Is it like Twinkies?

June 9, 2009 11:06 PM

How long does Velveeta stay good after opening, and refrigerated?

We made some mac 'n cheese that used a portion of a larger 'block' of Velveeta as one of the ingredients. I ziplock bagged the rest of the block and put it in the fridge. That was a couple months ago...

It looks basically unchanged, but is it still safe to cook with?

posted by Allenthar to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

Cheese left bagged in a fridge for a couple months might go a bit slimy and gross on the outside, but if you give it a good rinse and maybe cut off and discard the outer quarter inch or so you can usually get away with using it, especially if you don't care if it tastes a bit sharper than it should.

But I can't really help you with Velveeta.
posted by flabdablet at 11:22 PM on June 9, 2009

Velveeta lasts a long, long time. In addition to flabdablet's advice (which holds true for the decidedly non-cheese Velveeta), the same applies cheese becomes dried on the outside (which make it turn a darker orange in the dry parts) - just cut away the bad stuff.
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 11:55 PM on June 9, 2009

If it looks and smells fine, I would eat it. With Ro-Tel, to be specific.
posted by O9scar at 11:59 PM on June 9, 2009

I don't think velveeta is biodegradable, it's likely to be no less edible now than it was months ago when you opened the package.
posted by foodgeek at 12:38 AM on June 10, 2009

I think I made grilled cheese sandwiches out of the same brick of Velveeta in seventh grade as I did in sixth.

You're probably fine.

Makes me a little sentimental about that old brick.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:53 AM on June 10, 2009

The package says, "After opening, refrigerate up to 8 weeks." A couple months isn't that much longer that it's like to make a great deal of difference. It will be safe for longer than it is palatable.
posted by Ery at 6:06 AM on June 10, 2009

Isn't velveeta thickened, tinted, flavoured oil and not real cheese? I'd expect it to last almost forever as there's nothing in it to make the kind of mold you'd find in cheese. Sort of like a bottle of ordinary cooking oil doesn't need refrigeration.
posted by x46 at 8:18 AM on June 10, 2009

Given that after fifteen minutes of searching the dairy section of a local super market, I was directed to a dry goods isle to locate some Velveeta, I highly doubt there is anything that can go bad in it, like ever.

It does make a really mean mac n' cheese.

H
posted by silsurf at 9:48 AM on June 10, 2009