Freeze Cheese

Freeze Cheese the Correct Way

Have you ever needed to freeze cheese?  If you have you may have wondered how to do this correctly so that if will still taste good once it is thawed.  In today’s society, many people will purchase foods in bulk form because it is cheaper.  However, this often means that you are also going to need to store the food somewhere.  You should be sure to freeze cheese in an appropriate way so that you can use it for cooking or simply eating when you are ready for it.

The first thing that you want to remember is that it is important to buy a cheese that is does not have dry or cracked edges.  Also, check the expiration date on the cheese to make sure that it is not going to expire any time soon.  When you freeze cheese, it is going to miss some of its qualities when it is thawed.  Therefore, you do not want it to be really bad once it is thawed because it was not fresh when you bought it.  Some cheeses are better to freeze than others.  For example mozzarella and cheddar are good cheeses to freeze.  Still others are not good and those would include cottage cheese and cream cheese (unless you are going to use it later for cooking purposes).

You will want to wrap your cheese in heavy plastic or foil before you freeze it.  If you are freezing a soft cheese or cream cheese for cooking you will only want to leave it in the freezer for approximately one month.  If you are freezing a harder cheese it may last for several months.

When you are ready to thaw your cheese out you need to remember that it is not going to taste as good when you finally are ready for it.  This is because moisture will get into the cracks of the cheese and freeze.  This causes the curds to break down.  Hence, once it is thawed out it will most likely want to crumble in your hands.  This is ok if you are going to be cooking with it but most people do not enjoy this if they are trying to eat.  Just remember that it will continue to taste the same as it did before you froze it.  One option that you have that will keep the moisture of getting into the cracks of the cheese is to place it in a zip lock bag and suck the air out of it.  This will help keep the moisture inside of your cheese at a minimum.

The next time some one asks you if they can freeze cheese tell them yes.  Be sure to keep a close eye on some of the tips that were mentioned to you earlier because you do not want to freeze cheese that is already old or has a lot of cracks in it.  Freezing cheese is a wonderful way to save money and some cheeses can stay in the freezer for a long time.  Read up on what else you can freeze if you are looking to save money in the long run.  Also, if you intend to freeze cheese frequently, you may want to look into purchasing a kitchen vacuum that can be used to suck the air out of plastic bags.  Remember that the less air and moisture the better.

If you do not think freezing cheese is the best solution for you, you should only purchase what can be eaten.  You will also want to read up on the type of cheese that you buy on a regular basis.  That way you will know how long it can remain in the refrigerator before it turns bad.  You are trying to save money, not waste it.