The Trick to Freezing Cheese
With all the sales on cheese right now, this seems like a timely time to share this little tip many years ago while selling Tupperware. Yep, I am that lady 🙂
We often see blocks of cheese on sale, especially in larger quantities. But, if you're like me, eating it all before the mold sets in can be difficult. So, how can you stretch those big blocks and stock-up on this commodity when it's priced for it's lowest? How about the freezer?
While I have frozen whole blocks of cheese like Cheddar, Pepperjack and even Mozzarella, beware, that the cheese will not be ideal for slicing and serving up on crackers after thawing. It ends up crumbly and is really only good for cooking afterwards.
How to Freeze Cheese
When I have an abundance of cheese on hand, I've found that shredding it before freezing is the best solution for preserving. It saves you the trouble of thawing a whole frozen block and dealing with a crumbling block while grating.
If I have a large quantity to shred, I break out my little Salad Shooter that I've blogged about before. The food processor will work too, I'm just not a fan of cleaning them. If you're using a hand grater, spray it with a bit of cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking to the grater.
The secret: To keep the cheese from sticking together, simply add about 1 Tablespoon of Cornstarch to every 8 oz. of cheese. Then pack it up in freezer bags and freeze away. It will store for several months, depending the dryness of your freezer. It's handy to dip into as needed for tacos, baked potatoes, casseroles, the uses are endless. You can't taste the cornstarch, even if you choose to thaw it.
Updated Note: This is only for cheese that comes in a block. If the cheese you purchase is already shredded, check the label. It probably already has a similar ingredient to prevent clumping and the addition of Corn Starch will not be necessary.
Posted by Joani
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