Cheese is not a product with a long shelf life, as it is perishable. But it often happens that there is either leftover after the holidays, or simply more is bought than needed initially...
What to do in this case? Is it possible to freeze, for example, “Rossiysky”, “Lambert”, or even some soft variety, so that later, when you want, you can defrost and eat such products? Or will the low temperature ruin everything, depriving the cheese of its usual properties? Let's figure it out together.
General rules for freezing cheeses
Storing cheese in the freezer is used if a lot of product has accumulated, and it is clear that it will not be possible to consume it on time. The frozen product can be stored for a long time, and you will always have grated or chopped cheese on hand, which is convenient to use when cooking.
You can put different types of cheese in the freezer for storage. But there are rules common to all types of product.
The main feature of cheese freezing is the dependence of the reaction to low temperatures on the density of the product. The harder the structure of the cheese, the easier it tolerates freezing. Hard and semi-hard varieties practically do not change their taste after defrosting, but become even harder.
General rules for freezing:
- Place only small pieces of cheese in the freezer. The approximate size of the slices is 500 g.
- To make cooking easier, cut the cheese into cubes. Then you won’t have to worry about cutting frozen pieces.
- Thaw the cheese in stages. Move it from the freezer to the refrigerator for an hour or two, and only then defrost it outside the refrigerator.
- Use milk. To eliminate excessive dryness, place the thawed pieces in cooled milk for 10-15 minutes. The moisture will be absorbed into the cheese structure and the product will return to its original form.
- Cut correctly. Make the cheese pieces so that after defrosting you can use them within a week. Then the product begins to rapidly deteriorate.
- There are cheeses for which freezing is strictly contraindicated. These are products prepared without fermentation. After freezing, such cheeses turn into curd mass. Cheeses that should not be frozen are:
- home cooked;
- soft and semi-soft;
- with mold;
- spoiled and expired.
- The maximum storage time for cheese in the freezer is six months. Grated cheese and slices are stored for no more than 3 months, since after this period, the finely chopped product dries out.
- Use stickers. Label pieces of cheese with the storage date so you don't miss the expiration date.
- For freezing, you can use bags and parchment.
Cheeses with mold cannot be frozen, as mold microorganisms die at subzero temperatures.
Soft cheeses, when defrosted, lose a lot of liquid, acquire a grainy structure, and their taste deteriorates catastrophically.
Is it possible to freeze cream with cream?
Cream
made from whipped
cream
and powdered sugar
can also be frozen
. Use a pastry tip to pipe whipped cream onto parchment paper into cupcake top shapes and freeze. Then pack them in a tightly sealed container.
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What happens if you freeze cheese incorrectly?
If you store cheese incorrectly, it is very easy to spoil it. Improper freezing can also result in cheese spoilage.
Mistakes when freezing cheese:
- if you wrap cheese in cling film, it may acquire an unpleasant plastic taste;
- By storing large pieces of cheese, you will defrost them entirely, and if you do not have time to eat all the cheese in a few days, you will have to throw away the unused remainder;
- if you are going to use cheese for making pizza and other dishes, grate/cut it immediately, otherwise you will have to spend a long time cutting it;
- Do not store cheese in the freezer for longer than allowed; it will become too dry and its taste will deteriorate.
Proper freezing of different types
The procedure and principles for storing different cheeses in the freezer have much in common. There are only small nuances related to the structure and other features of this product.
Hard cheeses
Cheeses with a dense structure store better than other varieties. It is more profitable to pre-grind the product in one way or another - grate or cut into cubes. In this form, the product will be convenient to use for preparing pizza, baked goods, and other dishes.
Do not defrost cheese in the microwave. It will melt in it and lose all its beneficial properties.
Hard cheeses include Armenian Chanakh, Romano, Emmental, Maasdam and others. To make your task easier, buy cheese for freezing in vacuum packaging, then the process will be simplified as much as possible - you just throw the product into the freezer.
Parmesan
This Italian cheese is made from cow's milk and has a rich taste and aroma. After defrosting it does not crumble. Parmesan can be stored at -20°C for at least 2 months.
Don't put Parmesan in the corner of the freezer so you don't forget about it. Other products may block it, and you may simply not see the package of cheese.
Processed cheeses
Spreadable cheese can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time without compromising its consumer properties. Their shelf life, thanks to freezing, increases from 8-10 days to 3-4 months.
