Can I Freeze Cheese?

I was at Target the other day and found a great deal on cheese.  A really great deal.  Bricks of mild cheddar cheese for only $0.66 each!  So I did what any other normal person would do - and I bought 6 of them.  (Don't worry - I left some for other people!)

Now the expiration date was far off, but I decided to freeze.  Wait - Can I freeze cheese?  YES!  Yes, you can freeze cheese!

How To Freeze Cheese

First, you need to choose the cheese you would like to freeze.  Hard cheese will freeze better than soft.  (Think, cheddar will freeze better than Brie.)  

Freezing will change the texture of the cheese, but not the taste.  Shredded cheese will freeze better than large pieces of cheese.  For my mild cheddar that I picked up for a steal at Target I chose to shred it.  We prefer sharp cheddar for things like sandwiches, but mild cheddar is perfect for casseroles or macaroni and cheese.  

Simply shred your cheese and place into a freezer bag (or an air tight container).  A normal store bought bag of shredded cheese contains 2 cups (8 oz).  

When you need a bag of cheese for your dinner's macaroni and cheese or casserole just simply take out a bag and thaw in the refrigerator.   

Don't want shredded cheese?  That's ok - you can still freeze it!  Cheese can become crumbly when it is frozen (which is why the shredded works out so great - the cheese is so small it's hard to crumble!). If you don't want shredded cheese, simply cut your cheese into slices before putting it into the freezer. Make sure you put a piece of wax paper between each of your cheese slices and place it into a freezer bag and freeze.

Again, it will need to be thawed in the refrigerator.

Your cheese will be good in the freezer for up to 6 months.

So they next time you are at the grocery store and you see a great deal on cheese don't be scared to stock up because now you know that you can freeze cheese!