Cottage cheese also popularly known as “Paneer” is one of the most widely used forms of cheese in India. It is known for its exquisite flavor, amazing health benefits, and abundance of protein.
Cottage cheese is very easily available in grocery stores. However, you can also make cottage cheese at home easily with milk. It is a soft and creamy cheese that can be used in multiple ways. Cottage cheese is widely used in various dishes as an alternative to protein for vegetarians.
It is a simple fresh cheese curd product that has a mild flavor with a soft and creamy texture. This dairy product is low in calories as compared to the other forms of cheese.
Cottage cheese is not only widely used in India, but also in other parts of the world. It is very popular in many culinary dishes in the United States.
You can eat it raw with some sprinkled salt, or as a savory dish. It tastes delicious in every form.
If you are planning to stock up on your cottage cheese you must know how to store it up.
The next question that arises is- can you freeze cottage cheese? We will discuss in this article the best ways to freeze your cottage cheese and how to use it. Let’s dive into more details regarding the same.
Can you freeze cottage cheese?
Scientifically there’s no proven answer to this question specifically. While you can freeze this dairy product in an emergency however you’ll have to compromise on its taste, consistency, and softness a bit.
The reason is, anything won’t taste exactly the same as its original form once frozen.
Using cottage cheese after freezing and thawing it for a few days might make it taste weird if eaten by itself. That’s why mostly it’s recommended to eat it fresh.
Fortunately, even if it tastes a bit different after freezing you can try eating it either way. Once cooked in gravy, soups, or salads it will taste better. Ways in which you can consume frozen cottage cheese are as follows-
- In form of gravy savoury dishes
- In soups and salads
- Sauces and pies
- With saute vegetables
- Stuffed with a Paratha
- Used as a filling for rolls, momos, etc.
- It can be graded and used as a filling for sandwiches
- You can try cottage cheese cutlets. Usually, cottage cheese tastes the best when fried & served with a dip.
If you use your frozen-thawed cottage cheese in the above forms it will not majorly affect its taste.
Now that we have discussed in what ways frozen cottage cheese can be used the next question that arises is how to freeze your cottage cheese.
Let’s briefly discuss how you can freeze your cottage cheese.
How to freeze cottage cheese?
Before we jump into the process of freezing your cheese, it is important to understand the right kind of cottage cheese that must be chosen for freezing.
Let’s quickly dive into the freezing method for cottage cheese-
People might think that freezing should be as simple as freezing any other product. However, this is not true! The freezing method for cottage cheese is a bit different compared to other dairy products. Here we will be discussing a few steps that must be followed while doing the freezing process.
Steps for freezing cottage cheese-
- Check your proportions – Yes it is very important to figure out your proportions before freezing it. You must keep in mind the amount of cottage cheese that you will use in the frozen form and then freeze it accordingly.
- Now just transfer your cheese into any bag that is reusable – you must choose containers or reusable freezer bags for storing your cheese. Just make sure that your freezer bags do not have any leaks and the air should go out completely before sealing them.
- Place the container inside the freezer- once you transfer the cottage cheese into the reusable freezing bags you can carefully place the container inside your freezer. For your convenience, you can also add a name just like a label along with the date so that you can keep a check on it.
How long can you freeze cottage cheese?
As it is a known fact that cottage cheese is soft and creamy in texture and as discussed above freezing and thawing can change its taste and texture slightly.
Hence it is recommended to freeze your cottage cheese for not more than 6 months as freezing it thereafter might ruin the product completely.
Can you freeze cottage cheese for smoothies?
Well, the answer is yes! you can read the cottage cheese for making smoothies. It might sound a bit weird and unconvincing but it’s true. If you haven’t tried cottage cheese smoothies before then be ready to blow your mind.
The cottage cheese smoothie is not only super creamy and luxurious in texture but also contains loads of goodness and an abundance of protein.
If you are fond of smoothies and shakes then cottage cheese smoothies are the most healthy option to indulge in. It is either recommended to use plain cottage cheese or fruit-flavored cottage cheese for smoothies.
In order to make a cottage cheese smoothie, you can just blend in your favorite ingredients like Banana or any other fruit of your choice along with milk, Vanilla extract, etc, and there you go! your amazing cottage cheese smoothie is ready to serve.
You don’t have to add any additional sweetness if you want it to be healthy and naturally sugary. If you are fond of extremely sweet smoothies then you can add a bit of honey or a scoop of strawberry jam for a better taste.
Well as we just discussed a few easy steps to freeze your cottage cheese but at times it happens that we need to defrost the same cheese too.
So if you are wondering how to defrost your cottage cheese you have landed at the same place as now we will be discussing the steps to defrost cottage cheese.
Steps to defrost cottage cheese –
- Keep it in the fridge overnight – Just throw the bag or your container into the refrigerator in the evening and it should be done by the morning. Always remember to defrost larger portions as it works better.
- Use cold water – Before you need your cottage cheese, for a couple of hours before you can try a cold water bath and it will work the best.
- Submerge it a few minutes before – In case you are cooking a stew or a soup and accidentally forget to thaw your cheese, you can always add it frozen. Just take some cold water and submerge your container into it for a few minutes. Then slowly take it out and drain the excess water and moisture from it.
- Drain the excess moisture – Once you are done with the frosting you can drain the excess moisture as the cottage cheese will be watery. In case you are making something like pancakes where the water won’t help then draining is an important step.
However, if you are trying to cook a Savory dish with some gravy then you can use this water depending upon your preference although its water might be a bit bitter.
If your cottage cheese turns out too dry then you can try adding some cream to it for some softness.
How to use defrosted cottage cheese?
There are multiple options where you can use your defrosted cottage cheese and it would taste superb. Some options may include –
- cakes
- pancakes
- creamy soups
- cheesecakes
- pasta dishes etc
How to figure out if cottage cheese has gone bad?
Hair or some signs that might indicate that your cottage cheese has gone bad –
- The cottage cheese has turned yellowish in color
- It smells sour or bitter
- It tastes bitter and sour
In a few instances, it was found that the consistency of the cottage cheese wasn’t good and it was separated.
But if you think that it is bad then it’s not true. It is a complete myth that a slightly separated texture of cottage cheese makes it bad, however, the truth is that separation is a very normal phenomenon for Frozen cottage cheese as it has been inside the fridge for a long time.
You can easily give it a good stir and it will blend back together & perfect for use.
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VERY WELL WRITTEN.