You head into your local supermarket and they’ve got blocks of swiss cheese for sale. Naturally, you buy too much of it. So, what is the best way to store it for the longer term?
Can You Freeze Swiss Cheese?
Yes, you can freeze Swiss cheese for up to 3 months. Wrap the cheese first in baking paper, loosely, and then in cling film, more tightly. Ensure the cling film forms a seal, label the cheese, and then transfer it to the freezer.
Do Does Swiss Cheese freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Swiss Cheese? Yes
How to Freeze Swiss Cheese
Freezing swiss cheese is quite easy indeed. Plus, as with most high-protein items, it tends to freeze reliably. Follow our steps to ensure you freeze your swiss cheese well.
- Remove Packaging: The original packaging that any item comes in when you first buy is typically the wrapping used when the item is stored at fridge temperature. Since weāll be storing it in the freezer, this packaging isnāt helpful.
- Wrap in Baking Paper: Wrap the cheese in a loose layer of baking paper. Be sure that you form a complete layer and that the cheese isnāt pressed against the paper. We recommend doing this to maintain airflow around the cheese while preventing anything from coming into direct contact with it.
- Wrap in Cling Film: Wrap the cheese in a tight layer of cling film, ensuring you make contact between the cling film and the baking paper. This layer will ensure that any frost that forms while the cheese is in the freezer will form between the paper and the cling film rather than directly on the cheese.
- Freeze: Freeze the cheese in the centre of your freezer, where it will be as far as possible away from the frost front that tends to form at the edge of your freezer. This will ensure that the cheese is unlikely to get freezer burn, which would destroy both its texture and flavour.
3 Tips for Freezing Swiss Cheese
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing Swiss cheese to have the best results:
Check the Seal
Ensuring that the cling film forms a seal against itself will ensure that the cheese isnāt exposed to excess moisture while in the freezer. In turn, this will allow the cheese to be stored as well as possible, with it losing minimal flavour and texture.
Pat Dry
Sometimes, cheese can gather some condensation as it sits at room temperature. If this condensation is frozen, it can lead to the cheese becoming freezer-burned quite rapidly. Avoid this by ensuring the cheese is as dry as possible when it enters the freezer.
Freeze With Aromatics
Freezing the cheese with some herbs can impart a potent flavour – this is the reason why some cheeses are encased in leaves before being aged, such as cheese wrapped in nettles.
How Long Can You Freeze Swiss Cheese?
You can freeze swiss cheese for around 3 months before it starts to degrade.
After this 3-month window, the cheese should still be perfectly safe to eat, but it might not be as flavorful as it was when it was fresh.
When wrapped tightly in cling film, Swiss cheese can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
How Do You Defrost Swiss Cheese?
The simplest way to defrost swiss cheese is to simply place it into the fridge overnight, where it can thaw easily.
When thawed, it will then be stored at a safe temperature, which is ideal for ensuring that the cheese is safe to eat when you come to it.
Can You Refreeze Swiss Cheese?
Yes, you can refreeze swiss cheese.
The best way to do this is to treat the cheese as though it were fresh and follow the instructions that we laid out above.
Does Swiss Cheese Freeze Well?
Yes, all cheese freezes quite well.
The only difference youāre likely to notice after freezing and thawing some cheese is that it might be a little crumblier since the water content may have evaporated a little, drying it out.
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing Swiss cheese or cheese in general, then these may help:
Yes, sliced swiss cheese can be frozen. Wrap 2 or 3 slices in a sheet of cling film and repeat for all slices before popping them into a freezer bag and then into the freezer.
