Frozen cheese is a perfect option if you want to keep it for cooking rather than eating raw. Let’s find out how to store cheese in freezer properly.
Why should you freeze cheese?
When you want to keep your cheese edible in the long term, freezing is a good choice. With other methods of storage, it is more likely for cheese to spoil. Although freezing process can destroy the taste and texture of cheeses, your cheese is still safe in terms of nutritional value. For frozen cheeses, you can store them for up to several months or even years.
Further reading: What Are the Best Cheap Freezers for Home Use?
What types of cheese can you freeze?
Different kinds of cheeses can be stored in freezer.
- Mozzarella: usually made from the buffalo milk
- Pizza cheese: a combination of two or more cheeses like Mozzarella or Provolone
- Cream cheese: made from unskimmed cow’s milk
- Hard and semi-hard cheese: blue cheese, cheddar, brick, and Swiss cheese
- Semi-soft cheese: goat cheese or Stilton
Even though the cheeses mentioned are suitable for freezing, they have some changes in texture once thawed. Therefore, you should freeze any cheese used for cooking instead of eating.
You may also like: How to Store Food in the Fridge Correctly?
How to store cheese properly in freezer?
Because each type of cheese has different methods to freeze, the proper freezing steps should be noticed.
Cheesecake
You can store it for one or two months.
- Arrange your cheesecake on a cardboard round. You can freeze many small portions or a whole cake
- Use a freezer-safe wrap to cover outside the cake, and add a layer of foil for better protection
- Put the round of cheesecake into the freezer
Cheese slices
With pre-packaged cheese slices, you need to move them into other containers and then, place them in the freezer.
For deli-sliced cheese:
- Separate each slice of cheese with parchment paper
- Cover cheese slices with a freezer-safe container
If you would like to enjoy sliced cheese with the best quality, you should use it within three months.
Cheese scones
- Cool down the cheese scones in order to keep them in the best condition instead of putting them in the freezer too early
- Place all of them into suitable containers. For best result, you should use wax or parchment paper to separate them completely
For frozen cheese scones, you can use them within three months.
Cheese curds
- Wrap cheese curds with wax or parchment paper. To maintain the best quality, you should add foil surrounding these cheese curds
- Place them into a large freezer-safe container
Cheese curds can last for three to four months in the freezer.
Cheese sauce
- Pour cheese sauce into an ice tray cubes
- Keep these cubes in the freezer overnight to make it tougher
- Transfer cheese sauce into sealed containers so that you are able to store it for any longer use.
Cheese sauce is better used within six months.
How to defrost frozen cheese?
There are three simple ways to thaw frozen cheese.
Using a microwave
Using microwave is the fastest way for you to defrost any frozen cheese. However, your cheese can become oily and wet after being microwaved. Therefore, only hard cheeses should be put into a microwave.
- Place frozen cheese in plate, bowl or other containers which are safe for microwave
- Set the lowest level for 30 to 45-second interval
- Use a butter knife to cut cheese in the middle to check whether the cheese is completely defrosted or not
With a refrigerator
Here are the steps.
- Remove frozen cheese with its packaging from the freezer into the cooling compartment. You should put this cheese on a tray or plate
- Keep it in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours depending on how thick your cheese is
After taking it out of the fridge, you should make use of this cheese as soon as possible. The longer you put thawed cheese in room temperature, the worse your cheese becomes.
Just leave it on the counter
For this method, the most important thing you should consider is to keep its original packaging in order to maintain the hardness. And this way should be applied when your recipe does not require much about your cheese texture.
- Place the cheese without removing its packaging on a plate, tray, or bowl
- Leave cheese on the counter for 2.5 to 3 hours based on which cheese you are using
Conclusion
It is possible for you to freeze different types of cheese for cooking purposes. Freezing is a great method to keep cheese fresh as long as possible. However, this can have many changes in the flavor and texture of cheese. Therefore, knowing how to store cheese in freezer properly is really necessary. And each kind of cheese has its own ways to defrost.
References:
- How to Defrost Cheese, wikihow.com, Retrieved July 29, 2021
- Can You Freeze Cheese, and Should You?, healthline.com, October 3, 2019
