Valuable recommendations on how to defrost frozen cottage cheese

Cottage cheese, which is intended for long-term storage, can be frozen for future use. When you need it, you can always defrost it.

To ensure that the product does not disappear and retains its quality, defrosting must be carried out according to the rules. We will tell you further about how to properly defrost frozen cottage cheese.

Defrosting rules

There are several ways to defrost cottage cheese. The best option is to defrost gradually, slowly, without a sharp increase in temperature.

The main task is to preserve as much as possible all the characteristics of the product, including its consistency, taste, color, and to prevent the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. This is possible when the thawing process is not forced.

Procedure:

1. Remove a portion of cottage cheese from the freezer.
2. Transfer the product to the refrigerator shelf.
3. Leave for several hours (overnight is possible).
4. After thawing, drain off the resulting whey.
5. Mix the cottage cheese with a spoon.

Thawed cottage cheese should be used within three days. A frozen product may change its consistency due to loss of moisture. Re-freezing cannot be carried out.

Gradual defrosting - the process is not quick, it can take up to 12 hours, depending on the volume of cottage cheese, freezing conditions and temperature in the refrigerator. Read about the rules for freezing and storing cottage cheese Here And here.

How fast?

If you don’t have time to wait for slow defrosting in the refrigerator, you can use alternative methods - quick methods. These options are suitable when you plan to prepare the dish immediately.

Room temperature

A briquette with cottage cheese taken out of the freezer can be left to thaw simply on the kitchen counter at room temperature. It may take an average of 2 or 3 hours for complete thawing.

Procedure:

• remove the product from the freezer and leave it to defrost in the same container;
• leave for 2-3 hours;
• drain off the separated whey.

The danger of this method is that if left in the heat for a sufficiently long time, the fermented milk product may deteriorate without even having time to completely thaw in the middle.

Cold water

You can speed up the defrosting process by using warm (not hot) or cold water. To achieve the result, a portion of cottage cheese in a bag or container is placed in a container of water.

The required defrosting time is determined taking into account the size of the briquette and the temperature of the water in the container. As a rule, a small pack thaws in an average of 3 hours. If the briquette is large, then complete thawing may take 2 times longer.

hot

Defrosting in hot water is one of the shock methods. It is possible to achieve the effect even in an hour. But this method has significant drawbacks.

When placed in hot water the top layer of cottage cheese will thaw quickly enough. At the same time, in deep layers the product will remain frozen for some time.

Uneven heating of the layers will lead to a change in the consistency of the product and affect the taste characteristics. You can use the “hot water” method only as a last resort, and only for small portions.

Oven

When defrosting cottage cheese in the oven you need to proceed as follows:

1. Place a portion of the product in the oven.
2. Set the temperature to 30? C.
3. Turn on convection.
4. Leave to work for 5 minutes.
5. Turn the product over to the other side.
6. Leave for another 5 minutes under the same conditions.
7. Continue until completely defrosted.

Do not exceed the oven temperature.

In a slow cooker

You can defrost cottage cheese in a slow cooker in 10-30 minutes. The product is placed on the grate provided by the design and the “steamer” mode is started. For uniform defrosting It is advisable to turn the product over from time to time.

Is it possible in the microwave?

Using a microwave for defrosting is a popular option. The main advantage of using microwave ovens is the speed of defrosting. On average it is about 10 minutes.

Procedure:

1. Set the microwave control to the lowest power setting or to the “defrost” mark.
2. Place a portion of frozen cottage cheese on a tray.
3. Start the microwave oven, setting the processing time to about 1.5 minutes.
4. Turn the briquette over.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the cottage cheese is completely defrosted.

Product in a bag defrosts faster than in a plastic container.

Application of the product after thawing

After defrosting, cottage cheese is used mainly for preparing dishes that require heat treatment. If you plan to consume the product fresh, then as a defrosting method it is better to choose one that takes place during gradual thawing in the refrigerator.

Thawed cottage cheese suitable for preparing a large number of dishes:

• cottage cheese;
• dumplings;
• pies;
• casseroles, etc.

Before using the cottage cheese, you must thoroughly drain whey.

Cottage cheese casserole, video recipe:

Conclusion

Freezing cottage cheese is an opportunity to preserve the product for a long time. To preserve nutrients and taste, it is important to adhere to the rules of defrosting and follow the recommendations of specialists.