When Cheese Goes Bad
With all the talk about the benefits of aging cheese, how the aromas and flavors lengthen and become more complex with age, you may be wondering where (and if) cheese experts draw a line between aged and spoiled cheese. We've already established the smell of gym socks as being a good indicator of spoilage, the state of ooziness as being delightful, and the glory of all sorts of exotic molds. Interestingly, even with some pretty clear signals of cheeses gone bad, there are still cheese aficionados who consider virtually all stages of a cheese's life as different stages of ripeness.
As you come to know different cheeses, you will find yourself enjoying richer, more aged, and ever-more-pungent varieties. But this is different than enjoying cheeses that are truly spoiled. Generally speaking, here are signs of cheeses gone bad: pink or red mold; very salty or bitter tastes; dull gray paste; excessive gooiness; and excessive or very wet mold.
As mentioned previously, milk fermentation occurs when microorganisms change milk into acids, gas, and other compounds. To make cheese, some fermentation has to happen, but the wrong conditions or too much age will allow the acids and gas to take over, causing cheese to spoil.
