Can you freeze ricotta cheese? If too worried about storing and keeping this kind of cheese fresh, you should learn some of the most important facts about freezing ricotta cheese. So, continue reading on!
If you have an abundance of ricotta cheese, how would you store them or the leftover? Can you freeze ricotta cheese as your way of ensuring that it won’t go to waste?
Indeed, you want such great food to be fresh, so you will be looking for the best way on how to do so. Good to know that ricotta cheese could definitely be refrigerated or could be frozen keeping it fresh. Since there is the fact that it could go bad easily once not stored well, you actually want to try freezing it.
All About Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta cheese is a popular cheese by-product that appears first in the form of whey which is a foamy and watery substance that would appear while the mozzarella, as well as provolone cheese, is being made. After that, the whey is gathered then re-cooked and drained up until it turns into a creamy curd which is known as the ricotta cheese.
It is a lot more delicate regarding consistency, and it contains five times more in terms of calcium though it resembles cottage cheese. Since it melts well, it could also be used in a number of Italian pasta along with meatballs and some other recipes like tortellini, ravioli, cannelloni, and manicotti. And also, in some desserts such as muffins, cookies, pies, tarts, and cheesecakes.
Moreover, ricotta cheese is as well a great accompaniment to the number of fruits and could be a tasty topping on sweet rolls, bagels, and Italian bread. It could also be used in a hot and cold salad as well as could be considered as a dip.
Ricotta cheese tastes good and is definitely good for your health. And there are also a number of substitutes if you run out of the supply of this kind of cheese.
Ricotta Cheese & Its Origin
In the early 19th century, ricotta cheese is readily available in most American grocery stores from the milk of cows and resembles cottage cheese. It has its mild as well as slightly sweet taste. In addition, due to the fact that it is made with stabilizers, it has a firm and moist texture along with delicate granules.
Can You Freeze Ricotta Cheese?
And finally, can you freeze ricotta cheese? Of course, yes! The same with other natural cheeses out there, ricotta cheese could be frozen in order to extend its shelf life. Though the taste will not be affected still the texture will be altered. Once you freeze it, the high moisture content would be frosted because Ricotta is a soft cheese.
This developed ice frost would tend to damage the ricotta’s structure. You could see the change in texture once you thaw it. Because of the division between the curds and whey, the cheese would be a lot drier as well as crumblier in texture.
You might try to salvage this ruined texture by stirring it with a big spoon. But, it would still leave an unpleasant texture. And to mask the crumbly texture, you could use it as a part of the dish and not as the main component of a certain recipe.
Read More: Can you freeze egg salad?
How To Freeze Ricotta Cheese?
There are certain ways you could freeze a ricotta cheese or those dishes having the said cheese. Though there is the fact that it could last for three months inside the freezer, it could also go a lot longer if you will be guided by some simple steps. And these are the following:
- You have to make sure that the ricotta cheese is fresh. Once it is near or past the date, it might not last a lot longer.
- If you did not want to open the package, you just have to put it in the freezer as it is.
- Planning to freeze it for more than a month? If yes, then tightly seal the entire package inside the freezer bag.
- Once there is some ricotta left in the container, simply take it out and put it in one or more freezer bags. You just have to make sure that you get all the air out before sealing them.
- If planning to keep the ricotta cheese in containers, you should put these containers in heavy-duty freezer bags as for preventing freezer burn.
- If ever there is any whey in the container, you have to drain it off prior to freezing it since it could make the cheese sour.
- Make sure that the freezer will stay at zero degrees Fahrenheit or below.
Final Thought
Indeed, the temperature is very important. You should also be aware that freezing ricotta cheese might somewhat change the taste and texture, but it will still work well in certain dishes like soups, lasagne, sauces as well as other recipes that need cooking.
Now, still, worried whether you can freeze a piece of ricotta cheese? You should not be! Knowing some of the essential things about ricotta cheese and the ways on how to freeze it, you are provided with a guide on how to properly store ricotta cheese once in abundance or with the leftover.
We will be happy to hear your thoughts! Please post your comments below and join our discussion. Happy reading everyone!
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