Saturday, October 12, 2013

How Long Can String Cheese Be Unrefrigerated?

"I received these products complimentary 
from Influenster for testing purposes
.

What kid doesn't love food they can play with (pulling all the strings off and waving them around) and what Mom doesn't love food she can trust is good for her family?

I have been buying Sargento sliced cheeses for years-I love that they have a HUGE variety and the red/black bags are always easy to spot in the grocery store cooler.


And I want to let you in on the part of this review I got the most excited over...


...the individual string cheese insulated cooler Sargento provided with my coupon!  I can't count the number of times I've tossed a string cheese in my purse or the diaper bag for a snack to grab later in the day, only to find it hours later all warm, slimy, and limp.  While these little coolers were only a limited-time promotional item, it shows me that Sargento can be creative and has their consumers in mind.  I've always wondered how long this portable snack could be unrefrigerated and still safe to eat-
the answer is 4 hours.


I decided to do a little test on this 4-hour theory.  I used 1 Sargento string cheese in the cooler, 1 Sargento string cheese on it's own, and one off-brand string cheese.  After 4 hours sitting out on the table, the off-brand was a watery smelly mess.  Both Sargento sticks came out about the same, yes warming and getting a little oily, but still tasty with little smell.  I truly believe the higher quality natural ingredients make the Sargento Natural products a better choice for my family.



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18 comments:

Eat To Live said...

My Granddaughter eats string cheese by the dozens. NO Chance there of hers getting warm. LOL... she loves the Sargento.

Michelle H said...

It's such a great snack for kids, isn't it! I can never eat just one, either... :)

Slap Dash Mom said...

Sargento cheese is our FAVORITE! :) It's a great snack for kids AND grown ups.. love them.

MikiHope said...

I love cheese--mostly munster but will eat any variety that is put in front of me. Sargento is a very good brand which I have purchased many times over the years.

StacieinAtlanta said...

My kids love love love string cheese. I literally have to buy it every time I go to the grocery store. I do find a difference as well by brands. I like Sargento myself for both quality and taste.

The AnnMarie John said...

We love string cheese in our family. Never realized that it can only be out for 4hrs. Usually I would take some for the kids when we go out because they love it. I don't think we're ever out that long but now I know that I'll be sure not to ever keep it that long.

Pam said...

We love string cheese in our family too. I didn't realize the four hour rule though because i know sometimes it sits in lunch boxes longer than that.

Masshole Mommy said...

We LOVE string cheese in our family. I never knew it could only be out for a few hours, though.

Michelle H said...

Muenster is a really good cheese! I'm also a cheese fanatic.

Michelle H said...

We go in cycles, but when there is string cheese in the house, it never lasts long! There is definitely a difference in flavor between a good label cheese like Sargento and the generic string cheeses.

Michelle H said...

I know I've eaten it when it was older, but I've always wondered in the back of my head if I should be worried. It makes sense that cheese is not a shelf-stable product so won't stay good out forever.

Michelle H said...

In a lunchbox there are probably other cool items that help to keep it fresh...I would think anyway. Probably not something to worry too much about, I just thought it was relieving to finally know the recommended length of time.

Katherine Bartlett said...

I bet that's so helpful! I hate finding warm string cheese, especially when my daughter hides them!

Unknown said...

My sister and I are obsessed with anything that has cheese in it. This is a really great product, great for exams when you're too hungry to think. You can just reach into your pocket and voila! Instant cheesperation!

Healy Harpster said...

We loved Sargento cheese, yummy and really a healthy snacks for kids!

Dawn said...

4 hours , good to know. I have wondered that. I like the little cool pack, that is awesome. I also enjoy Sargento cheese, the quality is worth the price.

Unknown said...

thanks for doing this test to see how they work out. did you know many "cheese" products actually don't contain milk and are made of oils?!@

Tough Cookie Mommy said...

This is good to know because sometimes the kids leave these in their lunch boxes overnight or in their book bags. We love string cheese in our home so I would hate to have to throw it out because it had been left unrefrigerated for a little while.