Should you freeze cheese... or anything else for that matter?

We have many customers who freeze items they get from us. I heard from a couple customers that they even freeze cheese, so I had to try. I froze a block of Swiss for about 2 months and then defrosted it in the fridge. The texture changed from a chubby bouncy cheese to one that was crumbly. The taste was still great. Why? What does freezing do to food?

Theoretically, food can be frozen indefinitely and still be safe to consume. However, the quality does degrade over time. When cheese is frozen, the water within freezes and expands into ice crystals. If the ice crystals are large enough, they pierce the cell walls and the structure breaks down when the cheese thaws. This expand-contract action is what causes the texture to diminish.

Soft cheeses are most affected by freezing, and often exude an oozing paste when thawed. Harder cheeses fair better with freezing, becoming crumbly and dryer, and are best used for grating or melting. Well-aged and low-moisture grating cheeses like Parmesan freeze very well, however, sometimes develop a metallic taste upon thawing.

I’m a big fan of using my freezer as a convenient way to preserve food long-term. Here are some best practices for freezing food. First, freezing food quickly is the best and does not allow time for the ice crystals to grow. Flash freezing, like we do to our meat, is ideal. However, with a home freezer, set it to the lowest temperature possible, put fresh food in the back, and open the door as little as possible. Also, be aware that most modern freezers are “frost-free”. This means that they do not maintain a freezing temperature all the time. They periodically go above 32 F to allow frost to melt. If you plan to seriously use your freezer for food storage and want to ensure the best quality long-term, you may want to consider a low temperature chest freezer that maintains -10 to -20 F.

I love utilizing make-ahead freezer meals. When life is hectic, you can just defrost a meal overnight and pop it in the crockpot in the morning. Also, when food is cooked, it softens so any texture changes are unnoticeable. One of my favorite freezer meals is Beef and Sweet Potato Chili, which happens to be affordable and easy to prep. Fill a gallon-size zip lock bag with 1 lb ground beef, 1 diced onion, 1 minced clove of garlic, 14 oz tomato sauce, 7 oz diced tomatoes, 1.5 cups bone broth or stock, 1 large peeled and chopped sweet potato, 1.5 Tbsp cili powder, 1 tsp salt, 1⁄4 tsp black pepper, and 1/8 tsp oregano. Freeze. Defrost the night before. Put in a slow cooker in the morning, and let cook on low for 8 hours. Hey, you may even want to serve it with some crumbled previously frozen cheese.