Most cheeses that you can buy from the supermarket can be preserved in the fridge for up to a month without deteriorating in quality. This includes soft cheeses like brie and camembert.
But what happens if you want to preserve soft cheese for longer? Can you freeze soft cheese?
Unfortunately, we wouldn’t recommend freezing soft cheese. When you place soft cheese in the freezer, its molecular structure changes, which causes it to become crumbly and lose most of its flavour. It stands to reason that this is far from desirable when it comes to enjoying soft cheese!
Do Does Soft Cheese freeze well? No
Can you refreeze Soft Cheese? No
Why You Shouldn’t Freeze Soft Cheese
Soft cheeses such as brie and camembert have a high water content. This means soft cheeses are more susceptible to the damage caused by the ice crystals that form during the freezing process.
If you place brie in the freezer, for instance, your moist and decadent cheese will turn into a dry, crumbly mess.
While this might not be a problem for you if you use soft cheese in certain recipes, it’s certainly not a smart move if you’re planning to eat and enjoy soft cheese as it is intended to be eaten.
It’s for these reasons that you shouldn’t freeze soft cheeses, as they will completely change during the freezing process.
On the flip side, cheeses with very little moisture content such as cheddar and mozzarella can be safely frozen. This is because they’re less likely to be affected by temperature changes and will retain most of their flavour and texture throughout the process.
How to Store Soft Cheese
The best way to store soft cheese is to wrap it tightly and keep it in the fridge. While individual cheeses will have different lifespans, most of them can be refrigerated for at least a month without deteriorating in quality.
You can’t keep soft cheese at room temperature for any longer than a day or so, as it will begin to sweat and will become inedible very quickly.
As soon as you’ve opened your block of soft cheese, we recommend removing it from its original packaging. You can then place it on a sheet of tin foil or cling film and wrap it tightly.
Finish the process by placing it in a sealable container and storing it in the middle of your fridge.
Does Soft Cheese Freeze Well?
Soft cheese doesn’t freeze well at all. Due to the ice crystals that form during the freezing process, your soft cheese will turn dry and crumbly when it is frozen, which is disappointing to say the very least.
But there’s a caveat – if you’re planning to use soft cheese in a recipe and the texture isn’t important, you can probably get away with freezing it. That being said, it still won’t be as tasty as it would be if it was fresh.
If you’re planning to freeze cheese, opt for harder cheeses like cheddar or mozzarella, as they’re much more suitable for freezing than softer cheeses like brie and camembert.
