TIL freezing shredded cheese actually works and doesn't ruin the texture

I was super skeptical about freezing shredded cheese because I thought it would get all clumpy and weird. But I bought a 2 pound bag of cheddar from Costco for $8 and stuck half of it in the freezer about 3 weeks ago. When I thawed it out last night for tacos it crumbled perfectly fine and melted just like normal. Has anyone else tried freezing other dairy stuff like sour cream or cream cheese with good results?

3 comments

3 Comments

matthewh2826d ago

Totally agree, I do the same with shredded mozzarella for pizza and it works perfectly fine. Frozen cream cheese gets a little grainy when thawed though, so I usually only freeze it if I'm gonna bake with it.

the_elizabeth26d ago

Wait, wait - frozen cream cheese gets grainy? I have like three bricks of Philadelphia in my freezer right now and I thought I was being SO smart stocking up during that sale last month. I was literally planning to thaw one out this weekend for a cheesecake, but now I'm scared it's gonna be all weird and crumbly. Is it like a subtle graininess or is it super obvious and gross? Cause if it's just a little different texture but still tastes fine for baking, I might still risk it since I'm on a tight budget and can't afford to waste food.

barbara27826d ago

Notice how the shredded cheese and mozzarella work fine, but anything with a creamy base like cream cheese or sour cream turns into a science experiment. That's just how freezing works - the water expands and messes up the emulsion in the dairy.