Mozzarella is a delicious and tasty sort of soft cheese that is often used in almost every kitchen. However, it often happens that sometimes quite a lot of it remains unused after cooking. Can mozzarella cheese be frozen you may ask? How to do it in the right way?
Find out how to do it below.
Related: Fresh Cheese. Useful Tips About Cheese
What Is Mozzarella and How It Is Made
Mozzarella cheese was first invented in Italy, in the area called Battipalgia. Originally it is produced of milk that is received from an Italian buffalo raised in special conditions. However, nowadays this sort of cheese is mostly produced with cow milk and can be sold in various shapes like strings, balls, slices and also as cheese blocks.
It is very interesting how mozzarella is manufactured.
- First, the milk is affected by heat
- Then it is removed into a special machine that separates the cream from it
- Then it is curled by the whey until it is mature
- The next step is to soften the cheese and separate it into small balls
- Right after that, the cheese is immersed into cold water and then picked out of it
Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash
Related: Can You Freeze Goat Cheese?
Why Is Mozzarella Good to Eat?
Mozzarella is not only tasty and nutritious, but it is also very healthy. This sort of dairy product contains calcium which is very important for our body, teeth, and bones. Besides, mozzarella is rich with phosphorous which helps our bodies to process calcium better.
This cheese contains a lot of biotin which is not only good for our hair and nails but also keeps our blood sugar level in order.
Eating mozzarella often will also help to fight migraines and anemia as this cheese includes riboflavin. And finally, mozzarella is a find for those who are always on a diet as niacin that it contains helps us to turn fat into energy instead of remaining on our hips and waist!
That is why if you know how to freeze fresh mozzarella, you will always have the endless source of healthy vitamins and elements at home.
Related: Tips for How Can You Freeze Cream Cheese at Home
Freezing Mozzarella. All You Ever Wanted to Know
If you are a cheese-lover and mozzarella is a frequent guest in your kitchen, you may wonder how to store it properly to help the cheese last longer without losing taste and softness.
Freshly made mozzarella is always very smooth and stretchy and is often sold in a pack with a liquid inside. Can you freeze mozzarella cheese so that it won’t lose its specific features? Yes, you can!
How to freeze mozzarella properly?
- To begin with, depending on the type of mozzarella it must be frozen in a different way. For example, if we talk about soft mozzarella, the special bags would be the best choice.
If it is about how to freeze mozzarella cheese cut in small pieces, use its original packaging.
For freezing mozzarella in slices, freezer bags together with wax paper are better.
- If cheese slices must be frozen, take waxed paper and slice the pieces of cheese with it like a sandwich. Put everything into the bag, squeeze the air out and close. Freeze afterward.
- Can you freeze mozzarella shredded cheese? Yes, and it is very easy.
For freezing shredded mozzarella cheese, you will require a plastic wrapping, a baking paper, and a freezer bag.
Take a sheet of baking paper and spread the mozzarella over it in a thin layer.
Apply some flour (just a little bit) over the cheese to prevent it from sticking together.
Put this cheesed baking paper into the fridge for 10 minutes until the cheese gets harder.
Then cut the mozzarella into smaller bits and wrap them with a plastic wrapping. Remember to squeeze the air from the packaging!
Put the slices into the bags and freeze.
- Can you freeze fresh mozzarella? Well…With fresh mozzarella, it is a bit more tricky as when being freshly made, this cheese must be consumed no later than the day after it was produced. Otherwise, when being frozen and defrosted again, it will lose its taste and texture. So, if you do freeze it, make sure you will use it within the next two days.
Frozen Mozzarella. How to Defrost?
Freezing mozzarella is a thing, but defrosting also requires certain skills!
For example, blocks of mozzarella, as well as fresh cheese are better to defrost in the fridge. Like that the cheese will keep the most of its taste and flavor. The best time for thawing is 8-12 hours before you will use it.
As for the shredded variant, you can simply pull it out of its container and spread over your pizza or whatever you are going to make and the cheese will melt in the oven itself.
How Long Can Mozzarella Be Kept?
Well, now that you have frozen mozzarella, you may probably wonder how long it can last in the freezer or in the fridge.
As a matter of fact, when we keep this sort of cheese in a fridge, it can last up to one week after we opened it. However, always remember to store the cheese properly in a container without air inside and tightly closed.
On the other hand, when being frozen correctly, mozzarella can “live” in our freezer for up to eight months! The only thing you need to remember is that, when being defrosted, the cheese may lose some of its taste and looks, so it is better to be used as an ingredient in various dishes rather than a decoration for salads or in a sandwich.
It is not a good idea to keep open mozzarella on the table or on the kitchen counter as it will get spoiled after two hours already and you will have to throw it away.
And of course, if it seems to you that the cheese smells weird, don’t risk and throw it away. Food poisoning is not the best thing one can have.
Read next: How Long Does Tofu Last?
