Tuesday, January 17, 2017

tuesday tip

I haven't posted a Tuesday Tip in quite a while.
Sometimes I think of one, then immediately think,
"Oh, everyone knows that."
Or, "Oh, no one cares about that."

But what the heck. Here we go. This is a cheesy tip.

I buy a lot of cheese.
(Back when I had dairy goats in Colorado, I also made a lot of cheese, but that was another lifetime.)
Sometimes I buy provolone or swiss. Occasionally - because it is both pricey and not available nearby - a nice gruyère. (Cauliflower baked with cream and gruyère is one of my favorite foods on this Earth.) But mostly, I buy good, stout, flavorful cheddars. I stock up when it's on sale, put a couple of packages in the fridge for slicing and snacking, and the rest goes straight into the freezer.

Now, freezing changes the texture of cheddar; this is widely known. It becomes impossible to slice and serve neatly. It fractures. Many people see this as a cheesy flaw. A reason not to freeze cheddar.

BUT.

This very quality can be a cheesy virtue! If you use cheddar in any sort of shredded or grated form, freezing a block can save you time, money (if you usually buy shredded cheese), and, in my case at least, the occasional skinned knuckle from using that darned box grater. Because a chunk of cheddar that has been frozen can be easily crumbled into any size pieces you prefer.

See? Big knobbly pieces:


If you let a frozen block of cheddar thaw for a while, you can then break it up quickly with the tines of a fork. Or if you put the block in a ziplock bag, you can crumble it into bits with your fingers, using very little pressure.

See? Tiny little bits:


Do you already do this?
Does everyone?
I'm positive no one "taught" me to do this, so maybe it isn't common knowledge and is a Genuine Tip.
I hope so.
It sure saves me a lot of time, and the frustration of trying to open bandaids for my knuckles. If anyone has a tip for that,  I hope you'll write about it!
~~~~~

16 comments:

  1. Good tip - thanks. I generally grate the cheese before I freeze it - and then freeze the grated cheese in portions ;)

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  2. Nope, everyone doesn't know this. I'm lucky to have an auto cheese grater (it's his knuckles that need band-aids) - but I will certainly worthwhile for myself! LOL

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  3. Nice tip.
    I use the one side style grater with plastic coated handles on each end instead of a box grater. I hold it over a bowl with my knuckles against the bowl while holding the handle on the outside of the bowl If you score the cheese with a knife, and use a cheese cutter wire, then that can also produce a style of grated cheese.

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  4. We freeze cheese all the time and then end up using it for cooking, sandwiches and in salads. You're so right - it crumbles beautifully.

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    1. Do you freeze cheeses other than cheddar? I'd love to think I could buy a little extra gruyere and freeze it for a second batch of that cauliflower dish, but it is so expensive I've been afraid to experiment!

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  5. Thanks and I'm grateful for this knowledge; I eat a lot of cheese, have lately been on an English cheddar kick...when on sale.

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  6. That's a great idea! We don't eat much cheese due to someone's (not mine) blood lipid profile concerns. However, the only cheese we eat is cooked into various dishes. Voila - you showed us how make our own crumbled cheddar! Thank you!

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  7. I knew this! Of course being raised in Wisconsin might be why... Good tip.

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    1. I'll bet you have lots of cheesy tips to share - please do!

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  8. This is a very positive way of looking at it! And you're right that it's a real easy way to have "grated" cheese, I love that.

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  9. You know it's funny that I've known that previously frozen cheddar crumbles but I never made the connection about using it for a shredded substitute. I confess I've even shredded cheddar BEFORE freezing. I like your lazy ... er, simple way better :)

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  10. I'll have to try this. I do freeze the chedder cheese but never thought of crumbling it this way. I use my mouli julienne grater to grate everything. It is great, and the knuckles are at no risk of injury.

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  11. I've never frozen cheese because I didn't think you could, but just tonight my husband came home with a big block of cheddar and there was already one in the fridge. A perfect time to use your tip! Thanks Quinn :)
    Wendy

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  12. Nope I didn't know it! But now I do : ) Thank you for the tip-we love CHEESE : )

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  13. THIS. IS. COOL! I didn't know it, but I sure will use it! Thank you.

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  14. Never knew that! I love a good cheese but a decent cheddar is hard to find here :( I made cauliflower cheese last weekend. It was not popular, but I loved it!

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