I’m flying to visit my family in New Hampshire in a couple of weeks, and I’d really like to bring back some of the delicious cheeses that I’ve found in DC. It’s probably going to take me about 3-4 hours to get from my front door to my parents’ house. (Maybe less, but I’m being conservative here.)
My question is - what’s the best way to get this cheesy goodness home? Do I need to pay someone to ship it in dry ice? Can I just chuck it in my suitcase, and it’ll be fine for a few hours? Will the TSA assume it’s “Cheese of Mass Destruction” and make me throw it out if I try to carry it on?
Many thanks, as always, for the wisdom of the Teeming Masses.
Cheese holds well in a cooler with regular, not dry, ice.
You don’t want to freeze it, as that’ll change the texture.
If it’s not too hot out, it’ll be fine in your suitcase. If it is too hot out, it’ll leak oily goodness all over your suitcoat. In the later case, TSA would probably consider the oil a ‘mysterious, possibly explosive liquid’ and confiscate your cheese.
My wife and her family are major cheese distributors and often fly with all manner of cheeses for exhibition, samples, and personal consumption. A zippered food carrying bag that has pockets for reusable frozen gel packs is a good way to go. As noted, dry ice is right out because it is too cold. Cheese doesn’t need to be all that cold so something that protects it and keeps it reasonably cool is all you need. The cold gel packs don’t introduce moisture problems like real ice might.
It should be perfectly fine if you take it from the fridge right as you head for the airport. Baggage holds are normally rather cold places at 33,000 feet.
Keep it in whatever packaging it’s in - hopefully it’s something that says “CHEESE” in case TSA gets curious. Just hope they don’t get hungry! Sadly, the 3 ounces or less restriction is still in effect, so you can’t put cheese in your carry-on bag.
That’s the problem. You could try to carry-on some nice firm, cool brie and the security lines could drag on forever like they to to do. Rather suddenly, you could go from connaisseur to terrorist as the cheese softens in front of security agents.
Your are welcome to interpret the list of TSA prohibited items as you wish here. My take is as long as the individual cheese packets are three oz. or less, you are fine to carry them as carryon.
Otherwise, checked baggage. I would suggest informing TSA when you turn your bags over to them for inspection. I’m betting cheese blocks with show up as something sinister requiring opening the checked bags and hand inspection. My suggestion is make sure the cheese blocks are still in their original vacuumed-sealed containers with original label.
You might want to include a baggie of cut up cheese bits and crackers for the inspectors to munch on while they are inspecting your checked bags.
I thought that the TSA agents would not allow food to be brought on board a plane that was prepared at home. I thought that the only food allowed was that which was purchased at an airport venue after the passenger got through security. What’s the straight dope on that?
So long as they fit in a one-quart ziplock bag. There doesn’t appear any difference whether it’s home-made or not. The critereon is whether it’s from before the security checkpoint or from the terminal after security.
Whole cheeses with the rind still on them should be more durable in transit than cut pieces - this doesn’t always necessarily mean carting a massive wheel of dairy goodness - some cheeses are quite small and portable even when whole.
I used to live about five blocks from Eastern Market. Unless you already have a place in mind (and even if you do), you MUST go there!!! Not only is the selection, etc. fantastic, but they are knowledgeable enough to help with this question. There isn’t much I miss about the district, but they are one of them. Go go go!!!
Dude, I truly hate to be the guy to tell you this - but Eastern Market burned down. About three weeks ago. And yah, it was truly great - cheese, meat, fruit, the works.
