There can be instances you buy something, and you don’t get the chance to use them or change your mind. What if this happens with the cream cheese you purchased from the grocery? And the next obvious question that hit your mind could be, can you freeze cheese? or Can You Freeze Cream Cheese? Does cream cheese go bad? How to make frozen cream cheese creamy again? Don’t worry; this article is all about solving all these questions; let’s dive in.
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Can You Freeze Cream Cheese?
The simple answer is YES. Unopened cream cheese can directly go to the refrigerator with the original packaging. But opened cream cheese should cover something before you put it into the freezer. There is nothing to worry about it as you can easily freeze cream cheese in order to utilize it later.
The issue is you won’t see the same texture when you think of reusing and perhaps won’t suit the purpose that you initially bought. However, it doesn’t necessarily suggest you can’t use them by any means as it fits nicely for the certain food items. Further, there will be hardly any noticeable change in the taste when you use them as softened cream cheese. Long story short, can I freeze cream cheese? Yes, you can.
Want to Know More About Freezing and Thawing?
First of all, make sure you use quality bags for the freezing; the bags should feel heavy, and the seal must work properly. Before you put cheese into the freezer bag, please mark the date on it, and when you place them inside the freezer, make sure you lay it flat.
When it comes to thawing (which we will talk about later), it is better you take them out from the freezer day before you intend to use them, or if you happen to use them the next day, it will be ideal if you put them in a freezer bag and place them in a bowl filled with tap water making the bag to float.
What Happens When You Freeze Cream Cheese?
As you know, cream cheese has “cream” in it, which leads cheese to change its texture dramatically because the water of the cream tends to get freeze and become crystals. This will cause the cream cheese grainy and gritty overtime.
The frozen cream cannot be used to spread anymore even after you make them thaw or soft. So, it’s always better to predetermine when you are going to use and the quantity you want before purchasing them because cream cheese might not fit the work you plan once they get frozen.
How Long Can You Keep Cream Cheese in the Freezer?
How long does cream cheese last? It depends on whether you use a fridge or a freezer and whether you opened it or not. In a refrigerator, cream cheese can last up to one month if you don’t open it before placing it in the fridge; and, if opened, you will have to use it before ten days as, after ten days, it becomes inedible.
However, the time extends up to six months when it is kept in a freezer. In addition, if you want the cream cheese to last such a long time, do not put it in a fridge first and transfer it later to a freezer; your go-to option must be the freezer.
Can You Freeze Cream Cheese After Opening?
Yes, you can. As mentioned earlier, it won’t be suitable to use as a spread on bread or crackers, and opened cream cheese won’t last much longer in a fridge. If you want the cream cheese to retain its original condition, it would be best if you store it in a refrigerator rather than a freezer. This will provide you up to 10 or so days to use as you bought them.
How Do You Store Cream Cheese In The Freezer?
There are two forms of cream cheese; opened and unopened. You can place the unopened cream cheese directly in the freezer with its packaging, and you don’t require to do anything as the foil cover is enough for protection. But, for the opened cream cheese, you must take the whole thing out of the foil and the packaging and transfer it to a sealable freezer bag. From there onwards, you can follow the instructions that we have provided early in the article.
How Do You Defrost Cream Cheese?
The best thing you can do is move the container bag from the freezer to the fridge and leave about one day or until it gets defrosted. If you don’t have that much time, you will have to place the container bag in a bowl containing cold water.
Also, you must change the water every 30 minutes to keep precise low-temperature levels in the water; if you fail to do so, there is a chance of growing bacteria on cream cheese, and it will become unsuitable for eating. The water-changing process has to be done until cheese gets defrosted.
How Do You Make Frozen Cream Cheese Creamy Again?
As we mentioned throughout the article, frozen cream cheese loses its creamy texture and becomes not ideal for spreading anymore; having said that, there are ways to make it creamy again. But, not perfectly at it was at the point you buy; but, somewhat close. Following are two of those methods,
- Whisking
Whisking the cheese after it gets thaw is the easiest method.
- Soften cream cheese in a microwave
This is a difficult method but an effective one. You can microwave the thawed cream cheese in 10-second circles and mix well during the intervals until you receive the expected results.
Can You Freeze Dips Made with Cream Cheese?
This is another frequently asked question. Can you freeze cream cheese dips? Yes, of course, you can freeze them; but, make sure you stir well before you freeze. In order to reuse, you will have to use the stovetop method. Here is how it is done.
- Stovetop method
First, thaw the frozen dip by putting it in a fridge and let the drops defrost. Now take a pan and fill it with water, then place a smaller-sized pan and place it in the water-filled pan. Put the thawed dips into the smaller pan and stir until you receive the expected smoothness under medium heat.
