Can I freeze ricotta cheese? If I do, is it different that how I use it fresh?!
Can I freeze ricotta cheese? If I do, is it different that how I use it fresh?
I buy Ricotta cheese to make things like lasagna, stuffed shells. But they frequently only have a large container available, when I only need 15 ozs. And I don't need it often enough
Answers:
Cheese is actually alive. Freezing kills it. You can freeze it (and I have) but the flavor is a little off when you thaw it out. As an ingredient in a multi-ingredient dish like lasagna, you probably will not notice the difference, but you might notice it in stuffed shells if the only stuffing is ricotta.
I freeze it all the time. You definitely can use it for anything you want. It might be a little watery when you thaw it. You can either drain the water off or mix it back into the cheese. When you freeze it put it into containers of the size you will need for 1 recipe. If you need 2 cups for a recipe freeze it in 2 cup containers,etc.
I haven't had any problems freezing it.