How long does open cottage cheese keep in the refrigerator. Is it possible to freeze cottage cheese and how long does it keep. Rules for storing a fermented milk product in the refrigerator

Alexander Gushchin

I can't vouch for the taste, but it will be hot :)

Protein fermented milk product, which is obtained by heating sour milk or kefir, followed by the separation of whey - cottage cheese. It is divided according to the fat content into fatty (17%) bold (7-9%) and low-fat cottage cheese (no more than 2.5%). It is used as an independent product, or as an ingredient for cooking dishes - pancakes, cheesecakes, casseroles, cheesecakes. There are situations when there is an extra fermented milk product. Is it possible to freeze cottage cheese for storage, will its taste and nutritional qualities deteriorate?

Does cottage cheese lose its properties after freezing

Cottage cheese is rich in slowly digestible protein (casein), contains more than 15 g of protein per 100 g. It contains a high concentration of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins of group B, A, C, PP. Experts say that you can store cottage cheese in the freezer - after proper freezing and thawing, all the useful qualities of the product are preserved. It is frozen at temperatures up to -20 degrees, so it can be stored for up to two months.

The industrial capacities of dairy plants make it possible to produce the so-called shock freezing, in which the product freezes in an extremely short time at a very low temperature, approximately -35 degrees. If you freeze the cottage cheese in the freezer at home at a temperature of a conventional chamber from -5 to -10 degrees, then the taste of the cottage cheese will deteriorate significantly.

Under the influence of sub-zero temperatures, the structure of the fermented milk product changes. The liquid in it undergoes a process of crystallization. When defrosting, stratification begins, the taste of the resulting curd changes due to the fact that the microorganisms in it are activated, the fermentation process begins, due to improper harvesting.

The benefits and harms of frozen cottage cheese

This type of product is obtained by straining the whey from the milk base, leaving a clean tasty protein mass and a small amount of carbohydrates, so it is extremely saturated with nutrients, vitamins and trace elements, see photo. Proteins are broken down by lactic acid bacteria into useful amino acids:

lysine, which is indispensable for the normal functioning of the liver;
methionine, which prevents the development of atherosclerosis, helps to eliminate cholesterol, normalize the emotional background;
choline, which is necessary for the normal functioning of the human nervous system.

Cottage cheese should be consumed by people with pathologies of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, abdominal organs, obesity, atherosclerosis, hypertension, cholecystitis, fractures, joint problems. Due to the high calcium content, a fermented milk product is mandatory for pregnant and lactating women, children, adolescents, and pensioners. Athletes use cottage cheese to replenish protein stores and build muscle mass.

The benefit of dietary cottage cheese lies in the minimum fat content, the manufacturing technology of which consists in lactic acid fermentation of skimmed milk, by making a special starter culture, see photo. Such a product contains the maximum amount of calcium phosphorus and vitamin PP, which strengthen the skeletal system, improve vascular elasticity, and heal the intestinal microflora. All the beneficial properties of cottage cheese are preserved in a frozen product, subject to the rules for its preparation and thawing.

The ratio of benefits and harms of cottage cheese depends on the method of its production and the quality of the product. A large concentration of biologically active components is contained in a product prepared at home by fermenting natural milk. It is not recommended to use expired cottage cheese, because. pathogenic microflora actively reproduces in it.

Is it possible to freeze sweet cottage cheese and how to store it correctly? It is not recommended to use fresh, as well as freeze, store-bought sweet curds and masses. They contain a large amount of sugar and its substitutes, preservatives, stabilizers, synthetic flavors and emulsifiers. Such additives are harmful to health in fresh and thawed form, even if all the rules for harvesting and thawing the product are observed. It should be stored on the top shelf of the refrigerator, within the expiration date indicated on the package.

Is it possible to store cottage cheese in the freezer

Homemade cottage cheese can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-4 days at low humidity (up to 50%), if you transfer it from a plastic bag to a ceramic or enamel bowl. The shelf life of the store analogue is up to a week, because. manufacturers add preservatives to increase the shelf life. A freshly prepared product is subjected to deep freezing, which after defrosting can be consumed without heat treatment. As for the store-bought pasty product, it is not recommended to freeze it, preference should be given to grainy.

To freeze cottage cheese for storage, the temperature of the freezer must be set to at least -18 degrees (3 or 4 divisions of the scale on the regulator knob). Substantial freezing extends its shelf life to 1-2 months. Such a frozen product retains its valuable and useful properties, but it must be thawed before direct use.

