A sandwich with a pimento filling is something that we all do not refuse at any cost. Can you freeze pimento cheese? This should be your most wanted answer if you are in love with this delicious 1870s invention.
Pimento cheese is a mixture of cheddar cheese and mayonnaise. Here the added flavour is the pimientos. Pimientos is a kind of pepper, but it is not in the spicy range but a sweet type. There may be differences when you go through the recipes of several states and regions, but these are the main ingredients in the classic pimento cheese.
When you wanna rock the evening tea party on a day in which all the family gathers, a simple dressing of pimento cheese on some crunchy crackers will make the crowd lick their fingers. It can be used as a salad dressing, sandwich filling and even served with vegetables. Whether the dish is hot or cold, pimento cheese matches well with both.
How Long does Pimento Cheese Last at Room Temperature?
If your heart is outpouring with the pimento cheese, you will try to make plenty and conserve the rest for later use. Pimento cheese can be kept at room temperature for about 8 hours. This fact has been determined by the US Department of Agriculture.
Thus, the shelf life of this particular cheese has made them a top pick in the Southern States of America. Anyway, it is recommended not to keep your leftover pimento cheese filling at room temperature for more than 2 hours if you want to taste its best feeling.
Can you Freeze Pimento Cheese?
This is the next probable question you get when you need to preserve the leftover of this delicious dip. You have a bit of happy news here. Your pimento cheese can be frozen for nearly three months, but the sad truth is that it cannot be kept so long in the freezer without changing its texture. However, although the texture changes, the flavour of your fav dish will not change any far.
In most cases, the mixture cannot be used just as it is after freezing and thawing for use later on. You will have to remix the pimento cheese using a blender or a food processor or by using a whisk with some water. But the original texture is not protected whether you follow this way too.
Therefore, we suggest that rather than using it as a direct filling for sandwiches or else as a dipping sauce, you should mix the frozen and thawed pimento cheese in a recipe that you have to mix with the other ingredients.
How to Freeze Pimento Cheese?
Still, if you want to freeze pimento cheese, follow the exact steps we have described below. This will minimize the effect of the cold on the texture of the mixture.
- To minimize the effect, you must use two wrappings when putting the pimento cheese in the freezer. Both these wrappings have to present the ability to be airtight.
- First, transfer the cheese mixture to a plastic bag and seal it well. Do not overfill to avoid air entering through the unsealed bag.
- Secondly, you must place the plastic bags with pimento cheese inside a container that can be sealed.
- Label the container with the date to identify the best-before date.
- Do not keep the package outside for more than8 hours before freezing.
What is the Best Method to Store Pimento Cheese?
The method result providing method when it comes to storing Piimento cheese is the refrigerating method. Inside your refrigerator part, pimento cheese can safely dwell without changing texture or taste for nearly three weeks. This is quite enough time to finish your sauce.
Here too, you need to use an airtight container to store the cheese mixture and ensure it is well-sealed before placing it inside. You will find a change in the appearance when you take it out, but it will be alright when you give it a good mix.
You can use the refrigerated pimento cheese in any way, in sandwiches, as a dipping sauce or in another different recipe, for instance. This is because of the same texture preserved, unlike in the freezer method.
How do you Keep Pimento Cheese Sandwiches from Getting Soggy?
When you need to delay the time of consuming some sandwiches you made, you need to prevent drying as well as becoming soggy.
You will probably be able to prevent the drying as you place the sandwiches on wax paper and cover them with another. But here, you must remember to do the wrapping lightly so as not to make the sandwiches soggy.
If you plan to have the sandwiches the next day, you will need to grill or toast them before consuming them.
What Cheeses Should not be Frozen?
Mainly soft cheese types like cottage cheese, ricotta, feta, cream cheese, and chevre should be kept away from the freezing method. You also should be aware not to freeze any dish that contains a kind of soft cheese.
The reason is the high percentage of water found in these cheeses. These water molecules tend to freeze inside when kept in the freezer, and you will find an icy block of cheese when you are ready to consume it. This scenario will not change when thawed. Instead, the texture will change, and you will be unable to use the messy content as a cheese spread to your sandwiches.
Can you Freeze a Dip that has Mayonnaise in it?
Mayonnaise has a high-water content as it is made up of egg yolks, oil, vinegar, salt, and lime. Therefore, although you will observe no change while inside the freezer, the texture will highly face a transformation when you keep it to be thawed.
Therefore, you cannot freeze mayonnaise or mayonnaise-containing dishes if you do not want to change their texture.
Summary
Can you freeze pimento cheese? If you are wandering around with this question, refer to this article and find out what happens when you freeze it and the proper preservation method.
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