Freezing Cheese

[Country Girl]

I bought a big block of mozzarella and I need to know the best way to preserve it. I primarily use mozzarella shredded so I was thinking I could shred it all and freeze it that way. My other thought was to cut it into smaller blocks and wrap and freeze those blocks. Will one method preserve the cheese better than the other? Any other thoughts on the best way to store it?

 

Thanks!

[Deb in NZ]

I grate my cheese & freeze it in ziploc bags. When I need some cheese I can hit the bag on the table & the frozen "block" of grated cheese breaks apart easily. Frozen, grated cheese can be used without defrosting & keeps much, much longer than grated cheese in the fridge. It's nice to grab just the amount I need when making pizza, mac & cheese, burritos, etc. Frozen cheese isn't ideal for cheese & crackers or salad, but anything in which the cheese will "melt" is fine for frozen cheese.

[jenangelcat]

If you don't grate it first it will crumble apart when it's defrosted. The only exception for hard cheeses that I have found is medium aged cheddar. It comes out the same texture as it was before it was frozen.

[LuvToRead]

I freeze cheese all the time. Sometimes I pre-grate, sometimes I don't. Like the PP does, all you need to do is bang the bag and it will loosen and you can use the amount you need. The whole blocks do crumble, but that's never been an issue for me. It's a great way to buy cheese when it's on sale, and keep it fresh. I probably have 20 blocks of cheese in my freezer.

[Katiebug_1976]

I grate my cheese & freeze it in ziploc bags. When I need some cheese I can hit the bag on the table & the frozen "block" of grated cheese breaks apart easily. Frozen, grated cheese can be used without defrosting & keeps much, much longer than grated cheese in the fridge. It's nice to grab just the amount I need when making pizza, mac & cheese, burritos, etc. Frozen cheese isn't ideal for cheese & crackers or salad, but anything in which the cheese will "melt" is fine for frozen cheese.

:iagree:This is what I do and it works wonderfully. I love it when cheese goes on sale!

[Janie Grace]

I just froze two blocks of mozzarella and they defrosted just fine. Not crumbly at all, maybe b/c it's a softer cheese.

[Mommee & Baba]

I grate my cheese & freeze it in ziploc bags. When I need some cheese I can hit the bag on the table & the frozen "block" of grated cheese breaks apart easily. Frozen, grated cheese can be used without defrosting & keeps much, much longer than grated cheese in the fridge. It's nice to grab just the amount I need when making pizza, mac & cheese, burritos, etc. Frozen cheese isn't ideal for cheese & crackers or salad, but anything in which the cheese will "melt" is fine for frozen cheese.

 

This is what I do as well.

 

When cheese goes on sale and I have a coupon to match it and get a great deal I load up and just toss the bags into the freezer. Been doing this for years with no problems.

[Country Girl]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to shred it all and freeze it in baggies as suggested. It will also be a bit of a timesaver later when I'm making pizza, baked pastas, etc.