Can You Freeze Flavored Cream Cheese?
Yes, you can freeze flavored cream cheese as you do with ordinary cream cheese. Adding flavor to the cream cheese tends to reduce the storing time, which means it won’t be a good idea to store flavored cheese in a fridge. Moreover, storing relatively large quantities is easier, and you can use the stovetop method similar to dips to make them creamier again.
Can You Freeze Cream Cheese Frosting?
Can you freeze cream cheese icing? These questions come up when you get a cake with cream cheese on it and mostly after a party or similar event. And again, the answer is yes.
These types of cakes or other foods will freeze fine as well. Since there is sugar in the cream, it will retain the creamy texture, unlike most previously mentioned instances. All you have to do is thaw before you enjoy it, and there won’t be any difference in the taste too.
Freezing Other Cheeses
Assume you have cream cheese and other cheese variations such as cheddar, parmesan, or mozzarella; it would be much better if you prefer other cheeses instead of cream cheese; given you have very limited space in your freezer. Because, as you know, cream cheese loses its texture and the feasibility of use; but, it’s not the case with the cheese sorts we mentioned as they hardly bring any issues after thawed, and you won’t notice any change in the taste either.
In addition, packed shredded cheese products also hold well in the freezers compared to cream cheese. However, we are not forcing anything on you; it’s your choice at the end of the day.
How Do I Thaw Frozen Cream Cheese?
Thawing is super important in terms of reusing cream cheeses; actually, it’s vital regardless of the type of cheese. There are different ways to perform this task. The most straightforward way is taking it out of the freezer and place in the fridge at least for 24 hours, and you are good to go with your recipe.
Obviously, this method takes considerable time to make cream cheese workable for you. The next way is to place it directly in a tepid water-filled pan for around half an hour. However, you will have to use it right after the thawing process because it will start to change the taste thereafter.
How To Soften Cream Cheese?
For certain recipes, thawing won’t be sufficient to get the real taste and texture to the outcome, and using the thawed cream cheese at a cold state can blend a kind of lumpiness to your recipe as well. To avoid this, you will have to soften it before you use it; actually, softening cream cheese doesn’t demand anything from you.
Keeping thawed cream cheese on a countertop will do the job for you. Yes, after around 15 minutes, it will get altered the condition to room temperature and becomes soft enough to use in any recipe.
If you are in a hurry, you can use a microwave to your advantage to get rid of the lumpy texture from the thawed cream cheese. It will get melted around 15 seconds in a microwave, and you can check the state with the fingers. You don’t want it to feel hot on your fingers, but at the same time, it should be soft as well.
What are the Uses of Frozen Cream Cheese?
Before we talk about the uses, we think now you can understand that it is best when you use them right after you bring them home. Cream cheese gets crumbly and less tasty once they thawed and definitely won’t help you spread it on bagel or bread.
However, we know there are irresistible offers that pop up at certain times of the year, and you can bring some stock to your home if you have the freezing capacity and make certain foods with cream cheese.
Cheesecakes, baked food, cooked dishes, casseroles dishes and fudge are a few of the options you can try with the frozen cream cheese. If you store them in a freezer, you can use these cheeses for months, and it will save you a considerable amount of money as well.
However, we urge you to go with natural instinctive and smell when you take them out from the freezer and thaw. If you feel something wrong or bad with the frozen cream cheese, throw them away.
How to Avoid Freezer Burn?
First and foremost, you will have to inspect the freezer bags. The bags should not contain any air after you put cheese in them, and there shouldn’t be any holes in the bags as well. Then your freezer; it has to be a freezer! Yes, the temperature levels should be around 0 degrees to protect the condition of the cheese. If your freezer carries any faults or constant power outages, it can simply make cream cheese unusable.
How to Detect Spoiled Cream Cheese?
Yellowish or greenish specs on the cheese and mold are signs that they are not edible anymore. Further, cream cheese has the tendency to get slimy if it is out of order and not to mention the bad odor. You know how bad spoiled cheese can smell, right? However, there can be instances you won’t notice or smell anything out of the ordinary; still, it might not be suitable to eat. To prevent this, you should always double-check whether it has a sour taste before spreading it on the bread or using it in a recipe.
Wrapping up..
It’s a thorough FAQ session, isn’t it? We have answered one and half dozen of questions regarding frozen cream cheese. Can cream cheese be frozen? How long is cream cheese good for? Can you freeze cream cheese spread? Can you freeze cream cheese balls? and Can you freeze cream cheese blocks? We think these are not questions anymore for you. If you still need any clarification about the topic we discussed, shoot us a message or let us know them by a comment. Cheers!
