Can You Freeze Halloumi?: World loves Halloumi as one of those fern-favorite white cheese dishes which has a hard chewy kind of texture along with a mild salty yet delicious taste and generally originates from goat’s, sheep’s, and cow’s milk. Halloumi can also be altered with a lot more different flavors by adding different ingredients to it. Halloumi cooks amazingly because it can retain its texture and taste beautifully even if exposed to high temperatures.
Since Halloumi is loved both cooked and uncooked, you might wonder whether you can preserve it inside the freezer for a long time. You are lucky as we have covered everything regarding freezing and defrosting Halloumi properly. Interesting? Let’s start and learn if can you freeze halloumi after or before cooking in the sections below.
- Can You Freeze Halloumi After Cooking?
- How To Store Halloumi Once Opened? | How Do You Freeze Halloumi?
- How To Freeze Halloumi In Slices?
- How Long Can Halloumi Be Frozen?
- Best Tips For Freezing Halloumi
- How To Defrost Halloumi?
- Can You Refreeze Halloumi Cheese?
- FAQs on Can You Freeze Halloumi Once Cooked?
Can You Freeze Halloumi After Cooking?
Technically yes, you can freeze cooked Halloumi for a considerable amount of time for future consumption, but it is not very likely to show as good results as an uncooked Halloumi would do. This is because when you cook Halloumi before freezing it, you are much more likely to lose the delicious crunchy grilled outer layer.
As it is going to soften way faster inside the freezer than uncooked Halloumi. If you are okay with this slight change in the texture and sure you can rescue it, then you can go by freezing your Halloumi cooked.
However, if you fall into a situation where your cooked Halloumi’s texture has deteriorated, then one way to rescue it is to grill your Halloumi very slowly for a second time to get back the lost crisp.
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How To Store Halloumi Once Opened? | How Do You Freeze Halloumi?
As mentioned earlier, Halloumi is pretty easy to freeze and also shows quite good results after defrosting. To freeze your Halloumi properly, there are two options you get to choose from.
One is to freeze Halloumi in blocks and the second is to freeze it in slices. In this portion, we are going to teach you how to freeze Halloumi properly in blocks, and in the next portion, we will talk about slices.
Hence, if you want to freeze your Halloumi as a whole, being certain enough to use up the entire block in one go without wasting, then these are the steps that you need to follow:
- First, wrap your block of Halloumi in a layer of plastic cling wrap. Ensure double wrapping as tight as possible if you suspect gaps in your cling film.
- Next, you need to place this wrapped block of Halloumi into a freezer bag that is airtight and put a label on it that is going to have the current date and contents.
- Finally, put this entire setup in the freezer to allow it to flash freeze for a few hours, and then, move it to some other container for further freezing.
How To Freeze Halloumi In Slices?
Now comes a situation, where you would want to cut your Halloumi into slices and then freeze it. This is a very common method of storing Halloumi because it not only allows you to have control over the freshness and texture of the Halloumi.
But also it is flexible enough to allow you to defrost and consume only the number of slices you need instead of defrosting the whole and wasting it. So, below are the steps mentioned to freeze Halloumi in slices effectively:
- Slice your Halloumi into your preferred shapes, sizes, and numbers. Just ensure you have made equally sized slices to get the best results.
- Next, you will have to prepare parchment paper. For this, you need to cut out parchment lining papers in rectangular sizes, slightly larger than the size of your Halloumi slices.
- Later on, stack up your Halloumi slices with one piece of parchment paper in between individual slices.
- Once ready, wrap the entire thing tightly with a cling film so that the slices are not only wrapped separately but also kept airtight as a whole.
- Finally, put this entire arrangement into a freezer-safe bag, with date labels on it, and put it inside the freezer.
How Long Can Halloumi Be Frozen?
Well, if stored properly, Halloumi can be frozen for up to 6 months which is quite a long time when it comes to cheese. Make sure to put the correct date label and try consuming it up within the first 4 months. This is because, beyond that, your Halloumi will still remain safe to eat but might start losing its texture and lack in taste.
