Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese?
Cottage cheese can be frozen, however, it may change its texture after thawing, and it can become crumbly and watery. It’s best to use it in cooked dishes or smoothies after thawing. To freeze cottage cheese, it’s important to transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag and to remove as much air as possible. It can last for up to 6 months in the freezer, but it’s best to use it within 3 months for the best quality.
The truth is, if you attempt to freeze any kind of cheese, including sour cream, cottage cheese, or cream cheese, you are going to get an abrupt change in any kind of cheeses texture. Once frozen, flavor and appearance are significantly affected, although the cheese will still retain the majority of its nutrients. The cheese, once frozen, separates and becomes crumbly if initially firm, or becomes crystallized if mild. Any cheese will turn crumbly if it was hard to begin with or crystallize if it was soft, so only buy what you need and keep in the refrigerator.
| Steps | |
| Divide | Divide the cottage cheese |
| Place | Place them in a freezer bag |
| Seal | Seal them tightly |
| Label | Label each bag |
| Store | Store the bags in the freezer |
Cottage cheese will not be good for eating on its own or as a topping, because its texture and flavor changes during the freezing process. Yes, you can freeze dried cottage cheese up to 6 months, and what is more, it freezes very well; the curds become lighter. Low-fat cottage cheese, which has a smaller proportion of dairy fat, does not freeze well, but you can still make it. There will not be as much liquid that comes out of the cheese when thawed compared to low fat varieties.
Next time if you have cheese you want to use, you can just thaw these cheeses in small portions anytime you need them. If you are not planning on using the cheese for long, or you would rather have the lower-fat/fat-free versions, I recommend considering some other options before freezing first. When you are short on options, freezing your cheese is a safer choice if you have to store the cheese for future use. If for some reason, you are having trouble with excess cheese in your fridge, the best choice is to consume it while it is still fresh.
Now, the original form of cottage cheese does not freeze very well, but if you are including it into cooked dishes such as lasagna or quiche, then you are completely fine with freezing that dish. Unlike when freezing cheese slices, or how you can freeze cheddar cheese, it is important to understand that frozen cottage cheese is not ideal to eat straight from the container after thawing due to texture changes. Recipes that call for a Cottage Cheese look should work well with thawed Cottage Cheese, since the baking process may help make the change in texture less apparent. Before freezing, give frozen cottage cheese a quick mix so that all ingredients are well-mixed, thereby reducing the amount of separating when it is thawed.
Add a couple minutes of cooking time to account for the thawing, and make sure to mix occasionally to ensure that dairy products are melting and spreading evenly. Think about how you plan on using your dairy once it is defrosted, and divide accordingly. Freezing is a bit more complicated than freezing other dairy products, but it can definitely be done.
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It works if you are eating the frozen thing right out of the fridge, but I would suggest eating it once thawed, just to be sure that it is still quite fresh. While using a cooler to defrost cottage cheese takes longer than using water, the thawing process is safer, and allows some moisture content in the package to preserve its natural flavour. Now here are the final instructions to store your cheese in the fridge, and to thaw properly once you have done so.
Just follow the instructions we have provided here on the correct packing, and you will be able to freeze your cheese for later in your favorite recipes. Never fear storing sale cheese again, as you can now learn proper ways to store cheese to use later. Even after following the tips mentioned above for storing both hard and soft cheeses, consider getting smaller portions if they are susceptible to going bad fast.
Cheese is generally the one thing that is ideal to freeze; however, it is harder for soft cheeses than it is for hard cheeses like cheddar or Gouda. Soft cheeses have higher moisture content, which is different from many other types of cheeses, and this impacts the way that they freeze. To properly store most soft cheeses, you need to ensure the cheese is still lightly exposed to air. You might think cheese is perfect to freeze, but it is just a bit more difficult for soft cheeses than it is for harder cheeses like gouda or cheddar.
Soft cheese means this cheese has that creamier, softer feeling that some of the other cheeses (gouda, colby, cheddar…), plus, it has more moisture. You might also find the cheese to have a slightly dank flavor, with some damp spots where the cheese starts splitting. Rapid aging often increases a cheeses moisture content, giving it a strange taste.
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When you keep a hard cheese in the cooler half of your fridge, this will often delay the aging process and spoil the texture. Do not leave your frozen cheese in the room temperature for more than two hours, and only use a clean, unused utensil when handling it. If you tightly cover the cheese, set a proper temperature in your refrigerator (below 40F), and handle your cheese with only clean utensils, it will remain edible up to 10 days. When freezing your own homemade cottage cheese, put your whole sealed container into a freezer-safe bag to add an extra layer of protection from freezer burn.
Why should cream cheese and cottage cheese not be frozen?
Because cream cheese is roughly half water, it is super sensitive to the formation and melting of ice crystals during freezing and thawing. When ice crystals form, previously emulsified water separates from the cheese curds, resulting in grainy, ricotta-like thawed cheese.
Can cottage cheese be cooked?
Cooking cottage cheese is pretty easy to do. All you need to do is heat it until it is soft and then add it to your recipe. Cottage cheese can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. So, can cottage cheese be cooked? Yes, it can!
Can you freeze sour cream?
Sour cream is a dairy product made from cream that has been fermented with lactic acid bacteria. If you want to freeze it, then you can freeze sour cream. However, it should be noted that freezing sour cream will change its texture. But it can be added in many recipes!