Canning cheese

By á-39535

tip- as my freezer is always full of cheese when I came across this I was thrilled with the idea of clearing some freezer space. I did try this and I did 1 jar of cheddar and 1 of mozzarella. I found the cheddar did not melt to liquid form but rather a glob, the mozzarella however did. Both jars sealed nicely. However since then...WITH FURTHER RESEARCH I HAVE LEARNED THT UNLESS YOU ARE REALLY GOOD AT CANNING THE FDA DOES NOT ADVISE YOU DO SO WITH CHEESE AS IT IS A LOW ACID PRODUCT THERE FOR MORE SUBSEPTIABLE TO BOTULISM. SO PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS IF YOU DECIDE TO DO THIS AND DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Ingredients

• wide mouth jars, lids and rings
• cheese- Mozzarella, cheddar or cream cheese
• pot or dutch oven big enough to hold the jars
• water

Details

Adapted from povertyprepping.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

Cut cheese into small hunks to fit in the jars. Place open jars in the canning pot filled with a few inches of very hot water and allow them to sit long enough for the cheese to melt, adding some here and there as needed but insure you leave enough head space to allow for the hot cheese to expand. Once all the jarred cheese is melted.

In a separate small pan (I use a small frying pan) and heat the lids to soften the seal to allow it to seal to the jar once cooled.

Once the lids have boiled from 10-30 minutes and all the cheese in the jars is fully melted. Remove the jars from the water bath and gently place the lid seal side to the glass on the jar and just anchor with the jar ring loosely screwed on.

Add enough water to the canning pot to cover the tallest jar used and bring to a boil. Return the jars to the pot of simmering water and boil for 30-45 minutes. Remove the jars from the boiling water and set on a towel to cool. While still warm enough to require a pot holder to handle tighten the lids and leave undisturbed to cool. Once cooled the cheese will return to it's original texture and firmness inside the jar.

When using the canned cheese, hold the still sealed jar in a pot of hot water long enough to allow the outer edge of the cheese that comes into contact with the glass to soften enough that it will slide out of the jar with a little assistance with a butter knife stuck down the side of the jar (also why you use wide mouth jars to do this) once it is out of the jar and cooled you can slice, cube, or shred just as you would any block of cheese. The cheese itself will be a bit darker in color than before canning and perhaps a bit more crumbly then block cheese but I have tasted it in lasagna and couldn't tell the difference!

This method is a little more complicated then the method I currently use for canning fruits and veggies so when I do try this I plan to try a jar or two both ways to see if there is any end difference. If there is not I will update using my own method of water bath canning.