Can You Freeze Ricotta Cheese?

Freezing ricotta cheese will change its character, but frozen cheese is still usable.

Ricotta cheese does not take kindly to being frozen. This type of baking and cooking cheese is commonly used in Italian dishes including lasagna and cannolis. Ricotta cheese is sold in portions which may be too big for your meal. Freezing the ricotta cheese will not spoil it, but it will change its texture. Gourmet chefs will not freeze ricotta cheese, but the average homemaker on a budget may successfully freeze cheese for future use. Does this Spark an idea?

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Instructions

- 1
  
  Freeze ricotta cheese when it's the whole milk version. The fat in the whole milk version will help keep some of the creaminess in the cheese. Use an airtight container and seal the cheese well.
- 2
  
  Label the containers of frozen ricotta cheese with the date it was frozen. Use within two months of the freezing date.
- 3
  
  Bake meals with ricotta cheese and then freeze dinner sized portions of the food. The baked ricotta cheese will hold up best when stored in a freezer.
- 4
  
  Use and store extra ricotta cheese by making fruity cream pops. Blend fresh berries, sugar, ricotta cheese and lemon and pour into molds, adding a popsicle stick.
- 5
  
  Thaw the frozen ricotta cheese in the refrigerator. Heating up the cheese or microwaving it will make the texture even more far removed from its original state. Leaving the dairy product on the counter will risk spoiling it.
- 6
  
  Stir in the liquid which has separated from the cheese. Do not pour the liquid out.
- 7
  
  Use the defrosted ricotta cheese in a dish where it is one of the many ingredients, not the main component. Add weight and texture back to the cheese when baking it in stuffed shells or lasagna by stirring breadcrumbs into the cheese.

Tips & Warnings

Allow the ricotta cheese about a day to thaw out in the refrigerator before using it.
Scoop out a small portion of ricotta cheese and freeze it to test the texture for yourself.
Ricotta cheese may be frozen for a maximum of two months.
Avoid making delicate desserts with thawed-out ricotta cheese.

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O Chef: Freezing Ricotta Cheese

Photo Credit White still-life. Milk, milk and cheese image by Mykola Velychko from Fotolia.com

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