freezing cheese

[mohoghead]

We make our cheese the vinegar way,(both cow and Goat), after it comes out of the molud, it gets clothe wrapped and placed in the fridge for a couple days, then we'll sliced the rolls in 1" sections vacum pack, label and freeze, It will last up to a year, maybe more.
The key is to let it defrost completly before slicing, otherwise it'll crumble.
we have also made greek yogurt and let it drain overnight til cream cheese consistentsy, the vacum pack and freeze, this we use in our casseroles and lasagna.

[pepperhead212]

That vacuum pack will keep just about anything indefinitely! I have also made this kind of cheese - queso fresco, for Mexican food - using lime juice to curdle it. Freezes great, as it is crumbly from the beginning; freezing other cheese, like cheddar, changes them to crumbly, which isn't bad with this.

[mohoghead]

I have found that if i leave it in the mould under spring tension about 24 hours that it will defrost and slice like any other cheese. if i brine it it before freezing then it crumbles.

Originally Posted by pepperhead212

That vacuum pack will keep just about anything indefinitely! I have also made this kind of cheese - queso fresco, for Mexican food - using lime juice to curdle it. Freezes great, as it is crumbly from the beginning; freezing other cheese, like cheddar, changes them to crumbly, which isn't bad with this.

[Room To Grow]

are you saying that you can use vinegar or lime juice instead of rennet???

Deborah

[mohoghead]

Absolutely, bring your milk up 185 hold for a minute to pasturize add 1/2 cup vinegar per gallon of milk stir and let sit for a while then drain thru a muslin cloth to seperate the whey from the curds. from there make any kind of farmhouse cheese you want.

Originally Posted by Room To Grow

are you saying that you can use vinegar or lime juice instead of rennet???

Deborah

[atlbry]

can you do this with store bought milk? I have always wanted to try this. there are local places around here i can buy raw milk but it is like $7 or $8 a gallon and tend not to buy at these places too often.

[mohoghead]

Yes you can do the same with store bought, try to avoid the ultra pasturized and fat free.

Originally Posted by atlbry

can you do this with store bought milk? I have always wanted to try this. there are local places around here i can buy raw milk but it is like $7 or $8 a gallon and tend not to buy at these places too often.

[Autumn]

Great information here All. Thank you!!!

[atlbry]

thanks

[alina]

I also like to throw in blocks of cheese (like cheddar, jack or mozzarella) into the freezer for about 20-30 minutes before I grate them. Makes grating a lot easier. (Spray your grater with non-stick spray first, too.)

(We haven't tried to make cheese yet...it's on the list...)