Others may have a different opinion but I found a texture issue the one and only time I tried to freeze a cheese ball. Mind you I have made them a full week, or more, in advance an kept refrigerated.

My favourite cheese "ball" is one I make up with all the bits and bobs of cheese I find myself. I use cream cheese as the base and add grated "everything in the cheese bin" add mayo, a bit of Tabasco and chopped onion. I place in crocks and serve as a spread. Great way to use up cheese and it keeps really well. The last batch I made lasted 2 weeks.

Some cheeses freeze well....well actually all cheese freezes well...it's in the defrosting where we get into trouble!!
I freeze blue cheese all the time, defrost in the refrigerator and all is well, no loss of texture. But cream cheese gets crumbly, as does mozzerella.
I think ti has to do with the fat content...I suspect that with all the added mayo, your cheese ball would be fine....but I don't know as i have never frozen a cheese ball. BUT, I have seen them in the speciality case at some stores....but maybe they were made of "faux cheese"..LOL!

Thanks Chase and Linda. I just wanted to get ahead and make up about 3 of these. Have several occasions that require a "finger food" type of thing coming up in the next couple of weeks.
I have frozen chunks of cheese before but Linda is right...it sometimes just doesn't work and I won't risk it this time.
Will prepare as I go or make something else.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Also, you're never supposed to freeze mayonnaise.

I definitely would not freeze that recipe.

However, about freezing cream cheese? I do it all the time. I leave it in the original package, and put it in a ziplock bag. Freeze. When you defrost, the cream cheese will have a very splintery texture. It's fine for using in recipes. If you want to serve it as a spread or for a dip--all you have to do is let it come to room temperature and then beat it with your electric mixer for 5 minutes or so. It will smooth out and be fine.

Back in the day when I made lots of cheese balls during the holidays, I found they kept well for weeks just wrapped well and put in the refrigerator.

BTW, that cheese ring with the strawberry jam is soooo good!

Teresa

The cheesed ball I make won't keep more than 4 or 5 days in the refrig...because it contains blue cheese and the whole thing starts to turn to blue fuzz!

How should they be wrapped to freeze wax paper or plastic wrap?

Boy...I have learned a lot in 3 years!! My cheeseball, which is mostly cream cheese, some grated cheddar and some blue cheese and seasonings, freezes well. I wrap it in that self cling Saran and then into a freezer bag.
Waxed paper won't keep it from drying out.

FWIW, parchment paper makes a good sub for freezer paper - it's what I use, w/ foil over that. I've found that plastic films breathe & can allow off flavours to penetrate the foods & also cause things to get freezer burn more rapidly.

I would avoid something w/ mayo in it too - wouldn't it separate/curdle?

Do Not Freeze List

I suggest that the chick who wrote that no not freeze list has no idea what she is talking about. At one point in my life I regularly kept a bag of chopped green peppers in the refrig for tossing into scrambled eggs, I sure have frozen celery for soups and stews, cheese freezes very well Maytag Dairy offers directions for freezing and thawing blue cheese, as do other cheese purveyors. I sure have frozen milk and cream. Pasta and rice freeze very well. I try to always have some cooked rice and pasta in the freezer for a quick meal of some quick fried veggies and a little sauce and the thawed rice or pasta.
And I have a handful of parsley in my freezer....most of it will go into a chicken broth.

Here's a list from a different source - maybe better?

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/food/8-foods-you-should-never-ever-freeze

Vegetables you want to eat crisp and raw, won't be crisp after freezing....but are fine for cooking. I can't think of any cooked vegetables I wouldn't freeze.

The mayo would be my hesitation to freeze. Some recipes would freeze better than others me thinks. I would probably prep some of the parts ahead in kit form. Maybe grate the cheese now and portion in 1 lb zip lock getting all the air out. You could even add the spice and pepper. Chives and/or another herb would add nice color and flavor. Assemble the night before the first event and fridge them. (i think you have three balls to make?)

The no-freeze lists are fine, even the first one posted if you read the copy. It was mentioned to not expect fresh when thawed, but perfectly edible to cook with.

I recently roasted a half dozen red peppers and a few dozen halapenos, chopped/sliced, then froze in small useful portions. A bag of limes i juiced and froze in ice cube trays. Meyer lemons i freeze whole and grate a bit as needed...

Many things freeze fine if used in cooking or cubed fruit going straight into a smoothy.

Saran is a nice tight way to seal something like a cheese ball to keep its shape and get all the air out but it should be further sealed in something heavier like a freezer thick zip-lock. Or foil. Or freezer wrap, parchment.

I use to make something i called an AntHill. Lined a small half dome soup bowl with saran, then line it with paper thin provolone from my deli. Lay in some nice herb leaves, chives, basil, parsley, thin slivers of sundried tomatoes...then another layer of thin prov...a layer of nutty pesto, then my cheese ball filling...usually white cheddar, cream cheese and some spice. Fold over the excess saran and chill overnight. Flipped over and un-molded it had a nice see-through design of herbs. Sprinkled with a trail of toasted black sesame seeds for the ants. It was my holiday go-to dish for a few years. Easy to travel to parties.

Something like that, kept cold in a ceramic bowl in a chilly part of the fridge, i would be fine making it 4-5 days in advance. I would not freeze it for NewYears if i made it today. But i would shop for the ingredients and have them ready to make a day or two in advance. Cheese grated, herbs washed, and ready for assembly the night before.

There's a recipe I used to make....with mayo and parmesan and some chopped green onions and I forget what else. you spread it on toasted English muffins, cut into 4ths and bake....I have frozen these many many times>
I can see that a container of mayo would not freeze well and would likely separate....but really mayo is just egg, oil, lemon and seasoning....
With a cup and a half of nuts and a whole pound of cheese grated...likely about 2 1/2 cups at least....you won't have any troubles freezing it. The only problem I might see is that the onions would no longer be crisp....so make sure they are VERY finely chopped.

I was imagining that recipe in the original might wind up w/ a mealy/grainy texture...

I'm quite sure it would not. I make something very similar but with cream cheese and not mayonnaise. Cream cheese is even less moist than mayo....and it's not at all grainy.