FAQ about Zingerman’s food clubs
When will the first installment ship?
Whenever you’d like! Want to plan ahead and cross off an item on your gifting to-do list? You can choose a preferred arrival date in the future when you checkout online or when you give us a call. Otherwise, the first installment will ship on our next available ship date.
When will the rest of the installments ship?
After the first installment, the remaining club shipments will arrive every four weeks. If you’d like to change the delivery for any reason – maybe the recipients are traveling or maybe you want the shipments to occur every other month – we can make it happen! Just reach out to us and we’ll be glad to help.
How easy is it to change the address for one or more shipments?
Super easy! You can call, email, text or chat and let us know about the update. As long as it hasn’t shipped, we can change the address with a few simple clicks.
When am I charged for the club?
You’ll be charged the full amount for the club before the first installment ships out.
What if I want to print a card to give to my recipient before the first shipment arrives?
We have just what you’re looking for:
Bacon 101
What to expect when you are expecting bacon
In warmer months (early April to mid September), we ship bacon with two business day service plus warm weather care. The bacon may arrive warm, and that’s completely normal! Dry ice will evaporate, ice packs may melt, but they will have done their job of preventing the bacon from cooking on its journey.
The rest of the year (late September to the end of March), the shipping method will be flat rate service (1-4 business days).
My bacon arrived warm – is it safe?
If your bacon arrives at room temperature or warm – that’s totally okay! Your bacon can take the heat because it’s cured. Curing keeps meat safe by making it inhospitable to the microbes that would otherwise cause rot. Most commonly, this is done by salting, smoking, and drying. When cured slowly and traditionally, these techniques not only make the meat safe to keep, they also make it extra delicious.
If the packaging is puffy or torn, if the color looks grey or un-bacony, and/or if there are any unusual odors, then that means the bacon might not have survived the trip. Let us know and we’ll make it right!
How to store your bacon
You can store the bacon in the refrigerator or the freezer. Once the bacon is opened, it will be good in the fridge for about a week. Unopened bacon in the vacuum-sealed package will keep for about 3 weeks in the fridge and up to 12 months in the freezer, so seize the opportunity to stock up!
Bread by mail? Really?
We ship thousands of loaves every year to bread lovers nationwide.
Our artisan bread is baked down the road from us at Zingerman’s Bakehouse. We ship bread using two business day service – nothing slower. Our bread doesn’t have any preservatives, so we use expedited shipping to help ensure it arrives in great condition.
The bread will last on the counter for a few days in its Zingerman’s bread bag.
It does not need to be refrigerated – in fact, we recommend you avoid the fridge! Refrigeration will wreak havoc on the texture.
If you want to keep the bread for more than a few days your best bet is to freeze it.
Double bag the loaf—or part of it—in plastic and freeze for up to three months.
All of our full-flavored breads are completely baked all the way so reheating is not necessary.
You can eat the bread right out of the bag (ripping pieces or cutting slices – no judgment here). If it seems a little hard or dry, that’s because the thick, crisp crust is meant to protect the bread. Just like the rind on a natural cheese, real bread has very real crust to protect the inside of the loaf from drying out.
We only suggest that the bread will give you the “just out of the oven” experience… if you reheat it in the oven.
For a warm crackly crust and a soft, chewy crumb, we suggest putting your loaf (whole, half, or part) in a 350 degree oven for approximately 15-20 minutes. If you’re pulling bread out of the freezer, let it defrost for about 30 minutes before throwing it in the oven.
FAQ about shipping cheese
What’s the shelf life on cheese?
- Hard, aged cheeses stay good for a long time. Many days for sure. Sometimes weeks. Bigger hunks of cheese last longer. If it looks and smelled as expected, it’s likely still great.
- What if it’s got a little mold on it? A little mold is no problem. It’s a good sign, it means the cheese is alive. Scrape it off with a knife. But if there’s a lot of mold and it’s turning dark and funky it’s time to say goodbye.
- Soft cheeses and cheese spreads (like pimento and liptauer) are best eaten within a week or two of receiving them.
How do we ship artisan cheese year-round across the country?
In warmer months (early April to mid September), we ship cheese with two business day service plus warm weather care. We employ an ice pack and insulation defensive strategy to protect against warm delivery trucks and warm warehouses and ensure your shipment arrives in great shape.
The rest of the year (late September to the end of March), the shipping method will either be flat rate service (1-4 business days) for our durable hard, aged cheeses or two business day service for our more perishable soft cheeses and cheese spreads.
Hard cheeses have been carefully selected to withstand a longer transit time. Don’t worry if it arrives a bit warm or a bit cold – cheese is durable.
How should the cheese be stored once it arrives?
- Store cheese in the fridge, ideally in the spot closest to 50 degrees. That will likely be the door of your refrigerator or in a drawer where the temperature is consistent but not too cold.
- We wrap hand-cut wedges of cheese in a cheese bag before shipment, and you can continue to keep the cheese in that cheese bag. The next best option would be parchment or wax paper.
- After you open the cheese for a nibble, any remainders can be put back into the bag and closed with a simple roll or fold.
- Do not freeze your cheese! Cheese is a living thing. Freezing will stop the natural processes that keep cheese so tasty.
How should the cheese be served?
Regardless of the kind of cheese, it’s best to take it out of the fridge about 20 to 30 minutes before serving it. Cheese tastes better at room temperature. It makes a world of difference: the aromas expand, becoming more complex; more of the fat spreads on your tongue, which makes the flavor more intense. When cheese is warm you’ll eat less of it and enjoy it more.