Processed cheeses are the most finicky. When thawed, they lose their presentation. It is used only for spreading toast and sandwiches. Cutting it into cubes will not work.
Suluguni
Suluguni is a cheese with a sour milk taste, moderately salty. Its consistency is thick. This is a layered and elastic cheese.
Before freezing suluguni, soak it in 20% brine. Or in serum. When the cheese structures absorb the liquid, drain the remaining liquid and pack it in an airtight container. Other pickled cheeses are frozen using the same scheme.
Adyghe cheese
This product belongs to the group of curd cheeses. He is able to adapt to frost. But the minimum freezing temperature is limited to -5°C. With this mode, the cheese retains its structure and other properties for 2 months.
Mozzarella
This young cheese, prepared according to an Italian recipe, can be stored in the freezer for the same amount of time as any other curd cheese - about 3 months. It is better not to unpack Mozzarella before storing it - it is better stored in an airtight container.
Similar to Mozzarella - in industrial packaging, Mascarpone, Philadelphia, Ricotta and Camembert are stored.
Cremette
This cream cheese is usually used to make creams. To provide themselves with an important ingredient and pay wholesale prices, many pastry chefs purchase large quantities of cremette. And to preserve it longer, they put it in freezers.
How to freeze cremette:
- Place the cheese in vacuum bags.
- Place the cremette in the freezer, placing the bags in a single layer.
- To ensure that the product freezes quickly, turn on the maximum cold setting.
- When the cheese is frozen, place the vacuum sealed bags into one large bag and seal it.
Almost all types of cream cheeses separate after defrosting. In this form they are only suitable for sauces, salads, and cheesecakes. Beat the defrosted cremette with a blender. It can be used in cooking, but not for creams. Some cream cheeses are able to return to their original consistency.
Dutch
There are many varieties and varieties of Dutch cheeses. The most popular are Gouda and Edam. Cheese lovers also appreciate Maasdam for its appetizing perforated structure.
Dutch cheeses with holes do not store well. It is recommended to freeze only varieties with a dense, hole-free structure.
How to freeze Dutch cheese:
- Cut the cheese into portions, for example, 150-200 g - as much as you may need.
- Wrap each piece in paper, and then put it in a bag and then in the freezer.
Camembert
This cheese has a moist and chewy center. Camembert resembles Brie, but is more difficult to freeze. While the cheese is ripening, it contains live fungi. But once they get into the freezer, they die. The cheese loses its unique taste.
Blast freezing helps to avoid loss of the taste of Camembert. There are freezers in which you can enable a similar function. The temperature should not be higher than -20°C.
Hochland
Hochland is a processed cheese and is frozen according to the same freezing rules. The main thing is not to freeze foods that contain perishable additives.
Hochland freezing procedure:
- Remove the cheese triangles from the packaging.
- Place them in the freezer for 2 hours. Turn on the coldest setting possible.
- Place the frozen triangles in a large bag, seal it, and place it back in the freezer.
Hochland cheese slices are frozen in a similar way - first they freeze them, scattering them around the freezer, and then put them in airtight packaging.
Is it possible to freeze cheese in the freezer, and then defrost it and eat it?
Some may be surprised, but the answer will be in the affirmative - cheese can indeed be frozen in the freezer. At temperatures below zero, its structure remains almost the same as before freezing.
It’s just better to freeze the product not as a whole piece, but already cut into small portion cubes or even grated on a coarse grater.
It turns out that hard cheese can and should be frozen!
The main thing is to prepare the product properly . Advice. There is no point in freezing hard cheeses such as Parmesan and Grana Padano. They can be stored perfectly in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 months. Keep in mind that all cheese contains moisture. Some varieties may begin to crumble after defrosting. Therefore, it is initially better to freeze them grated.
How to freeze grated cheese?
Many people have come across grated hard cheese in stores. If grocery chains see that cheese may lose taste due to its expiration date, it is “shaved.”
The grated cheese is placed in separate containers, vacuum-packed, and frozen. The product can be stored for several more months, but if it had remained in the form of a piece or a head, it would have long ago been “released” as an expired product.
Housewives can use this trick. Firstly, you can extend the shelf life of the cheese, and secondly, you will have ready-made cheese topping on hand for baking and various dishes that contain grated cheese as an ingredient.