How to freeze

In order to always have fresh tasty cottage cheese on the table, it must be properly frozen and stored:

For freezing, you need to take only a fresh product of industrial or home production.
The use of plastic bags is not recommended. Preference should be given to glass or enameled containers, which can already be wrapped in cellophane and signed with a marker (product name and date).
Containers need to be filled not to the top, because. when freezing, the liquid in the product will begin to expand and occupy the entire volume provided.
Freezing cottage cheese is recommended in portions, because. thawed product cannot be re-harvested.
You can freeze ready-made semi-finished products - cottage cheese is used to make pancakes, dumplings, cheesecakes, which are prepared according to the classic recipe, then they are packaged and frozen. So the curd does not change its taste, but is stored longer.

How to defrost cottage cheese

After the thawing process, the fermented milk product should be squeezed out to remove excess whey, as it no longer has useful properties. It should be borne in mind that the cottage cheese after defrosting should fully correspond to the fresh product: have a white color, a pleasant taste and aroma. Depending on the method of use, there are several ways to thaw this fermented milk product:

For fresh consumption, it is thawed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for about 12 hours.
For cooking with subsequent heat treatment - at room temperature for about 3-4 hours.
In the microwave oven with defrost function for cooking dishes with cottage cheese.
For defrosting, followed by baking, you can use a slow cooker, for this it is recommended to set the device to a temperature of +20 degrees.

What can be cooked from frozen cottage cheese

Thawed cottage cheese, cooked according to all the rules, can be eaten fresh if it is thawed gradually in the refrigerator. In other cases, the product is used as an ingredient for preparing other delicious dishes, see recipes and photos:

Syrniki. To prepare them, you need to mix 200 g of cottage cheese, one egg, 1 tbsp. sugar and sour cream. Knead, then add 0.5 tbsp. flour and a pinch of soda. Knead the dough, form small "cutlets", fry on both sides in vegetable oil until golden.
Pasta casserole. Mix 250 g of boiled pasta with 150 g of cottage cheese, 2 eggs, 1 tbsp. Sahara. Put the mass on a frying pan greased with butter, bake at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Video

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When people tamed cows, buffaloes, they did not always have time to consume the milk received from them within a few hours. Milk quickly turned sour, so primitive women paid attention to the processes of souring, after which sour milk and cottage cheese were obtained. Now cottage cheese is one of the most consumed dairy products, which is consumed in almost all corners of our Earth. But, as in ancient times, cottage cheese remains a perishable product that requires special storage methods. At dairies, preservatives are added to cottage cheese in order to slightly lengthen the implementation time. But in any case, the deadlines for implementation must be on the original packaging. The fact is that cottage cheese is a living product, fermentation processes take place in it, therefore it is so important to maintain the parameters and storage periods so that it does not deteriorate ahead of time.

How to store cottage cheese

The cottage cheese bought in the store should immediately be transferred to an enamel bowl and tightly closed. You can also use plastic dishes, but also closed with a tight lid. In order for high-fat cottage cheese not to spoil ahead of time, you need to put a piece of sugar in it, because fat oxidizes faster. Lean cottage cheese is stored longer than fat, but it also has a shelf life limit.

Storage temperature

Cottage cheese and curd products are best stored at a temperature of +2 - +6 ° C.

Many housewives make cottage cheese at home, but it deteriorates very quickly, so immediately after making such cottage cheese, you need to pack it in foil or parchment paper. In this case, it remains fresh for 2, maximum 3 days, but no more. With longer storage, such cottage cheese is best used for culinary products.

How long to store cottage cheese

Cottage cheese of industrial production is stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. But in the section with the lowest temperature of the refrigerator, cottage cheese can lie without spoiling for up to 4 days, provided that it is properly packaged. In order to keep the cottage cheese for a longer period, it must be put in the freezer compartment. In this case, he retains all his qualities for up to a week. But before using such frozen cottage cheese, you need to transfer it from the freezer to the refrigerator and defrost for at least 10-12 hours. And if the cottage cheese is intended for cooking, then it can be removed from the freezer and put in the kitchen for five hours.

The industry began to produce vacuum-packed cottage cheese. In this case, the cottage cheese can be stored for up to 30 days, but only if the vacuum bag is not damaged.

This question becomes relevant whenever perishable products appear in the house and you want to extend their shelf life. It is especially important for every housewife to know how and how much to keep fresh homemade cottage cheese in the refrigerator and whether this fermented milk product can be frozen. Having found this out, we will adjust the daily menu with minimal losses for the family budget and with maximum health benefits for the household.

Unlike store-bought cottage cheese, which is often without our knowledge put artificial preservatives that prolong its life, a home-made product has an extremely limited shelf life. And all - due to the fact that he is "alive", completely devoid of preservative substances.

