Tips For Freezing Your Cheese

If you recently found a great deal on your favorite cheese, then you will be glad to know that it is completely safe to freeze cheese. You can thaw and then eat almost any frozen cheese, although you should expect the texture to be slightly different. These tips can help you get the best out of your frozen cheese.

Freeze For Later Cooking

Because freezing cheese tends to change the texture of it, it is ideal to only freeze it if you plan to use it for cooking. You can still eat the cheese by itself after you thaw it out, but it will probably be crumbly. The flavor will luckily still be the same, even if the texture is different. Instead, consider freezing the cheese you will use in casseroles, soups, and sauces.

Ideal Cheese To Freeze

The best types of cheese to freeze tend to be firmer, with Swiss, Gouda, and cheddar being the ideal examples. You can also freeze Romano, Provolone, Port du Salut, Parmesan, Muenster, Mozzarella, Edam, and Camembert. Soft cheese, on the other hand, doesn’t freeze as well, so although you may get away with freezing a block of cream cheese that you plan to cook with, you should otherwise avoid freezing cream cheese, ricotta, or cottage cheese.

Packaging And Freezing

The goal of freezing cheese is to slow down the process of bacterial growth and in order to do so, you need to ensure that the cold from the freezer reaches every area of the cheese. Most experts suggest that you don’t freeze cheese in blocks that are bigger than a half pound each.

When you freeze a hard cheese (like Swiss or cheddar), you can reasonably keep it in the freezer for up to six months and the same is true even of soft cheeses like Brie. Before putting the cheese in the freezer, wrap it up using resealable freezer bags, plastic wrap, or some other material that is moisture-proof.

Thawing And Using The Cheese

When it comes time to thaw out your cheese, you will simply leave the wrapper on and move the cheese to your refrigerator until it thaws. You need to use this newly thawed cheese within two to three days to take full advantage of it. Keep in mind that it will be hard to slice frozen cheese, but you can easily grate it. As such, if you plan on using the cheese as slices, slice it before freezing, but feel free to store it in chunks if you plan on grating it.