In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “can you freeze mozzarella” with an in-depth analysis of whether or not you can freeze mozzarella cheese. Moreover, we are going to discuss the proper way to thaw mozzarella and the shelf life of mozzarella cheese.

So without much ado, let’s dive in and figure out more about it.

Can you freeze mozzarella?

Whether or not you can freeze mozzarella cheese depends upon the type of mozzarella cheese that you want to freeze. There are three different variants of mozzarella cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, mozzarella cheese blocks, and fresh mozzarella balls. Each of them behaves differently towards freezing.

Shredded mozzarella cheese

In the case of the store-bought shredded mozzarella, it has already a long shelf life owing to the presence of certain preservatives in it. But if you still want to freeze it you can go ahead as you can easily store the shredded mozzarella in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer.

To freeze it, all you gotta do is to divide the shredded mozzarella cheese into portions that you need.

Afterward, put the mozzarella portions in different plastic freezer bags. Now you can keep them in the freezer.

Mozzarella cheese blocks

When it comes to mozzarella blocks, you can freeze them. All you gotta do is to cut them into slices and wrap them in plastic wrap before putting them in the plastic freezer bag.it is worth mentioning that you might notice a slight difference in the texture of the mozzarella block once it is thawed.

So what you gotta do is to first cut the mozzarella blocks in the form of wedges or thin slices. The reason behind doing so is that you won’t have to thaw the whole mozzarella block when you just need some slices of cheese. Thus you will save your mozzarella from temperature fluctuations.

Now once you have sliced the mozzarella, you can do two things. You can either wrap the individual mozzarella wedges in the plastic wrap and afterward put in in the plastic freezer bag top store in the freezer or what you can do is to take a cookie sheet and place it in between mozzarella slices so that they won’t stick to each other and afterward put them in the plastic freezer bag.

Fresh mozzarella balls

When it comes to fresh mozzarella cheese then freezing is not a good idea for it. If you freeze fresh mozzarella then it can result in the formation of the ice crystals in it that can mess up the quality and texture of your fresh mozzarella. Moreover, if you freeze the fresh mozzarella balls then after thawing you will not only see a noticeable difference in the texture (it becomes crumbly and dry) but you will also feel a difference in its flavor too. Therefore we do not recommend you freeze your fresh mozzarella.

But if you still wanna go ahead with freezing mozzarella then firstly drain excess liquid from your fresh mozzarella balls. Afterward, you can cut the mozzarella balls into the required portion sizes. now individually wrap each portion of fresh mozzarella in the plastic wrap and afterward keep them in the plastic freezer bag. Seal the bag and keep it in the freezer.

You can read about the benefits and the nutritional profile of the mozzarella here.

How can I thaw mozzarella?

In fridge

The first way that is most safe to use is to defrost your frozen mozzarella by keeping it in the fridge overnight.

In cold water

The other way that you can use is to defrost your frozen mozzarella in a bowl of cold water. It is recommended to use the mozzarella defrosted this way immediately.

Cook directly

Last but not least if you have already divided the mozzarella into the portion that you need in the dish then you can add the frozen mozzarella directly to the dish while cooking, just don’t forget to adjust the cooking time for defrosting and warming up the frozen mozzarella.

What is the shelf life of mozzarella cheese?

When it comes to the shelf life of mozzarella cheese, different types have different shelf lives. The fresh and shredded mozzarella cheese has the same shelf life and both last for about 5 days in the fridge once they get opened.

On the other hand, the mozzarella block lasts for about 21 days in the fridge once it gets opened while the smoked mozzarella lasts for about 28 days when kept in the fridge at or below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

It is worth mentioning that these are the estimated shelf lives of the mozzarella cheese and mozzarella cheese can even last longer than this if it is stored properly.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we answered the question “can you freeze mozzarella” with an in-depth analysis of whether or not you can freeze mozzarella cheese. Moreover, we discussed the proper way to thaw mozzarella and the shelf life of mozzarella cheese.

Citations

https://www.canyoufreezethis.com/freeze-mozzarella-cheese/

https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/how-to-buy-and-store-mozzarella-like-a-pro-article