Cooking For Engineers

[Jim Cooley]

I bought a 5 lb bag of shredded mixed cheese ("mexican blend") and am wondering how best to preserve half of it.

I've left half in the bag, loosely packed and just stuck it in the freezer.
Once it's frozen, do you think I should vacuum seal it to prevent freezer burn?

Also, is the cheese's consistency going to change much? I know fresh mozzarella does.

Jim
who hates automatically defrosting freezers...

[Jim Cooley]

I froze 2.5 pounds in the original bag, without vacuum sealing.

When I needed it, I just shoved it in a plastic container and defrosted in the fridge over the course of a couple days.

Came out fine, no change in consistency; ALTHOUGH I don't use it for sauces. I have a hunch that plain cheddar would react weirdly in sauces after being frozen.

[fridolph]

You can put the half into food container and place it to refrigerator.

[tidyswoop]

I also put mine in the freezer once I open the bag, then just take it out when I need them.

[AgnieszkaPe]

I always freeze cheese and everythig's fine. But i use it only for hot food like toast, casseroles etc.

[icerand]

I also freeze cheese, the ones i use for cooking. does not affect the taste at all.