Therefore, having made cottage cheese on your own according to one of the old grandmother's recipes, you should take care of its safety so that when treating children with crumbly cottage cheese to replenish calcium in their bodies, you do not get a negative effect in the form of poisoning.

The answer to the question of how long homemade cottage cheese is stored depends on several factors.

From the time and method of obtaining a healthy fermented milk product - the fresher it is, the longer it will be possible to enjoy its excellent taste without fear.
From the ambient temperature - the lower it is, the longer it will remain fresh, and it can be safely eaten without prior heat treatment.
From the percentage of moisture in the air.
The shelf life of homemade cottage cheese directly depends on the conditions under which we will store it (in the refrigerator or out of it, in what container, etc.).

There are three main options for saving lactic acid treats, which we will talk about - in the refrigerator, in natural conditions and in the freezer.

The answer to such a relevant request from the product itself is ambiguous. It depends on how quickly after his birth he fell into the fertile conditions of frosty freshness: the less time passes from the moment it is received to being placed in the cold, the longer it will last without harm to itself and its consumers.

The place of cottage cheese in the refrigerator is on the topmost shelf, near the freezer.

Another option to “extend the life” of cottage cheese at home is to place it in a Fresh Box, where the temperature is kept at a level of 0 to +1 ° C with minimal humidity.

Shelf life of cottage cheese in the refrigerator

In vacuum packaging, the storage time of cottage cheese is extended up to 30 days.
On the shelf under the freezer (the coldest place) - up to 4 - 5 days.

Remember that all storage conditions must be observed:

location in the refrigerator (closer to the freezer);
low humidity (the drier the product, the better in this case);
the correct container (hermetically sealed from glass or plastic).

If there is a lot of product and you need to extend its shelf life in the refrigerator, you should look for a place where there is almost permafrost.

They say that good food is never enough. But sometimes this happens - for example, you were lucky to purchase or make yourself a large batch of sour-milk cheese. You won’t be able to eat all at once, and there’s no need for such a waste if the house has a freezer, and there is free space in it.

Remembering that you can freeze only once (otherwise it will cease to be useful and significantly worsen the taste), we lay it out in portions in small containers, cork it tightly and send it to the freezer, where it will immediately freeze at -18 o C.

You can store cottage cheese in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Storing cottage cheese without a refrigerator

If suddenly the refrigeration unit ordered to live for a long time or it was not at hand, you can try to extend the life of fermented milk products in natural conditions.

In the presence of a cellar or refrigerator (a pit several meters deep, where the temperature does not rise above +15 ° C), you can lower a container with curd mass there, wrapping it with a natural cloth soaked in cold water.

In the basement for 48 hours you will not have to worry about the quality of the product (do not forget about the packaging).

As you can see, even the most perishable product can be stored without harm to him and himself for a long time.

Knowing how much homemade cottage cheese can be stored in the refrigerator, you can safely buy or cook large batches of this product and treat it to your home, preparing various original delicacies.

How long can cottage cheese be stored in the refrigerator and how to save it properly? This fermented milk product is used both as an independent dish and as the main ingredient for all kinds of pastries or diet snacks. Natural cottage cheese is nutritious, rich in vitamins and nutrients, but if storage conditions are violated, it deteriorates very quickly, loses all its valuable qualities and can even cause food poisoning.

General storage rules

First of all, it is important to consider that the storage of cottage cheese requires the following conditions:

temperature not higher than +15 °С,
relative humidity no more than 85%,
lack of light.

Manufacturers usually indicate on the packaging the expiration dates of the cottage cheese, which may vary in duration, depending on the quality of the product, its fat content and the method of packaging.

According to GOST, it is allowed to store cottage cheese in the refrigerator at a temperature of +2 to +6 ˚C for five days, but this does not mean that on the fifth day you can use it without subjecting it to heat treatment.

If the product is bought by weight, and you are sure of its freshness, it is safe to use it in its pure form in the first two days. Then it is better to start up the production of homemade curd products, which should also be kept in the cold for no longer than three to five days.

Storage methods

The shelf life of cottage cheese in the refrigerator directly depends not only on temperature, but also on the container. Consider some of the most popular options.

Vacuum packaging

The absence of oxygen significantly slows down the spoilage process of almost any product. In factory vacuum packaging in the refrigerator, cottage cheese can be stored for up to a month from the date of manufacture, so when buying, you need to carefully study the data indicated on the label in order to choose the freshest product possible.

