Brie is a soft cow cheese named after a region in northeastern France. Brie’s richness in nutritional value makes it beneficial to the human body and brain. It contains a reasonable amount of protein, fat, calcium, vitamin B12, and riboflavin.
There are various ways you can get optimum satisfaction from brie. Its sweet, creamy, and soft texture makes it an irresistible condiment with various dishes. You may end up having leftover brie after consumption, or a large package that you plan to bake but time won’t allow you to. How do you preserve the leftover to keep it healthy for consumption?
Can you freeze brie? Yes, you can. Brie will remain preserved in the freezer for up to 3 months, but the high moisture content in it will change its texture. Brie will only freeze well if it was of good quality before freezing and if it was carefully stored in the freezer.
Brie can be served when it is slightly melted or baked with bread, fresh and dried fruits, pecans, walnut, and honey.
What Kind of Brie Freezes Best?
Freezing food items is done to prevent wastage, preserve the original quality of the food item and make them healthy for eating afterward. The moisture content of brie, its method of packaging, and its expiry date will determine how well it will withstand cold storage.
Brie has a lot of moisture content that affects its texture and taste. This would make it soft and crumbly after freezing. You can reduce the risk of freezer burn and get the best freezing experience when your brie is protected well before freezing. Unopened brie will last up to 2 months in the freezer after its expiry date.
Preserving your brie by freezing is only advisable if it will be used in hot food where it will easily melt and the dryness of the top layer won’t affect your delicacy.
How to Freeze Brie
Brie can easily become bad for human health if not properly stored for freezing. Freezing brie requires simple procedures and equipment but it should be carefully done.
To freeze brie, you would need a knife, layers of aluminum foil, an airtight plastic container, parchment paper, and a marker.
Step 1: Portioning your Brie
You can either portion your brie for freezing into an airtight plastic container or you freeze the brie whole as you bought them from the local food store. Freezing the whole brie has its advantages and shortcomings.
The advantage is that it requires less effort and time to store. But, the shortcoming is that you would need to thaw the whole package when you want to eat it. To avoid quick spoilage from constant thawing, we advise that you cut your brie into smaller pieces and portion them into an airtight container.
Get your brie out of its store-bought package. With your knife, cut it into smaller pieces and place them in airtight container bags.
Step 2: Storage
Wrap each of your portioned brie in aluminum foil paper to prevent air or moisture from entering into it before placing it in an airtight container bag. Place the smaller pieces into separate airtight container bags to allow you to thaw just the quantity you want to consume.
Step 3: Pre-freezing
If you want to reduce the time spent on preparation for freezing, you can pre-freeze the portioned brie in a baking tray. Line your baking tray with a layer of parchment paper and place the pieces in it. Make sure they do not touch each other while placing them.
Allow it to pre-freeze and make sure they do not stick to each other before transferring them into an airtight container bag.
Step 4: Freezing
Before you place the airtight container bags in the freezer, use your marker to write the date of freeze and its content to allow you to use your brie while It is still in good condition. Labeling each bag will help you keep track of what is in your freezer and eat older packs of the food item first.
Place the bags in the dairy compartment of your freezer. This is to avoid your bags getting punctured. Freezing Brie at a temperature of 0°F will keep it preserved and healthy for eating.
How to Defrost Frozen Brie
The texture of your frozen brie should be considered while defrosting for consumption. Make sure you don’t expose the frozen brie to an extremely hot temperature.
You can thaw frozen brie by leaving it in the refrigerator, placing it in a bowl of cold water or you allow it to heat up in the microwave.
Take the frozen brie out of the freezer and place it on a plate. This is to prevent moisture from the refrigerator from getting into it. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator so it gets softened for consumption.
You can also thaw your brie faster by placing it in a bowl filled with cold water or allowing it to heat up for about 10-20 minutes in the microwave.
The size of the brie will determine how fast it will thaw. Whole brie will take longer to thaw than sliced brie.
Can You Eat the Mold on Brie?
Yes, the mold on brie is completely safe to consume unless you are allergic to it. The rind on brie adds an earthy and sweet taste to it. It also keeps the inside of your brie safe from bacteria and other microorganisms during production.
How to Recognize Spoiled Brie
Check the expiry date on the package to know when it is unsafe for use. When your brie changes color to yellow, gives off an offensive smell of ammonia, and the mold on it becomes slimy, you can tell it has gone bad.
Eat your brie within 2-3 days after it has been thawed to prevent it from getting spoiled.