There are plenty dos and don’ts of refrigerating cheese, and it’s important to know how to properly store any kind of cheese that you might bring home. Similar to burrata, you shouldn’t be freezing fresh mozzarella. Obviously, the police won’t show up to your house if you do, but it does almost feel like a crime to not eat the tender, milky ball of cheese when it’s at it’s peak quality. Although it has a short shelf life and may be tempting to freeze if you can’t use it in time, fresh mozzarella is best in it’s namesake form: fresh.
Fresh mozzarella cheese should ideally be eaten on the same day that it’s made, but sadly most of us don’t have that luxury. To keep the cheese as fresh as possible, it’s usually stored in extra whey or brine, or sometimes just water, and it should still be consumed within a few days of bringing it home to enjoy the best texture and taste.
A delicate cheese like fresh mozzarella isn’t ideal for freezing due to it’s high water content. When that moisture freezes, ice crystals form but then defrost unevenly and can change the texture of that once-beautiful, springy fresh mozzarella. There are a few things to know before you freeze cheese, especially a fresh cheese, so if you’re feeling the need to freeze, we have some tips on how to best freeze and properly defrost to get the best texture possible.
The water content in cheese makes freezing tricky
If you’re set on freezing fresh mozzarella, the best way to do it is to cut the ball into individual slices, pat them as dry as possible, and then lay the slices flat on a plate or small baking tray and place them in the freezer until solid. From there, place squares of parchment or wax paper in between the slices and stack them together, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. You can remove slices to defrost as needed, but we don’t recommend using these for a Caprese salad or other raw applications. The defrosted mozzarella slices are better suited to heating, like melting on top of pizza or a baked pasta dish.
Low-moisture mozzarella, usually sold in blocks or shredded in a bag, is better suited to freezing due to the lower moisture content, as the name suggests. A block of mozzarella should be kept in it’s airtight plastic packaging for freezing, but if you’ve already taken it out of the wrapper, discard the original packaging and wrap it tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap. After it’s been tightly wrapped a few times, which helps to avoid the dreaded freezer burn, place the block of mozzarella in a freezer-safe bag and expel as much of the air from the bag as possible before sealing. Clearly label the cheese before freezing for up to six months. Shredded low-moisture mozzarella can be frozen in it’s original packaging or in another airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
