individual cream cheese

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dragthewaters
dragthewaters Posts: 62 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone know if there are any non-wholesale stores that sell individual packages of cream cheese (like the 1 or 2 oz packages)?

I like to have cream cheese every once in a while, but if you buy a whole tub or package you have to use it up within 10 days or it goes bad. Plus it would be very portable for a quick breakfast on the go.

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  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
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    You could probably freeze it in blocks
  • dragthewaters
    dragthewaters Posts: 62 Member
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    lishie_rebooted wrote: »
    You could probably freeze it in blocks

    See I thought of that but then I thought it might get runny after thawing. Has anyone tried this?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Uh.. what cream cheese are you buying that goes bad in 10 days? Stop buying cream cheese without checking the expiration date first lol. Our cream cheese has easily been in the fridge since January. Still going strong.
  • minizebu
    minizebu Posts: 2,716 Member
    edited February 2015
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    Uh.. what cream cheese are you buying that goes bad in 10 days? Stop buying cream cheese without checking the expiration date first lol. Our cream cheese has easily been in the fridge since January. Still going strong.

    I have to agree. If you keep it wrapped tightly in plastic film or in an air tight container, and don't contaminate it with any liquid or other food, then cream cheese is going to last a good long while. Unless you see mold on it, or it smells or tastes funny, then it is in all likelihood still good.
  • dragthewaters
    dragthewaters Posts: 62 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    Uh.. what cream cheese are you buying that goes bad in 10 days? Stop buying cream cheese without checking the expiration date first lol. Our cream cheese has easily been in the fridge since January. Still going strong.

    It says on the package to use within 10 days after opening. The actual expiration date if you keep it closed is months later.
  • jenglish712
    jenglish712 Posts: 497 Member
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    Yeah, I know it says 10 days... I usually just smell it and look for discoloration... like pink. Even with mold I have just cut it off like a block of cheese.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    dragthewaters wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Uh.. what cream cheese are you buying that goes bad in 10 days? Stop buying cream cheese without checking the expiration date first lol. Our cream cheese has easily been in the fridge since January. Still going strong.

    It says on the package to use within 10 days after opening. The actual expiration date if you keep it closed is months later.

    I've used my cream cheese months after opening. I've used my cartoned egg whites for longer than a week after opening despite it saying to use within 7 days after opening.

    Sniff the food, look at the food, eat the food if it passes these two inspections. I have some cottage cheese that expired a week ago in my fridge. Pretty sure it's still good.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    jenglish712 wrote: »
    Yeah, I know it says 10 days... I usually just smell it and look for discoloration... like pink. Even with mold I have just cut it off like a block of cheese.
    I'm a bit iffy with mold but yeah, you can still just remove that part and eat the rest. It's like when people are like "OMG If you keep cooked meat in the fridge for more than 2 days YOU WILL DIIIIE" and I'm here leaving it in there for like a week and it tastes the same lol.
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    dragthewaters wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Uh.. what cream cheese are you buying that goes bad in 10 days? Stop buying cream cheese without checking the expiration date first lol. Our cream cheese has easily been in the fridge since January. Still going strong.

    It says on the package to use within 10 days after opening. The actual expiration date if you keep it closed is months later.

    I've used my cream cheese months after opening. I've used my cartoned egg whites for longer than a week after opening despite it saying to use within 7 days after opening.

    Sniff the food, look at the food, eat the food if it passes these two inspections. I have some cottage cheese that expired a week ago in my fridge. Pretty sure it's still good.

    Same in our house. If I threw everything out when I'm told I would have to quadruple my cream cheese/sour cream/yogurt budget

  • dragthewaters
    dragthewaters Posts: 62 Member
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    jenglish712 wrote: »
    Yeah, I know it says 10 days... I usually just smell it and look for discoloration... like pink. Even with mold I have just cut it off like a block of cheese.

    It's ok to cut mold off hard cheeses but it's a bad idea for soft cheeses....

    "With these cheeses, the mold can send threads throughout the cheese. In addition, harmful bacteria, such as listeria, brucella, salmonella and E. coli, can grow along with the mold.

    Mold generally can't penetrate far into hard and semisoft cheeses, such as cheddar, colby, Parmesan and Swiss."
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Sniff the food, look at the food, eat the food if it passes these two inspections. I have some cottage cheese that expired a week ago in my fridge. Pretty sure it's still good.

