How Long Can You Keep a Block of Blue Cheese
No one likes to throw food out, especially if it's quite expensive, like brie cheese. Usually, freezing food is the best way of making it last longer – so can you freeze brie cheese?
Brie cheese can absolutely be frozen, but how you prepare it before storing it in your freezer will impact the quality of it when you go to use it again.
Freezing brie will naturally cause some changes to it; there will likely be a slight loss of taste and, once thawed, it won't be quite as spongy as it once was. If the cheese isn't wrapped when placed in the freezer, it will also dry out when thawed.
There are a few different ways of freezing brie, with varying results, so read on to find out more about which will work best for you.
How Do You Freeze Brie Cheese?
Your first option for freezing brie cheese is to flash freeze it first. To do this, you'll need a lined baking tray and an airtight container or freezer bag.
First, slice the cheese into the desired sizes so that you have portions you can use one at a time when need be.
Line your baking tray with parchment paper and then spread the cheese pieces out on it, ensuring none of them touch (if they do, they'll fuse together in the freezer).
Place the tray in your freezer and leave it in there until the cheese pieces have frozen, this should take a few hours.
Then, remove the tray and transfer the frozen cheese pieces into your airtight container or freezer bag. Finally, store this container or bag in your freezer for the long term.
A note of caution though; using this method of freezing will eventually dry out the cheese. The longer it's left in the freezer, the drier it will be when you come to use it.
If you want your brie to retain more of its freshness after it's frozen, then it's best to use the wrapping method.
To do this, you'll need something suitable to wrap the cheese in – this could be the wrap it came in, cheese paper, or parchment paper.
Decide how you want the cheese to be frozen; you can keep it in a block or separate it into slices.
Wrap your cheese tightly. If you're storing it in pieces or slices, wrap each one individually and always ensure no part of the cheese is unwrapped and exposed.
Transfer the wrapped cheese into an airtight container or freezer bag, then store this in your freezer.
Whichever way you decide to freeze your brie, it's always best to thaw it in the fridge before you use it. If you cut it into slices, these will only need an hour or two, depending on their thickness.
If it's a large block of cheese, it will likely need to thaw in the fridge overnight.
How Long Will Brie Cheese Last In The Freezer?
If you properly wrapped your brie cheese and placed it in the freezer while it was still fresh, it should last up to 3 months in the freezer.
This will also depend on the overall quality of the cheese when you bought it.
How To Use Frozen Brie Cheese
As mentioned, frozen brie cheese is not as good as fresh brie, so it shouldn't be your first choice if serving cheese to guests, for example.
As the two different methods of freezing affect the quality in different ways, they will also influence how you can use the cheese after it's frozen.
If you used the flash freezing method, it's best to only use the cheese in cooked dishes as its texture will not be optimal for eating as is.
Some dishes it can be added to are soups, casseroles, and stews. You could also melt the brie onto things like toast or pasta.
Wrapped brie cheese that has been frozen is a bit more suitable for eating once it's thawed though, again, it won't be quite as good as fresh brie.
Once you've thawed the cheese, leave it at room temperature for at least half an hour to warm it back up slightly, then use it as you wish.
Other Ways To Store Brie Cheese
As a soft cheese, brie won't last as long as hard cheeses like cheddar. It should be kept in the fridge and will last there for up to a week past its "use by" date.
The brie also needs to be loosely wrapped in parchment paper or something similar before being placed in the fridge. Alternatively, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Like frozen brie, leave refrigerated brie at room temperature roughly half an hour before you serve or eat it.
If the cheese doesn't taste right or has blue or green spots of mold on it, it's gone bad and should be thrown out.
In Conclusion
Brie cheese can be frozen, though this will affect its quality and texture once you thaw it out and use it.
If you're just using the brie in a cooked dish like a soup or melting it on pasta, for example, then flash freezing the brie and storing it in an airtight container in the freezer will work fine.
However, if you're intending to serve brie on its own and you want to freeze it, then wrap it properly first.
In the freezer, brie will last up to 3 months but it's always good to keep an eye on it.
How Long Can You Keep a Block of Blue Cheese
Source: https://gobadornot.com/freeze-brie-cheese/