Gourmet favorite: what is the shelf life and what are the storage rules for mozzarella cheese?

Mozzarella cheese is a popular and recognizable product, widely used in cooking. In its classic version, it is made from fresh milk from black buffaloes that graze in the ecologically clean Italian region of Campania.

But nowadays, most often cheese is made from cow's milk. Organizing the correct storage of a product has its own characteristics, which it is advisable to know about before purchasing it. We'll talk about storing mozzarella cheese further.

Product Features

Mozzarella cheese is a natural product made from milk, thermophilic lactic acid culture and rennet. The technology involves heating the cheese grain, separating the whey and forming a mass of uniform consistency with a plate.

The finished product is smooth on the outside and flaky on the inside with a small amount of liquid.. The shape and size of the product may vary from small to large balls and braids. You can also find smoked mozzarella on sale. Mozzarella is produced by several hundred manufacturers around the world.

Storage period in packaging

At its core, mozzarella is a pickled cheese that has a pleasant taste.In order for the product to be stored for a long time, it is important to follow certain rules.

In a refrigerator

Keeping mozzarella in an airtight package in the refrigerator allows you to preserve the product for the entire time specified by the manufacturer.

Optimal conditions – temperature from 0 to +7°С and protection from direct sunlight on the product.

It is advisable not to leave the cheese lying around until the expiration date of the product, but to use it earlier.

At room temperature

Mozzarella is a perishable product that requires storage conditions. One of the particularly important points is the air temperature at the storage location.

Conditions in the room do not meet mozzarella standards, so The product should not be stored in a warm place. Even if it is in an airtight container, the cheese does not tolerate high temperatures well, and if it is not taken out into the cold, it will quickly disappear.

After opening

Brine cheese in its original packaging is in liquid. This allows you to maintain its consistency and taste for a long time.

Conditions

Factory hermetically sealed packaging with mozzarella, like those already opened, must be stored in the refrigerator. It is important to avoid temperature changes. Without liquid, mozzarella will begin to dry out very quickly, losing its quality and becoming less tasty.

To prevent this, you can act as follows:

1. If the package the mozzarella was sold in has a lid and contains the solution, you can leave the cheese in it.The main thing is not to forget to cover the plastic tray with a lid so that the contents do not dry out.
2. Transfer the mozzarella from the original packaging into a plastic container with a lid and pour the solution in which the product was sold on top.
3. If the liquid poured in by the cheese manufacturer is not available, you should transfer the mozzarella to a bowl filled with purified water with salt dissolved in it. The solution is prepared at the rate of 1 tablespoon per half glass of water.

An important condition is that pickled cheese must be stored in liquid, without contact with other products, and under a lid. If it is not possible to keep mozzarella in a salt solution, you can simply keep it in clean water, which must be replaced daily.

At what degrees should it be stored?

The temperature in the refrigerator is optimal for keeping mozzarella in it. It is desirable that it be in the range from 0°C to +5°C.

Freezing: is it possible or not?

If it is necessary to organize storage for a long time, the question arises about the possibility of freezing. Soft plastic cheese does not tolerate low temperatures well, so it is not advisable to freeze it.

If there is no choice, the cheese can be frozen to be used later for preparing dishes that are subject to heat treatment. It is not advisable to use it as an independent snack - it will no longer be the same as it was fresh.

This is necessary in order not to defrost more product than is required at one time. It is convenient to use a zip-lock bag for packaging. It is important to try to let the air out of it as much as possible.

Shelf life of frozen product is up to 3 months. But it is advisable to use the cheese earlier, since the longer it is in the freezer, the changes will affect it more.

Defrosting mozzarella should be gradual. To do this, transfer the cheese to the refrigerator shelf. Thawing will take from several hours to a day, depending on the size of the piece. There is no need to force defrosting, since if quickly defrosted by exposure to high temperatures, mozzarella can significantly lose its consistency and taste.

After the cheese has thawed, it is advisable to use it immediately. Such mozzarella can no longer be stored for a long time. When placing mozzarella in the freezer It is recommended to attach a date label to the packaging. This will keep control of how long the cheese sits.

In blocks

In addition to the popular form in the form of balls, mozzarella can be produced in the form of blocks.

This type of cheese is no longer stored in brine. This type of product contains much less water and is therefore better preserved than the brine variety.

You can also freeze this cheese. If the block is initially large enough, it can be immediately cut into pieces of the desired size, and freeze them separately.

In the case when the product will be used, for example, to sprinkle on pizza, it does not need to be completely defrosted, but grated while the cheese is still slightly frozen.

It is recommended to store brine and block mozzarella separately, including in the freezer.

Tips for choosing

When buying mozzarella in a retail chain you need to pay attention to the following points:

1. Date of manufacture. The product must not expire.
2. Quality and integrity of packaging.
3. Compound. Quality cheese should not contain artificial flavors or synthetic ingredients.
4. A shelf life indicated on the package that is too long may indicate the presence of preservatives in the product.
5. At the point of sale, cheese must be stored under proper conditions.

Conclusion

Mozzarella is a tasty and healthy product that will help diversify even the holiday table. The unusual texture and delicate taste make this cheese a favorite of many gourmets.