Would you eat this—cheese edition

[MEmama]

Cotija cheese, sell by 2/22.

I was going to use it on a frittata for dinner, but is it too far gone? The package hasn’t been opened yet.

[KatieJ]

I don’t know that kind of cheese, but I think you would know it was bad.

[Corraleno]

As long as it's not moldy, it should be fine.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Open it and see. If it’s moldy throw it out. If it smells vinegary throw it out. 

[MEmama]

Ok, I dared to open the package—there’s no discoloration or mold and it smells fine, so I’ll use it tonight and put the rest in the freezer if we don’t all die of food poisoning. 🤣

[wintermom]

I've never heard of that kind of cheese. I looks kind of like paremsan. Does is have a similar consistancy to that? Hope it was tasty and you don't get poisoned. 😉 

[Dianthus]

40 minutes ago, wintermom said:

I've never heard of that kind of cheese. I looks kind of like paremsan. Does is have a similar consistancy to that? Hope it was tasty and you don't get poisoned. 😉 

No, it's soft and often crumbles. More like Feta. I'd be more concerned with soft cheese spoiling, but if unopened and smells and tastes fine, I'd use it. I often buy big blocks of cotija and freeze it in dinner sized portions to serve with Mexican food.

[MEmama]

47 minutes ago, wintermom said:

I've never heard of that kind of cheese. I looks kind of like paremsan. Does is have a similar consistancy to that? Hope it was tasty and you don't get poisoned. 😉 

It’s a firm, Mexican style cheese. It freezes really well. 

[Eos]

Yes.

[wintermom]

2 minutes ago, MEmama said:

It’s a firm, Mexican style cheese. It freezes really well. 

Salty like parmesan? I love a hard, salty cheese. We get a lot of cheeses from the UK now, and very few from the US or Mexico. What do you use it for? 

[MEmama]

10 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Salty like parmesan? I love a hard, salty cheese. We get a lot of cheeses from the UK now, and very few from the US or Mexico. What do you use it for? 

Yes, it’s quite salty. It bakes well so I like to use it on things like enchiladas, and it broils really nicely on top of vegetarian frittatas. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I would describe cotija as the love child of parmesan + feta.

[skimomma]

I was just going to start a post asking if cotija cheese can be frozen!  I can only get it here is quantities much too large to use before it spoils.  I'm glad I always hit the "would you eat this" threads!  Any tips for freezing?  Crumbled or not?

[Spy Car]

19 hours ago, wintermom said:

I've never heard of that kind of cheese. I looks kind of like paremsan. Does is have a similar consistancy to that? Hope it was tasty and you don't get poisoned. 😉 

I would class Cojita (which I love) as a fresh cheese and one with a much higher risk factor for bacterial contamination than aged cheese.

I would not risk it, personally.

Bill

 

 

[Spy Car]

18 hours ago, wintermom said:

Salty like parmesan? I love a hard, salty cheese. We get a lot of cheeses from the UK now, and very few from the US or Mexico. What do you use it for? 

As @MEmama suggests, cotija makes a great topping.

Nice for topping salads, tacos, soups, beans, even pasta. It doesn't require using much to get a nice lift.

The description above by @prairiewindmomma is very good one. Cotija has flavor notes that are more in common with parmesan, but it still retains some softness to it, as it is a fresh cheese. It is fairly salty.

Bill

 

[MEmama]

22 minutes ago, skimomma said:

I was just going to start a post asking if cotija cheese can be frozen!  I can only get it here is quantities much too large to use before it spoils.  I'm glad I always hit the "would you eat this" threads!  Any tips for freezing?  Crumbled or not?

I just freeze the chunks in a ziplock bag and crumble it as needed (doesn’t need to thaw first). 

[MEmama]

11 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I would class Cojita (which I love) as a fresh cheese and one with a much higher risk factor for bacterial contamination than aged cheese.

I would not risk it, personally.

Bill

 

 

Weeeellll… I risked it. 😬 Thankfully none of us got sick and we are very much alive today so maybe we got lucky. The remaining cheese is tucked safely away in the freezer for future use. 

[Spy Car]

4 hours ago, MEmama said:

Weeeellll… I risked it. 😬 Thankfully none of us got sick and we are very much alive today so maybe we got lucky. The remaining cheese is tucked safely away in the freezer for future use. 

I'm very glad. I'm usually on the side of "no way would I eat that" on such threads, except with cheese, except fresh cheese (where I'm cautious).

Taking a good look and a whiff is generally a reliable clue, but that's hard over the internet. Glad you didn't waste it on my account.

Cotija is an oddball in being somewhat in between fresh and actually being aged.

Here in LA we see a lot that leans towards fresco, where I suppose añejo variants are more commonly packaged elsewhere (for extended life).

Anyway, something for people to try if they like this sort of thing. Very little Cotija goes a long way. And delicious. And makes a plate look pretty.

Bill