills per se, more like shallow little ledges. I'm afraid of falling.

You do realize that the cheese would stay out there alone - you wouldn't have to be out there with it? ;)

If the room is kept cool (say 12-15) and really humid it could last a week or more. Normal room temperature and humidity 24-36 hours.

Well I ate it and no ill effects thus far. It was slightly slimier but that's about it. The smell seemed to be the same and the taste was unaffected. Very nice.

Thanks for all the insights, even ILP's useful note about leaving the cheese on the sill alone. :)

It has. We just hide it from the Americans :p I even go so far as to put my fake 'knarled teeth effect' veneers on when I post on FT just in case there are any Americans on the thread.

Back OT, the slime is a little unpleasant but not obtrusive. I suspect that by tomorrow however, it will be. I've taken to carrying a small cool bag with me and a few gel packs. If you are in the UK, pop into a Marks and Spencers and you can get one quite cheaply. The gel packs can be cooled down with some ice and will keep the cheese in slightly better conditions.

The window sill trick is good until it goes wrong. I was at University in London and lived in halls (dorm) in my first year. We weren't allowed individual fridges so in the cooler months people used to make their own fridge by putting items into a carrier bag and attaching it to the window and letting it dangle outside. This of course was outlawed when the street below became littered with milk that had fallen from a few stories and caused an almighty mess.