With its rich texture and mildly salty and creamy flavor, ricotta cheese is not only a vital part of cannoli and lasagna, but can adda gourmet touch to cheesecakes, omelets, and crêpes. The only downside to this delicious cheese is that it's delicate, especially the good stuff (i.e. homemade or bought from a local producer). Its high moisture content can cause it to go bad in one or two weeks at maximum, or a mere two days for a homemade version.
Prolonging ricotta's shelf life by freezing it seems like an easy solution, but it changes drastically when frozen, which is again attributed toits high moisture content.Generally speaking, you should think twice about freezing cheese, and doubly so for fresh varieties like cream cheese or ricotta. Ricotta is about 74% water,and when that water transforms into ice, it disrupts the cheese's texture and makes it dry, crumbly, and slightly grainy.
It's still better to freeze the cheese than let it go to waste, but you won't be able to use thawed ricotta in the same way as the fresh stuff, such as in "raw" preparations like mousses, salads, or as a topping. The good news is that freezing it only requires a plastic bag or airtight container and a few minutes of your time. The thawed cheese will fare just fine when mixed into cooked dishes, so learning how to freeze it is a worthwhile endeavor.
If you have an unopened container of ricotta, you can stick the whole thing right in the freezer, but if the package has been opened, you have to transfer the cheese to a new container.Use a clean, airtight container or freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and bacterial contamination. You can even freeze the cheese in ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a container, which makes for easier portioning when you want to use it in the future.If your freezer has a quick-freeze function, take advantage of it, because freezing the cheese as quickly as possible willreduce ice crystal formation.
Ideally, store the cheese in the back of your freezer, where the temperature is the lowest. The door of your freezer is a bit warmer and can fluctuate in temperature whenever you open and close it. Stored properly, fresh ricotta will last in the freezer for one to three months.
Once you thaw your cheese, it is not recommended to refreeze it. Since freezing it just oncealready causes the cheese to degrade somewhat, you can imagine what constant thawing and refreezing would do. The texture and quality of the cheese will deteriorate each time you freeze it, until it turns into a grainy, broken, separated mess. Repeated thawing also puts it at risk formicrobial growth that can cause foodborne illness.
Thawed Ricotta Cheese Is Ideal For Cooked Dishes
The best way tothaw frozen cheese is to leave in the refrigerator at 32 to 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Wait until your ricotta softens,and if it turns out watery, just stir it to improve its texture. From there, it will last for a couple days in the fridge, so get creative with ways to use it up.
Thawed ricotta is best used incooked dishes likepastas, baked goods, and casseroles. Thoroughly mixing it into batter for pancakes, cookies, cheesecakes, and pound cakes will disguise its altered texture most effectively.It can also be a delicious addition to scrambled eggsthat creates a richer taste and fluffy consistency. Or, use your thawed cheese inthesericotta-stuffed zucchini flowers, which are perfect for a light lunch or dinner.
Thawed ricotta can also be successfully used in dips, sauces, or salad dressings. Blending the cheese with other ingredients makes it hard to detect its slightly separated and grainy texture. Try mixing it with sour cream, yogurt, mustard, and other ingredients to create a dip for chips and veggies. Previously-frozen ricotta can also be a good choice for fritters, stuffed shells, and other dishes where its texture won't take center stage.
If you have an unopened container of ricotta, you can stick the whole thing right in the freezer, but if the package has been opened, you have to transfer the cheese to a new container. Use a clean, airtight container or freezer bag to prevent freezer burn and bacterial contamination.
Stir the ricotta with a spoon so that the cheese will freeze more evenly. Remove the cheese from the container and press it down with a layer of paper towels to drain. Wrap the cheese in plastic wrap, either as a whole or in individual portions using an ice cube tray (the latter is easier for thawing).
In a pinch, you can freeze ricotta cheese, but you may have some texture changes after thawing. When I have leftover ricotta cheese, I place small portions in heavy-duty freezer bags or an airtight container and, for best results, use it within three months.
Soft cheeses such as camembert and brie, as well as ricotta and cottage cheese, that have a higher water and fat content can still be frozen, but just know that their texture will suffer. Cream cheese can be frozen, too!
Yes, you can freeze ricotta cheese. But keep in mind that its texture will change as ricotta has a high level of moisture, so it will become grainy or slightly watery upon thawing. You can use it in cooked dishes, like lasagna or cannelloni, where the texture will be less noticeable.
When it comes to the creamy and cheesy layer, ricotta, cottage cheese, and béchamel fillings can all be frozen, although béchamel varieties tend to weather the freezing process a bit better. Both meat and vegetable lasagnas can be frozen, but be sure to fully cook any meat before assembling and freezing.
One key detail to keep in mind is whether the package of ricotta cheese has been opened or not. Unopened ricotta will last about two weeks in the fridge, while opened ricotta will last just a week. As for the freezer, you can store ricotta for up to three months.
It's universally known that frozen pizza skimps on the cheese. So, augment that reality with a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan, or whole slices of fresh mozzarella and a few small dollops of ricotta.
For extra creamy ricotta, add in an extra egg, a handful of grated parmesan, and a quarter cup of shredded mozzarella. Eggs help prevent the ricotta from drying out and serve to bind the ricotta so it doesn't become runny.
It is perfectly safe to vacuum-seal hard cheeses, but soft cheeses such as blue cheese, brie, camembert, ricotta, and other soft and unpasteurized cheeses, can actually produce mould faster in a vacuum than in regular air.
That's why it's important to give yourself as many advantages as you possibly can, especially when it comes to removing excess moisture before and during the cooking process. Epstein explains that if ricotta isn't drained as part of the prep, "the moisture in the ricotta causes the lasagna to fall apart."
Freezing cheese stops bacterial growth completely. Frozen cheeses should be used within six months of freezing and then used within two to three days of thawing.
In general, hand-crafted cheeses with delicate flavors and aromas don't freeze well and are best bought in smaller portions and eaten fresh. Freezing is also not recommended for fresh curd cheeses like cottage cheese, ricotta, and quark due to their high moisture content.
When that ice defrosts, the consistency of ricotta becomes more watery and less creamy. Fat separation is why it's essential to whip or stir defrosted ricotta to bring back a creamy consistency, although it's sometimes impossible to avoid the grainy texture.
In other words, the cheese doesn't melt. So ricotta falls in the same category as paneer, halloumi, queso blanco and other cheeses that can be heated without melting. This is why ricotta is such a fine choice for lasagna, stuffed shells, ravioli and cheesecake. It heats wonderfully, but doesn't reduce to a pool of goo.
Yes. Pastry chef here... I defrost the ricotta in its container , then you need to put the ricotta in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the liquid out over the sink, before you use the ricotta in the recipe.
Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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