The shelf life of loose cottage cheese can be independently increased by dividing it into several portions and packing it into vacuum bags. In this form, the product is stored for one and a half weeks, if it is on a shelf located near the freezer. In such a place, the temperature usually ranges from 0 to +2 ˚C.

Important: if you open a vacuum package with cottage cheese, then use it without heat treatment, preferably on the same day, in extreme cases - the next.

Tableware

It is convenient to keep cottage cheese in a dish if it is an enameled, glass (or clay, glazed) bowl with a lid. Several options are possible here:

Pour a layer of table salt on the bottom of the container and tamp the curd on top of it, cover it tightly with a piece of cotton fabric and carefully tuck its edges. On top you need to put oppression. In this form, the product will remain for three to five days, if you put it on the coldest shelf.
In a bowl, crumble the cottage cheese smaller and put a few pieces of refined sugar on top, which will absorb excess moisture and prevent the appearance of a musty smell. Close the container with a lid and place in the cold. The product will be usable in its pure form for two to four days, after which it can be used to prepare a filling for dumplings or dough for curd bagels.

Wrapper

For many decades, having their own farm, people in the villages did without refrigerators and freezers and were able to keep a large amount of supplies fresh. Cottage cheese, for example, was wrapped in a rag and put away in the underground or "glacier". The temperature in such storages did not rise above +15 ° C, and the natural product did not deteriorate for four to five days.

You can still use a similar method today, wrapping the curd ball tightly in a clean towel before putting it in the fridge. The fabric will absorb and remove excess moisture and will not allow the curd mass to dry out and become covered with a crust.

Attention: do not place the air-permeable package next to strong-smelling products, so as not to get cottage cheese with the aroma of smoked sausage or fish in a few hours.

If there is very little space on the shelves, the option with foil is suitable. You can also hide a fermented milk product in this material by wrapping it as tightly as possible.

Parchment paper is used in the same way. How long the cottage cheese will last in a homemade wrapper will depend on the degree of its initial freshness; if it is impeccable, then at zero temperature (or slightly higher) it will not deteriorate even in three to five days.

Storage of purchased homemade cottage cheese

What is the shelf life of homemade cottage cheese bought from a familiar thrush or on the market, it is impossible to find out with 100% accuracy, but this fresh product most often significantly surpasses factory-made analogues in taste.

If you bought such a cottage cheese, it would be good to have time to eat it on the day of purchase, and make semi-finished products from the leftovers for subsequent freezing (dumplings, cheesecakes, dough) or immediately put them on baking.

Not having absolute confidence in the date of manufacture announced by the seller, it is better not to risk trying to save the product for several days in advance.

How should the product not be stored?

The shelf life of cottage cheese in the refrigerator will be drastically reduced under the following conditions:

if you place it on a shelf in a plastic bag: there is air inside such a package, which accelerates oxidative processes, and condensate also accumulates, which leads to quick spoilage;
if you leave a metal spoon in a bowl with cottage cheese (it will quickly oxidize and ruin the entire stock);
if the container for storing the product is not covered, the product will be covered with an unsightly yellow crust and saturated with foreign odors.

Signs of spoilage

Determining that the cottage cheese is spoiled is very simple: a characteristic musty or sour smell appears, the surface can become slippery to the touch, and bitterness appears in the taste. Such a product should not be eaten in any case, it must be disposed of.

Cottage cheese is extremely useful for the human body, it is almost completely absorbed, rich in calcium, proteins, vitamins B2, B6, B12, A, E, R. In order to preserve the beneficial properties of this product and prevent its spoilage, it is necessary to store cottage cheese properly.

Usually cottage cheese is sold in plastic bags. The product cannot be stored in this form. Wash the glass jar or enamelware thoroughly, let it dry.

Place cottage cheese in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid or in an enamel bowl. Some experts advise putting a few lumps of sugar on the bottom of the dish. In this form, cottage cheese can be kept at a temperature of 0 to 8 ° C in the refrigerator for 3 to 7 days, depending on the primary processing during production. If there is a need to store cottage cheese for longer, you should freeze it. Place the container with cottage cheese in the freezer and store it for up to 6 months.

If you do not have access to a refrigerator, you can store cottage cheese at room temperature. To do this, you need to evaporate a clean wooden tub or cook enameled (ceramic) dishes. Pour dry salt into the bottom of the container. Spread the cottage cheese tightly on top so that voids do not form. Boil a clean cloth without using soap. Dip a cloth in the saline solution and place over the curd, tucking in on all sides. Cover with a plate and press down with a weight on top. Put in the coolest place in the room.

Remember that dishes prepared from cottage cheese must also be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days.