    I don't think that's necessarily an accurate test. If it was, nobody would ever get food poisoning. I think we've all had the experience of getting food poisoning from food that looked/smelled/tasted perfectly fine.
  • IAmAPearl
    IAmAPearl Posts: 35 Member
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    I know that Tom Thumb (Ralph's/Safeway) sells them by the bakery.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    dragthewaters wrote: »
    jenglish712 wrote: »
    Yeah, I know it says 10 days... I usually just smell it and look for discoloration... like pink. Even with mold I have just cut it off like a block of cheese.

    It's ok to cut mold off hard cheeses but it's a bad idea for soft cheeses....

    "With these cheeses, the mold can send threads throughout the cheese. In addition, harmful bacteria, such as listeria, brucella, salmonella and E. coli, can grow along with the mold.

    Mold generally can't penetrate far into hard and semisoft cheeses, such as cheddar, colby, Parmesan and Swiss."
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Sniff the food, look at the food, eat the food if it passes these two inspections. I have some cottage cheese that expired a week ago in my fridge. Pretty sure it's still good.

    I don't think that's necessarily an accurate test. If it was, nobody would ever get food poisoning. I think we've all had the experience of getting food poisoning from food that looked/smelled/tasted perfectly fine.

    You can get food poisoning when food ISN'T expired. You are clearly overthinking this and wasting money if you can't use a bit of sensibility in when you decide to toss food out.

    I've never had food poisoning, still eat food past the expiration date. I even once made breaded chicken with panko I didn't realize was like 3 years expired. I did get a bit of stomach upset (I think mostly the poops), but no food poisoning. No death. Those bread crumbs DID smell a bit off but I didn't know at the time what "off" should have smelled like for such an item.
  • jadumz
    jadumz Posts: 80 Member
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    They sell them in the UK, I'm guessing you're not here though haha I think if you put the container in an airtight box in the fridge it would last longer!
  • dragthewaters
    dragthewaters Posts: 62 Member
    edited February 2015
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    IAmAPearl wrote: »
    I know that Tom Thumb (Ralph's/Safeway) sells them by the bakery.

    There aren't any in my area :( But thanks for the suggestion anyway!
    jadumz wrote: »
    They sell them in the UK, I'm guessing you're not here though haha I think if you put the container in an airtight box in the fridge it would last longer!

    Yeah I am confused as to why they're so hard to find here...it seems more useful than a whole package unless you're using the cream cheese for baking or something. Perhaps that would help.
    ana3067 wrote: »
    You can get food poisoning when food ISN'T expired. You are clearly overthinking this and wasting money if you can't use a bit of sensibility in when you decide to toss food out.

    I've never had food poisoning, still eat food past the expiration date. I even once made breaded chicken with panko I didn't realize was like 3 years expired. I did get a bit of stomach upset (I think mostly the poops), but no food poisoning. No death. Those bread crumbs DID smell a bit off but I didn't know at the time what "off" should have smelled like for such an item.

    You can get food poisoning when a food isn't technically past the expiration date, but that means it wasn't handled correctly at some point by either the manufacturer, the warehouse/store, or the consumer.

    I don't waste money at all. I make sure I know what's in my fridge and pantry and when it needs to be used by. If there's something that I know won't get used up by the expiration date, such as cream cheese, I don't buy it (or freeze it if possible, or buy individual serving size containers if possible). I looked it up and cream cheese can be frozen but it alters the texture and makes it less appealing for putting on bagels and so on, it's better to use it for cooking or baking if you're going to do that.

    It seems like more of a waste of money to forget about stuff, and have mystery items in your fridge and pantry. Plus, to be honest, kind of gross. Clearly you need to go through your cabinets if you have stuff in there that expired 3 years ago....

    It's pretty rare for an adult to die of food poisoning (I think) but it's still something I'd like to avoid. The tiny bit of money saved by eating something instead of throwing it out, is not worth it if for example, you have to take time off from work because you're sick, or go to the doctor.
  • dragthewaters
    dragthewaters Posts: 62 Member
    edited February 2015
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    BTW I know this is an old discussion but I found a good substitute for cream cheese that comes in individual packets, in case anyone else is looking for the same thing. Laughing Cow cheese is spreadable, similar to cream cheese, and comes in individually wrapped single servings. The other plus is that my fiance likes this cheese too. I think it's sold in most grocery stores. And it's free of animal rennet.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
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    I used to be able to buy individual Philadelphia packs but haven't been able to find them in shops for a while now.
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I googled 'can you freeze cream cheese'. This was the answer at the top:
    Although it's completely possible to freeze cream cheese, it does alter the texture. Thawed cream cheese is less creamy and a lot more crumbly than fresh cream cheese. Because of this, it's best to use frozen cream cheese in casseroles, baked dishes and dips. Pick a cream cheese that has a higher fat content

    I say try it and see if you like it.

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