If you are planning to freeze your Halloumi in a refrigerator, then it can last there for up to 12 months if unopened. However, once opened your Halloumi will last only for about 2 weeks, provided you are keeping it in an airtight container or sealed bag.
Read More:
Best Tips For Freezing Halloumi
Now let us quickly learn about some amazing tips and tricks that you can try following if you want your Halloumi to freeze extremely well and come out as delicious as fresh after thawing. Here are the tips that we recommend for the best results:
- Ensure your package of Halloumi is airtight- Remember, that if air seeps in ice crystals form on the surface of your cheese. These dry out and cause a major textural change to your Halloumi and once you defrost it, it condenses and makes the texture even runnier. Make sure the container you choose is vacuum sealed.
- Freeze it Uncooked- If you freeze your cooked Halloumi, it is likely to show a drastic change in its texture and you may end up with something which is rubbery and dry. Hence, we recommend storing it uncooked.
- Leave it packaged- Try segregating your Halloumi in different packages as per your preferred portions and at the time of consumption, just defrost the number of packages you need and let the rest stay untouched.
How To Defrost Halloumi?
Just like any other type of cheese, if you want your Halloumi to hold its texture even after thawing, then the key here is to be very very slow with the whole defrosting process. Take your Halloumi out from the freezer, a day or two before you plan to consume it and transfer it to the fridge to allow it to thaw there.
Halloumi requires thawing very very slowly because otherwise, it will cause ice crystals to form which potentially changes the texture of the cheese completely. Hence, we need to thaw Halloumi for a long 24-48 hours before finally defrosting and using it. Never try to fasten this process by using any secondary way like a hot water bowl or running water.
Otherwise, bacteria will also accumulate very fast on the surface of your cheese. So keeping it in the fridge for a longer period of time will ensure safety for you and your family as well. Defrosting your Halloumi in the microwave is also a bad idea because it does nothing but dries out your Halloumi making it feel extremely chewy.
Can You Refreeze Halloumi Cheese?
Now you may be wondering whether you can refreeze Halloumi after defrosting it once or not. Well, no, Halloumi must never ever be refrozen after once it has been taken out of the freezer.
If you freeze it more than once, the texture will degrade drastically and you will be left with an extremely rubbery and tasteless piece of cheese that is going to be non-consumable.
Instead, try storing your Halloumi in blocks or slices and thaw only the individual slices as per your need rather than defrosting and refreezing the whole thing with an intention of not wasting on the leftovers.
Also, Look At this Can you Freeze Halloumi Fries Article.
FAQs on Can You Freeze Halloumi Once Cooked?
1. Can you freeze Halloumi cheese sticks?
Yes, you can definitely freeze Halloumi cheese sticks inside the freezer for about 3 months, but make sure to defrost them in a preheated oven until they are warm enough, crispy, and golden brown in color.
2. Can You Freeze Uncooked Halloumi?
Yes, you can definitely freeze uncooked or raw Halloumi cheese to increase its longevity. You can choose to either freeze it in blocks or slices but just make sure to wrap it up very tightly with cling wraps to avoid drying out due to air exposure.
3. Can freezing Halloumi cheese ruin it?
Yes, freezing Halloumi in loose packaging or an unnecessarily long amount of time, can cause Halloumi to dry out and feel very chewy while thawing.
4. Is it ok to freeze Halloumi twice?
Frozen cheese must never be refrozen once thawed. Refreezing sucks the moisture out from the pores and turns the texture rubbery to taste.
Bottom Line
Halloumi is a delicacy that most people love to stock up on. It not only provides us with extra delicious dishes but can also be eaten raw. Hence, knowing how to preserve your Halloumi properly is the key to being able to consume it for a really long time without hitting the store often.
We hope can you freeze Halloumi cheese article has covered all the important things for you and found it helpful yet interesting. To read more about such interesting facts on food items stay tuned with us. Until next time, take care and stay safe.