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Keeping queso fresco fresh. Media Contact:. Many Mexican favorites are made with plenty of beans or eggs and this fresh, light cheese helps to offset the heaviness of the dish. Paneer , a popular dairy product that is very similar to cheese and is used in Indian cuisine, and halloumi , a popular unripened Greek cheese, are two of the closest alternatives to queso fresco, with a similarly crumbly texture and mild flavor.
Bocconcini , or baby mozzarella , is another close flavor relative, though it is much more solid and less crumbly than queso fresco. Some will also compare goat cheese or feta to queso fresco, and they are very similar in texture and consistency, but both these alternatives have much stronger, more tart flavors.
Queso fresco, being very fresh, has a relatively high moisture level compared to more aged cheeses, like cheddar, for example. Unfortunately, this makes queso fresco a bad candidate for the freezing process. When queso fresco is frozen, the moisture creates tiny ice crystals in the cheese, which break through the proteins holding your cheese together. When the cheese thaws, the ice melts, and the firmness from the fresh cheese is eliminated. If you must freeze your queso fresco for some reason, be prepared to have an entirely different experience with the defrosted version that you did with the fresh cheese.
The best possible results will come from queso fresco that has been crumbled before it is frozen. It will freeze more quickly this way, creating smaller ice crystals and protecting the texture somewhat. The freshness of your cheese will depend on whether it is commercially produced or homemade, and when you open the package.
Unopened storebought queso fresco will last the longest in your fridge. It should easily keep for 2 months unless otherwise specified. Keep your queso fresco off the door as that is where the most temperature fluctuation happens, and it can shorten the life of your cheese.
Once your queso fresco has been opened, you will want to keep it carefully wrapped and covered. Keeping it loosely wrapped in cheesecloth or plastic wrap is the best way to allow your cheese to breathe, but not dry out. Homemade queso fresco will not last nearly as long as store-bought, commercially produced cheese. It is used to enhance Mexican dishes such as tacos and empanadas. It is used as a filling for stuffed chiles too. In order to keep queso fresco fresh, you should properly store it in an air-tight container.
If you do not have an air-tight container, then saran wrap will work. You just have to wrap it tightly against the bowl or container that you use.
Some people confuse queso fresco with queso blanco. Queso blanco is what you eat with tortilla chips when you eat at an authentic Mexican restaurant. Queso blanco is a dip, unlike queso fresco. The way to tell if queso fresco has spoiled is by examining it for white or green spots of mold.
This mold sits on top of the cheese and sometimes on the lid of the jar if it is store-bought. White mold may be difficult to see on top of white cheese. The green spots are more obvious. If you see any sign of mold that is an indication that your queso fresco has gone bad and should be thrown away. You can technically freeze homemade queso fresco for approximately two months. It is best to freeze it in an air-tight container or freezer-safe bag.
It has a high moisture content though so it is not necessarily the best idea to freeze it. If you purchase queso fresco at the grocery store it should be consumed within two weeks of opening. Alternatively, keep it frozen for approximately three to six months. Sometimes cheeses dry out when they are frozen. Cheeses also have the potential to become freezer burnt which is never pleasant.
If you must freeze queso fresco so that it does not get wasted, we have some suggestions for you. Whenever you are just going to thaw the cheese to use in a recipe it is fine to leave it on the kitchen counter overnight. It is ready to use in your recipe after 12 hours of thawing.
It is important to take note of the fact that solid blocks of cheese take more time to thaw than shredded cheese does. You can allow your queso fresco to defrost for up to 24 hours.
It is okay to either let your queso fresco thaw on the counter or put it into a bowl and cover it with saran wrap. You should keep it wrapped in its original packaging or in plastic so that the cheese retains moisture as it thaws. Queso does not keep very well in the fridge. You can keep fresh queso in the fridge for about five days. Queso with preservatives like what you will find in a grocery store lasts about two weeks.
If you buy queso from a restaurant it should keep in the refrigerator for three to five days. Always keep an eye out for mold on the surface. Queso fresco is not a good melting cheese. If you want a melting cheese it probably is not the one you want.
That is because queso fresco does not melt well with heat, like other cheeses do.
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