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The Kitchen Table

Freezing cheese??

11 years ago

I was gifted with LOADS of various cheeses for Christmas, and wonder if I can freeze some of it. I googled my question and got such varying answers. I would be using the Foodsaver to pack it. Someone said to wrap it in clingwrap before sealing it, so I thought that might help.

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Comments (10)

nicole__
11 years ago
I freeze cheese ALL the time!!!!! Nothing "helps" It crumbles when you unfreeze it. That's the ONLY drawback.
colleenoz
11 years ago
You can freeze the cheese but as Nicole says, the texture will suffer. It won't be a slicing cheese any more. It will be good for any use you want cheese crumbles for, such as cooking or melting, or eating squished on a cracker (but that won't look very elegant).
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Let me specifically address freezing cream cheese. I ALWAYS have several pounds of it in the freezer. There's such a range of price for it (.89 on sale, up to 2.50 when it's not) that I buy loads when it's cheap, pop the boxes into ziplock bags and toss into the freezer until needed. 'They' say not to freeze it because when defrosted, it gets an odd, splintery texture. Here's the fix. Let the cream cheese (in the package) defrost completely to room temp. Put in your electric mixer and beat 5-10 minutes and it will smooth out beautifully. Alternatively, you can put the defrosted cheese in a microwave container, zap 1-2 minutes, then stir with a spoon. Either way, the cheese will taste and look perfectly fine. I use it in cheesecake, for dips, and as a spread. And by freezing cream cheese, you can save many, many $$$ in the course of a year
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Georgysmom
11 years ago
If they're aged cheeses, they should last pretty long in the refrigerator. Store them wrapped well and in the lower portion of the fridge. Hard cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan freeze better than soft cheeses such as brie. You might also want to share them with someone. Last year my daughter received a large gift package of cheese which was too plentiful for just two people so we benefited by it, too.
gadgets
11 years ago
I have used my Foodsaver and kept cheese in the refrigerator for as long as almost 3 months. Tasted/looked like when I first bought it and no problems with crumbling when slicing.

Shirley
chisue
11 years ago
An Italian friend told me to add a smidge of ground black pepper to grated Parmesan or Romano to preserve it from mold a little longer in the fridge.
YogaLady1948
11 years ago
I keep a couple of bags od shredded cheese always in the freezer for add ins to some dishes no problem but it is shredded. I served a cheese platter at Christmas I learned you have to let the cheese get to room temp before slicing, maybe if the frozen cheese gets to room temp it would be easier to slice also???
SunnyDJ
11 years ago
I freeze a lot of our cheese...When it's on sale, I buy more and divide and freeze.....Most of the time, I have sliced American in the freezer and so far I haven't had any crumble.......
User
11 years ago
I freeze the shredded cheese from the store with no problems.
I don't know how a block of cheese would do.
phyllis__mn
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks, all....DD brought over her FoodSaver and we sealed it all. According to her manual, cheese will keep in the refrigerator for a number of months if well wrapped. So that is where it is.
cynic
11 years ago
While I'd freeze shredded for short term storage, I wouldn't freeze block. In that case, I'd give it away so it could be used and enjoyed while it's at its best. Refrigerating is the best option and the vacuum sealing will help. Plan Atkins for a while Phyllis!

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