Q. I recently went to a fancy cheese shop and purchased a lovely large chunk of expensive cheese. I had it grated at the store, but now realize that I may have bought too much. I love putting grated cheese on my pasta and in other savoury dishes, but I doubt that my family and I will consume enough of it before it starts to mould. The cheese was expensive, and I would like to be able to enjoy what I paid for, without feeling like I have to pour grated cheese over everything I eat for the next few weeks. I was going to freeze it, but my partner thinks that freezing grated cheese will cause it to lose flavour. Can you freeze grated cheese?
A. No need to worry, you can certainly freeze grated cheese without losing any flavour at all. In fact, freezing grated cheese is perhaps the best way to preserve the taste over the long-term. Unlike shredded cheeses, grated cheese is made from hard cheeses with low moisture content. That means that it won’t clump together when frozen, and the moisture won’t separate and change the texture or colour of the grated cheese after freezing. This allows it to be kept frozen for longer periods of time as well, making it the ideal cheese to freeze.
How to freeze grated cheese?
When freezing grated cheese, you don’t need to worry about portioning it out into smaller serving sizes since it doesn’t stick together. If the grated cheese is in a bag, you may decide to put it into a hard-sided freezer safe container to avoid it being squished in the freezer. This will also make it easier to use what you need without spilling grated cheese everywhere. Simply place the bag of cheese into the container, or pour the cheese into the container. Then seal the container, then label and date it. Then place it in the freezer.
The best part about grated cheese is that you don’t have to thaw it out before using it. Grated cheese can be added to recipes or dishes straight from the freezer. Simply remove the container from the freezer, then use a clean spoon to scoop out the desired amount needed for a recipe or to garnish a dish. Reseal the package and return the rest to the freezer. Simple! No need to let your cheese go to waste!