Freeze Cheese
Tips on How To Freeze Cheese
The methods used to freeze cheese are basically the same for each type, though the fresh, soft types of cheese will call for a different storage procedure. To freeze cheese that has been sitting too long in your refrigerator, or that you fear may not make it until you get home from your trip, you will need the following supplies:
-A knife -Wax paper -A cookie sheet -A cheese grater -Heavy duty freezer bags
It is important that you try to plan ahead, as attempting to freeze cheese which has already started to dry or crack will not render good results. These pieces become fragile and crumbly, and are more prone to freezer burn than the more moist pieces are. You will want to line your cookie sheet with a solid piece of wax paper, and set it aside until the cheese has been readied for the next step.
Grating or slicing the cheese is the best method for this process, as large bricks or rounds of cheese, no matter how well they are sealed, will freeze too quickly at the outer edges and squeeze the moisture toward the middle. This natural process can ruin the cheese, making it hard and brittle on the outer edges and to soggy on the inside. The cheese can also be cubed, and a size no larger than 1 cubic inch will work just fine for the freezing process.
Once you have sliced, grated, or cubed your freezer bound cheese, you will want to lay the slices or cubes separately in a single layer. Grated cheeses should be sprinkled in a thin layer as well. Try to avoid stacking another layer on top of the first one, as the bottom may not freezer as quickly as the top layer. The cookie sheet can then be placed in the freezer.
You will need to baby sit the cheese a bit, as you want to pull the cookie sheet just before the cheese pieces are completely frozen. The grated cheese, of course, will require less time than the sliced and cubed morsels. Once the nearly frozen cheese has been removed, it is ready to be stored. Your grated cheese will need to be poured into a freezer bag immediately, and you will then squeeze all of air from it, seal the bag firmly and get it back into the freezer as quickly as possible.
For storage of the frozen slices, a piece of wax paper should be placed between each individual one. The natural draw of the internal moisture of cheese which occurs during the freezing process will cause the thawed cheese to be a bit more sticky. If these steps are followed, however, there should be no compromise in the original taste of your cheese.