In the kitchen, mozzarella is very versatile. It can be used to enrich a salad with tomatoes, giving rise to the famous Caprese salad. Moreover, mozzarella can be served as an appetizer before an important lunch and can be used to prepare many recipes.
Inevitably, mozzarella is one of the fundamental ingredients of pizza, with which it forms a winning combination of tastes.
But if we buy or a large quantity of mozzarella cheese? What to do? Certainly, we cannot eat it all at once, and not even a few days would be enough to consume it. Do we have to give it away, or can the mozzarella be frozen?
In this guide, we’ll share with you everything you need to know about freezing mozzarella cheese, and we’ll walk you through every step of the process and share with you our top tips and tricks for you to freeze your cheese successfully.
Can You Freeze Mozzarella Cheese?
Yes, you can freeze mozzarella cheese. Like most dairy products and other varieties of cheeses, mozzarella cheese has a short shelf life. Freezing can lengthen the shelf life of mozzarella cheese by up to nine months.
Although mozzarella cheese is not the most suitable for freezing, this does not mean that it is impossible. However, It may lose its texture and taste during the freezing process.
Freezing fresh mozzarella significantly changes its texture, and the taste often suffers as well.
How Do I Freeze Fresh Mozzarella?
You can store fresh mozzarella cheese in its original packaging. Foil and cardboard boxes provide more than enough protection against freezer burn. If you have used your mozzarella cheese on your plate and you now have a quantity left, you can always go with the option of freezing it.
You can freeze fresh mozzarella cheese by following these simple instructions, and you will be well on your way to using this product in the best way you can.
DEHYDRATION: Remove all excess water from the mozzarella cheese by pressing it on a spoon and kitchen paper. This is the water that majorly freezes and greatly modifies the texture of your mozzarella and reduces its quality.
DISTRIBUTE THE PRODUCT: It is always a good idea to freeze items in small portions so that you do not open and expose unused items to the air around. You can use different sized containers to store various portion sizes and use them at your convenience.
Using this approach, you will also not leave room for waste, thus eliminating all the chances of freezing it again once you use it.
ENSURE YOUR MOZZARELLA CHEESE IS INSULATED: To ensure maximum shelf life, ensure your product is isolated in an airtight container. You can also use foil to cover dishes that do not come with an airtight lid.
USE A SEALABLE PLASTIC BAG: you can also store the mozzarella cheese in small portions on an ice tray. Once stored in small cubes, you can put them in a resealable plastic bag and put them in the freezer. Be sure to remove any excess air before sealing the bag.
How Long Does Mozzarella Cheese Last in the Freezer?
If the mozzarella cheese is properly stored, it will retain its best quality for about nine months. And to ensure the proper storage of mozzarella cheese, it has to be kept in an airtight container or wrapped in aluminum foil, then sealed and put in a freezer bag.
Mozzarella cheese can be frozen for almost nine months, and it’s worth knowing that the longer the cheese is left in the refrigerator, the worse the taste.
Can You Eat Mozzarella After It Is Frozen?
Yes, of course! Freezing mozzarella cheese will only make it dry out, but it will still be perfectly edible and totally fine for consumption.
Moreover, frozen mozzarella cheese will remain safe and healthy to eat, but it’ll change the texture and become crumbly once defrosted. Defrosted fresh mozzarella cheese turns out to be watery.
Therefore it’s advisable you skip deforestation if excess moisture can ruin your dish.
How Freezing Affects Mozzarella Cheese?
Ice crystals will begin to form on and in the cheese in the refrigerator. This has many effects, but the most significant is that it affects taste and texture. Most cheeses become harder, and the longer they freeze, the easier they will break.
When mozzarella freezes, the water expands and begins to break down the structure of the cheese. This is the cause of the texture change. In the beginning, hard cheeses contain less water, which is why they freeze more easily than soft cheeses.
Can You Eat Expired Cheese if It Is Frozen?
Generally, mozzarella should be consumed within 2-3 days after the expiration date, as long as the surface does not appear altered or yellowed.
Eating mozzarella that has expired for ten days exposes you to the danger of Listeria monocytogenes. It is a highly pathogenic bacterium for humans, even at low levels.
Therefore, care must be taken because this bacterium can multiply even if the mozzarella cheese is subjected to refrigeration. Listeria infection can also be detected in dairy products prepared with unpasteurized milk.
Most at risk are people with impaired immune systems: cancer patients, diabetes, AIDS, the elderly, infants, and pregnant women.
Can You Freeze Mozzarella Cheese in Brine?
Freezing mozzarella cheese is a very nice idea, but freezing in brine is not recommended. This freezing method will only pave the way for ruining your cheese, and if you continue freezing your mozzarella cheese in brine, it will alter the texture and flavor of the cheese.
Moreover, with this freezing method, you will end up with a block of frozen brine that will take a longer time to defrost.
How to Defrost Frozen Mozzarella Cheese?
Freezing mozzarella cheese is something, but deforestation also requires a certain skill. So how do you defrost mozzarella?
The first safer way to use it is to defrost your frozen mozzarella by keeping it in the fridge overnight.
The other way you can use it is to defrost your frozen mozzarella in a bowl of cold water. It is advised to use the mozzarella that has been thawed in this way immediately.
Finally, suppose you have already divided the mozzarella into the portion you need on the plate. In that case, you can add the frozen mozzarella directly to the plate during cooking, do not forget to set the cooking time for thawing and heating frozen mozzarella.
Keep in mind that defrostation is an important process for dairy products such as mozzarella cheese. If the thawing is not done properly, the mozzarella cheese may lose its consistency, and its texture will change completely, making the cheese unfavorable for consumption.
After defrosting, consume it immediately because it is not recommended to completely re-freeze the mozzarella cheese.
How to Know if Mozzarella Is Gone Bad?
The appearance is moldy, with blue mold spots and long fine hairs, and the appearance of peculiar smell means that it has deteriorated. If it is a whole piece of cheese, cut off the green outer layer, and you can eat it. If it is shredded, then it cannot be eaten because it is already moldy.
These green hairs are not the same as the mold grown by the fermentation of cheese itself. This kind of mold may be harmful and harmful to the body, so it is best not to eat it. Mozzarella is one of the few types of cheese that can be frozen. If you freeze it in a fresh-keeping box, it will not be a problem to keep it for nine months.
It is convenient to put it in the refrigerator one day before eating. However, please note that repeated freezing and thawing of mozzarella cheese will affect the drawing effect. You can divide it into small portions and freeze them separately. Take a packet out, thaw, and keep the others frozen if you want to eat.
Conclusion
Freezing mozzarella is a simple and easy-to-use method. If you take our tips to heart, you will no longer have to worry about too much or too little mozzarella in the future, as you will always have some cheese on hand in the freezer and you will no longer feel compelled to throw away the excess cheese.