Procedure for freezing grated cheese:
- Using a food processor or a classic coarse grater, grind the hard cheese. The chips should be large enough - there is no point in grinding the product into a mushy mass.
- Place the cheese shavings in a ziplock bag. There should be enough cheese to leave about 6-7 cm to the edge.
- Seal the bag so that there is no air inside. Write the date of bookmarking on the bag.
Another advantage of grated cheese is that it saves space in the freezer so that the product takes up minimal space.
Is it possible to freeze mascarpone?
Mascarpone is an Italian cream cheese. It was first started between the towns of Lodi and Abbiategrasso at the end of the 16th century. Currently, the product is popular in all countries. Its soft consistency allows the cheese to be used for preparing:
- creams;
- desserts;
- sandwiches;
- various types of snacks.
The delicacy is often used as a filler for tartlets with caviar and red fish. Some experts compare it to butter. It is just as fatty, but the taste is softer and creamier.
Lactic acid bacteria are not used in the production of mascarpone, so some experts believe that calling it cheese is only conditionally permissible. To make such a delicacy, the cream is heated and lemon juice or wine vinegar is added. This leads to coagulation of milk protein and separation of whey. Afterwards the product is cooled, pressed and other manipulations are carried out to remove whey.
Mascarpone can be stored for no more than 4 hours. This is the standard period for a delicacy prepared at home. Industrially produced cheese contains preservatives, so it can be stored for up to 4-5 months. Information about the production date and expiration dates is on each package. It should be borne in mind that after opening the jar, the period of safe storage is no more than 48 hours.
Freezing in cubes or bars
To freeze cheese into cubes/blocks, you will need a sharp knife, parchment or a piece of food foil, and special vacuum bags.
- Cut the cheese into pieces. Please note that the smaller the cubes, the shorter their shelf life. So don't be shallow. Cut into pieces that you can use at a time, or that are enough to prepare 1-2 dishes.
- Wrap the slices individually in parchment. It is advisable to also wrap them with foil paper on top - so that the product retains its taste properties as much as possible.
- Place the cheese wrapped in paper in bags - this will prevent the cheese from sticking to the internal surfaces of the freezer.
Don't forget to write the storage date on the container.
Why are some cheeses not worth freezing?
Very hard cheeses, such as Parmesan and Romano, can be frozen, but it is more advisable to store them in the refrigerator, where they do not lose their properties for several months. In this case, you will not be disappointed due to the loss of product quality that will certainly occur after freezing.
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Most cheeses with delicate aromas and flavors are not intended to be frozen. It is better to buy a little of them and eat them fresh. The same applies to fresh curd cheeses such as ricotta, cottage cheese and quark. This is due to the fact that they contain a large amount of moisture. Soft cheeses such as Camembert, Muenster or Fontaine benefit from ripening in the refrigerator. Eat them fresh.
To avoid damage by low temperatures to the beneficial bacteria needed to ripen blue cheese, use it fresh. Cheese spreads and processed cheeses are completely unsuitable for freezing.
Cheese without defrosting
By freezing cheese, you can not only increase its shelf life, but also simplify and shorten culinary processes. This becomes possible if unfrozen cheese is used during cooking.
If you expect to save time on defrosting, store chopped cheese, preferably grated. You can add it to dishes, ready-made and semi-ready dishes without defrosting.
Not defrosted cheese is added to:
- pizza;
- soups;
- casseroles;
- minced meat for meatballs and cutlets.
How to return frozen cream cheese to a uniform texture and smoothness
If you freeze cream cheese and later find that the texture has become grainy, then this texture is acceptable for frozen cream. The cheese will be visually different from unfrozen cheese and you can try to correct this texture. There are two ways to restore the smoothness of frozen cream.
- Microwave. Place the completely thawed cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Warm the cream for 5-10 seconds, stir and repeat until you get a creamy texture. During the heating stage, it is very important not to overheat the cheese so that it does not dry out around the edges, so try to mix thoroughly.
- Water bath . This method is convenient because you can control the heating process. And there is no risk of the cheese becoming dry and hardened like in a microwave oven. Place the cream cheese in a large glass bowl over a medium saucepan of water. And constantly stirring the mass until smooth.
Store thawed cream cheese in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 days after opening. I do not recommend using this cream for desserts. Therefore, defrosted cheese will be a great addition to your dishes where changes in texture are not so important.
