Can You Freeze Taleggio Cheese?

3 minutes

Taleggio cheese is one of the rarer Italian cheeses. You’ve probably heard of it but it’s not the easiest thing to pick up in the store. if you’ve managed to get hold of some, what’s the best way to store it beyond the normal shelf life?

How to Freeze Taleggio Cheese

Freezing taleggio cheese is a simple process, though it’s one that we would advise following our steps for.

1. Remove Packaging: Any packaging that the taleggio cheese comes in has been designed to maintain the quality of the cheese for a week or so. Unfortunately, this is unlikely to be decent enough for the freezer so get rid of it.
2. Wrap Loosely in Baking Paper: Wrap the cheese in a loose layer of baking paper. This layer lets the cheese breathe while it’s in the freezer, preventing ice from forming directly on the surface of the cheese.
3. Wrap Tightly in Cling Film: It’s now time to stop any further air from getting into the package, so wrap it tightly in a sheet of cling film.
4. Freeze: Label the cheese with the correct date and place it in the centre of the freezer. Once there, it will freeze well and can be stored for around 2 months before it starts to lose flavour.

3 Tips for Freezing Taleggio Cheese

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing taleggio cheese to have the best results:

Use the Multi-Layer Method
Getting the layers of baking paper and cling film the right way around is vital to ensure that you don’t end up with a lot of frost forming directly on the cheese. Ensure you always wrap with the porous baking paper first, followed by the non-porous cling film. 

Consider an Airtight Container
If you’re especially concerned about the aroma within your freezer, it may be worth considering the use of an airtight container to ensure that no cheesy smell fills the freezer. You don’t want cheesy ice cream!

Expect Flavour Loss
The chemicals that make food smell and taste great are called aromatic compounds. These are volatile and will eventually evaporate. If you keep the cheese in the freezer for over 2 months, then you can expect some level of decrease in the overall flavour and aroma. 

How Long Can You Freeze Taleggio Cheese?

You can freeze taleggio cheese for around 2 months.

Sometimes, the cheese is stored longer than that in commercial freezers that are kept very dry, but in a humid home freezer, 2 months is the rough limit you’ll want to stick with.

How Do You Defrost Taleggio Cheese?

Defrosting taleggio cheese is very simple – just transfer the cheese itself into the fridge, and allow it to thaw overnight.

It’s best to thaw taleggio cheese in the fridge, as that will allow it to be stored at a safe temperature when it’s thawed, rather than being stored at room temperature. Trying to speed this process up is also not a great idea.

Can You Refreeze Taleggio Cheese?

Although it is likely to be safe to refreeze taleggio, you will completely ruin the texture and flavour of the cheese – so what’s the point?

The cheese will become excessively crumbly and those crumbs won’t taste of much. Doesn’t sound worth it, does it? That’s why you should try to freeze the taleggio in small, wrapped portions.

Does Taleggio Cheese Freeze Well?

Yes, taleggio cheese does freeze well. As a rule, most cheese freezes quite well, though it can become slightly crumblier over time.

The only downside to freezing cheese, in general, is that it can sometimes lose a little flavour and aroma once frozen and thawed, which could be terribly disappointing.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing taleggio cheese or taleggio in general, then these may help: