Note to the housewife: is it possible to freeze cottage cheese, and how long can you store frozen cottage cheese at home?

foto50310-1If you plan to use fresh cottage cheese in a week or even several months, you can freeze it for future use.

This method allows you to preserve the maximum useful substances in the product and prepare a dish from it at any convenient time.

In order not to be disappointed in the quality of defrosted cottage cheese, and not to get unpleasant surprises, you need to act according to the rules.

Is it possible to freeze cottage cheese and how long does the product last in the freezer? We’ll tell you in the article.

Which curd-containing products can be frozen in the freezer, and which cannot?

Cottage cheese is a fermented milk product that has a short shelf life when fresh. To prolong it, freezing is used. But not every curd-containing product can be placed in the freezer.

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foto50310-2Natural homemade cottage cheese has a crumbly granular consistency, a pleasant milky aroma and a delicate taste. If there is excess product, it can be frozen.

If the consistency is initially quite liquid, whey need to be pressed. The product itself is divided into separate portions, packaged, and sent to the freezer.

The temperature in the compartment where the cottage cheese is placed should not be higher than -18°C. If it is larger, the product will not be able to lie there for a long time, and when defrosted it will become less crumbly and tasty. Homemade cottage cheese, if properly defrosted, can be eaten even fresh. Details - in this article.

Soft

Soft cottage cheese does not have a pronounced graininess. After the freezer it will become even more plastic and may lose its taste. and change the consistency, exfoliate to form whey.

If you initially freeze a soft fermented milk product, then after defrosting it is recommended to use it not fresh, but for baking.

Goat

Goat curd can also be frozen. The procedure for preparing for long-term storage and defrosting technology will be similar to the processing of cottage cheese from cow's milk. At the same time, all useful substances are retained in the product.

When organizing long-term storage of curd products, goat curd must be packaged and kept separate from cow.

Curds

Sweet curds in portioned packages contain sugar, chocolate icing, flavorings and other ingredients. Such a product, which has a complex composition, cannot be frozen. After defrosting, it will no longer be tasty and homogeneous.

Store bought in packs

foto50310-3Store-bought cottage cheese in packs may be grainy or compressed.

If the curd mass is without pronounced graininess, then after exposure to low temperatures such a product may lose its texture and is suitable only for baking.

The product, which is loose and grainy in consistency, can also be frozen. Freeze it either in a hermetically sealed package or by transferring it to a suitable container.

Grained

Granular cottage cheese bought in a store can be frozen if necessary. A crumbly product that has not expired is suitable for these purposes..

Factory cellophane packaging or container - determined taking into account the available space in the freezer. If the cottage cheese is wet, it should be squeezed out. The serum can also be frozen, but separately.

For cheesecakes

The curd mixture, which is prepared for frying cheesecakes, can be frozen in portions in a container. But there is an alternative option - immediately make cheesecakes and freeze them, first rolling them in flour.

Raw cheesecakes that will go into the freezer need to be lined with sheets of parchment or baking paper. This is necessary so that they do not stick together. For compactness, cheesecakes can be stacked neatly on top of each other in towers.

In addition to raw semi-finished products from the curd mixture, You can freeze an already prepared dish, which will only need to be warmed up.

Shelf life in the freezer

The duration of storage of cottage cheese in the freezer depends on the type of product and conditions in the freezer.

For crumbly granular cottage cheese (homemade or purchased), the shelf life is up to six months at a temperature of about -18°C. For semi-finished products – storage duration is shorter. Details - in this article.

What happens if you freeze and then defrost?

foto50310-4A reliably working freezer allows you to keep cottage cheese in it for several months, preserving the beneficial substances in it.

When planning to prepare dishes from frozen cottage cheese, defrost it in advance.

It is best to defrost graduallywithout exposing the product to extremely high temperatures. To do this, transfer the portion to the refrigerator shelf. With this approach, thawing will take place within several hours.

If whey appears, it is drained. This method preserves the beneficial substances and consistency of the product.

In a situation where the product needs to be defrosted quickly and will be used in baking, You can use quick defrost:

  • in cold water;
  • in hot water;
  • in the microwave;
  • in a slow cooker;
  • in the oven;
  • at room temperature.

Each of the express defrosting methods has its drawbacks.

Freezing rules: bag or container?

Cottage cheese can be frozen adhering to certain rules:

  1. The product must be initially fresh.
  2. Processing must be carried out at low temperatures. If possible, it is better to use blast freezing.
  3. The product can only be frozen once. Otherwise, it will lose its beneficial qualities and change its taste, consistency and color.
  4. The whey must first be drained and the curd must be squeezed out.
  5. If you have a large amount of product on hand, it is better to immediately divide it into separate portions and freeze them separately.
It is convenient to use plastic containers with a lid as containers for freezing. Each one is not filled to capacity, but leaving a little free space.

This is necessary because whey will form during defrosting. It is convenient to store the workpiece in such packaging, and you can then defrost it in it.

It is not advisable to use ordinary plastic bags, as it will cause the product to become wet and sticky. For convenience and compactness of filling the freezer, you can use thick bags with a zip fastener.

After placing the cottage cheese inside, it is necessary to release as much air as possible. With this packaging, defrosting is faster than when using plastic containers. It is advisable to mark the packages before storing them, indicating the date of packaging.

This video will show you how to freeze cottage cheese:

How to extend the shelf life?

In order for the cottage cheese to stay longer in the freezer, You should take into account the following expert advice:

  1. Freeze only fresh, not stale food.
  2. It is necessary not only to drain the whey, but also to squeeze out the curd itself as efficiently as possible.
  3. The temperature in the freezer should be low, no higher than -18°C, and without changes.
  4. Cottage cheese in its pure form, without impurities, is stored better.
  5. Different types of cottage cheese must be stored separately.
  6. Sealed packaging is preferable to non-sealed packaging, as it prevents contact with air.

How to defrost correctly?

foto50310-5It is recommended to defrost cottage cheese on the refrigerator shelf. These are suitable conditions for gradual thawing of the product without the threat of the development of pathogenic microorganisms.

The disadvantage of this method is that it takes several hours to completely defrost.. The advantage of the method is the preservation of nutrients, consistency and the ability to be used fresh for food.

If the cottage cheese needs to be used quickly, it is possible to use express methods for thawing. Their disadvantage is the high probability of a change in the quality of the product towards deterioration. In the future, such cottage cheese will only be suitable for preparing baked goods and dishes that require heat treatment.

The larger the package, the longer it will take to defrost.

Advantages and disadvantages of freezing

Freezing cottage cheese has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include:

  • availability of semi-finished products at all times;
  • the possibility of freezing not only cottage cheese, but also products using it (pancakes, cheesecakes, etc.);
  • ease of freezing and thawing;
  • compact storage;
  • With properly organized storage, the product retains useful substances.

Minuses:

  • it is necessary to take care of sufficient space in the freezer for organizing storage, and appropriate containers;
  • after thawing, the consistency of the product may change;
  • it takes several hours for complete thawing in the refrigerator (up to 12, depending on the size of the package);
  • not all cottage cheese products can be frozen;
  • the temperature in the freezer should be maintained no higher than -18°C;
  • the product may partially lose its taste.
Violation of technology when organizing freezing can lead to damage to the product and pose a health hazard.

Conclusion

You can freeze cottage cheese and semi-finished products containing it even in a household refrigerator. Since the product is initially perishable, it is necessary to follow the preparation rules so that the taste, consistency, smell do not deteriorate, and beneficial substances are not lost.

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