Good cheese, like wine, has a limited lifespan. It improves, it peaks, and then it begins to decline. By handling it properly — wrapping and storing it with care — you can stretch out that timeline and postpone the demise. Doing so gives you more opportunity to consume your fromage before it is past it's peak. And that means waste averted and money saved.

A few pointers:

• Buy small amounts often rather than large quantities infrequently. Cheese is never better than when it's first cut, so try to use what you buy within a day or two.
• If you purchase cheese in plastic wrap, remove the wrap when you get home. Cheese — especially moist cheese — wants to breathe and release moisture. Plastic wrap traps the moisture and accelerates decay. Rewrap the cheese loosely in coated cheese paper (some merchants stock it), parchment paper or waxed paper. Then place the wrapped cheese in a lidded plastic container or food-storage bag so that it can continue to breathe without drying out. Store in the refrigerator.
• Keep blue cheeses and aromatic washed-rind cheeses in their own containers. The blue mold can "travel" to other cheeses if stored together, and washed-rind cheeses like Munster can infuse more delicate cheeses with their pungent aroma.
• Rewrap leftover cheese in fresh paper to minimize mold development.
• If your recipe calls for 1/2 pound of cheese, remove only 1/2 pound from the refrigerator. Cheese suffers if brought to room temperature and then returned to the refrigerator.
• Mold on cheese may be unsightly, but it is not harmful. If you spot undesirable mold, just trim it away. You don't need to discard the cheese. Obviously, the blue veins in blue cheese and the bloomy rind on a Camembert or Brie are examples of "good" molds that enhance cheese quality.

See It Made: Macaroni and Fromage Rustique

Cook's Tip: Blending two or more cheeses can add complexity to a dish with little additional effort. Combining a nutty cheese like Emmental with a more piquant one, such as an aged Ossau-Iraty, or a sweet cheese like Comté with a stronger cheese, like aged Mimolette, can produce rewarding and unexpected flavors. Rather than reaching for "the usual," consider some less-predictable choices. Cheeses with complementary character can make a familiar dish seem fresh and new.