Can You Freeze String Cheese?
String cheese is such an ideal snack to keep around for many families. It is high in protein, it is portable, and you don’t need any plates or cutlery to eat it! It is a great alternative for sugary sweets, and most kids are happy enough to snack away on cheese.
It is always a good idea to have a decent supply of string cheese at home, to keep your snack pantry stocked up, and to buy in bulk to save some money.
However, if you have overstocked, can you freeze string cheese? Yes, you can freeze string cheese for up to 2 months. String cheese freezes well because it has low water content. As it contains less water, string cheese is able to retain its original texture after being through the process of freezing and thawing. This helps to keep the string cheese stringy and still taste as it did when it was first bought.
String cheese freezes well, but you need to know how to freeze it to ensure that it still tastes the same once it has thawed and that it still has its great stringy-texture that everyone loves!
How To Freeze String Cheese
In order to keep the string cheese in the best quality possible, you need to freeze it properly. You can freeze string cheese in one of three ways:
- Freeze individually packed string cheese
- Freeze blocks of string cheese
- Freeze individual slices of string cheese
1. Freezing Individually Packed String Cheese
Perfect for snacking, individually packed string cheese portions are typically packed in a protective packing, and this protective packaging is usually perfectly fine to freeze the string cheese in.
So how do you freeze individually packed string cheese? You can simply place the string cheese in the freezer in its original packaging and leave it to freeze as-is.
It is a good idea, if you are freezing quite a few individually packed string cheese portions, to put them all inside of a large freezer bag.
This way they will be kept all in one place in the freezer, and you won’t have small string cheese portions floating around the freezer.
You should also label the plastic freezer bag with the date of freezing, so you know when the string cheese should be eaten by.
Freezing individually packed string cheese portions also makes it super easy to thaw them. You can simply remove the string cheese and place it in the fridge to thaw overnight.
If you are packing some string cheese in your child’s lunch, you can remove the string cheese from the freezer and then place it in their lunchbox, and by the time they enjoy it for a snack, it would have thawed.
By placing the string cheese portions in a large freezer bag, you can remove one or two string cheese portions at a time without having to defrost the whole lot!
2. Freezing Blocks Of String Cheese
You might also find yourself needing to freeze a whole block of string cheese, and you would need to prepare this to be able to freeze it properly and evenly, protecting the taste and texture.
Here’s how to freeze a block of string cheese:
- Completely cover the block of string cheese with plastic wrap, and then aluminum foil.
- If you do not have, you can place the block of string cheese in a resealable plastic bag, and squeeze out as much air as possible.
- You should also place the plastic and aluminum wrapped block of string cheese in a plastic bag as well to give it extra protection.
If you have a plastic freezer container large enough, you could place the whole block of cheese into the freezer container, but ensure that it seals airtight.
If you do not think that you will be able to finish the whole block of frozen or thawed cheese before it has spoiled, you can slice up the block into smaller portions.
3. Freezing Individual Slices of String Cheese
There are two ways to then freeze these individual slices of string cheese:
- Method 1
- Wrap each individual slice of string cheese in plastic wrap or aluminum wrap and place these portions into a large freezer bag. This does use up quite a bit of plastic wrap or aluminum foil, so keep this in mind if you have quite a few portions to freeze.
- Method 2
- Place the individual slices of string cheese on a baking sheet and place these in the freezer. Leave these in the freezer for a few hours until they are frozen.
- Once frozen, you can place all of these into a large freezer bag.
- Freezing the individual slices before placing them in a bag means that they will not stick together when they freeze, and you can easily remove one portion at a time, without having to defrost the whole batch.
- This method saves you having to wrap each portion but still means you can enjoy one slice at a time without worrying about the whole block defrosting and spoiling before you can eat it all.
Does The Texture Of String Cheese Change When It Is Frozen?
There is no perfect answer to this, as different brands of string cheese are made up differently, and this could cause the texture to either stay the same, or change when frozen and thawed.
However, the general rule is that string cheese is less likely to become crumbly or brittle when frozen or thawed because it has low water content.
There is a chance that it might have a rubbery texture and develop a deeper yellow color if it is kept in the freezer for too long (longer than 2 months).
As string cheese will more than likely not change in texture and taste too much when frozen and thawed, it is a great way for you to extend the shelf life of the string cheese.
Can you re-freeze string cheese? You must not however re-freeze string cheese, as there is a good chance that the texture and flavor will change and it won’t have the same great quality it would have the first time around.
How Long Can String Cheese Be Frozen For?
To ensure it retains its best quality, string cheese should be frozen only for up to two months and should be consumed within this time frame.
It will be fine to eat after this point, and completely safe to eat, it just will not have such good quality.
This is why it is important to label the package that you are freezing the string cheese in with the date of freezing, to ensure that you can keep track of when it should be eaten by and when it has passed its ‘best quality’ date.
When it comes time to enjoy the string cheese, you can remove it from the freezer and leave it to thaw in the fridge overnight or for a few hours until it is ready to eat.
Related Questions
Does freezing string cheese cause it to lose nutritional value?
Freezing string cheese does not cause it to lose its nutritional value. You can enjoy the same nutritional content from frozen string cheese that you would from fresh string cheese.
String cheese is high in essential vitamins and nutrients including calcium, vitamin A and protein.
Some string cheese brands even fortify their string cheese with zinc and vitamin D, and none of this is lost during the freezing process.
Why does string cheese freezer better than most other types of cheese?
String cheese manages to freeze better and hold up better when frozen, compared to other cheeses because of its low water content.
The cheeses that do not freeze well often have a high water content, and they become crumbly and dry when thawed.
Cheese which contains a low water content, such as string cheese, keeps its consistency better when frozen, and even when thawed.
Which cheeses are best to freeze?
Other than string cheese, the best types of cheeses to freeze are hard and semi-hard cheeses such as Swiss, cheddar, and Gouda.
Shredded pizza cheese, pizza cheese, and mozzarella are all suitable to be frozen as well and are best used when cooking, such as for topping a pizza.
Can You Freeze Cheese Sticks?
Freezing string cheese, or cheese sticks as they are also known, can be done successfully to further prolong the shelf life of this much-loved snack!
Thanks to the low water content in string cheese, it maintains its quality and taste really well in the freezer, and if eaten within 2 months of freezing, will taste nearly as good, if not as good, as it does when fresh.
Keep some string cheese portions tucked away in the freezer for easy snacks during the day, or to pack into your child’s lunchbox each morning for them to enjoy for lunchtime!
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