# Can you can cheese?



## maw-p (Apr 7, 2011)

Found a good deal on some semi-soft cheese with added peppers and seasoning. Can this be canned?


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Hi:wave:

I am new too!

I do not think so. home canning technology is not that good to my knowledge, if you do find out anything, let us know.

There is hard cheese for sale on the Internet. pretty expensive.

I have heard of vacuum sealing in jars and refrigerating, making it last a lot longer, about a month.

http://akhomesteaders.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=foodcache&action=display&thread=286

Appears some folks are trying.....now you got me thinking....


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## maw-p (Apr 7, 2011)

:wave: 

Well I found online a couple of sites that said that it wasnt FDA approved but they had done it with success so we tried it last night. I bought a block of the 5 pound cheese and melted it down in a double broiler with a little added milk. Added it to my jars and hot water bathed them for 20 minutes. I found a few sites that said it worked for them so I guess only time will tell. It looks good so far though.


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## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

I believe that cheeses would still fall under the low acidity category. Even "sharp" cheeses. I'd say if you wanted to try it, you may want to go the pressure canning route like you would for other low acidity foods. Dialing in the head space just so may be interesting. Best of luck!!


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

MrSfstk8d said:


> I believe that cheeses would still fall under the low acidity category. Even "sharp" cheeses. I'd say if you wanted to try it, you may want to go the pressure canning route like you would for other low acidity foods. Dialing in the head space just so may be interesting. Best of luck!!


So, are ya saying can the cheese like you would maybe raw meat?

75 or 90 minutes? Because isn't meat considered low acidity?

Thanks!


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## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Meat is considered low acidity. I'd say better safe than sorry. That said, I've never canned cheese, so take that with a grain of salt.

My experience with canned cheese so far is salsa con queso from the store and Eeezy Cheeze in the cans, lol.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

*Canning Cheeses*



maw-p said:


> :wave:
> 
> Well I found online a couple of sites that said that it wasnt FDA approved but they had done it with success so we tried it last night. I bought a block of the 5 pound cheese and melted it down in a double broiler with a little added milk. Added it to my jars and hot water bathed them for 20 minutes. I found a few sites that said it worked for them so I guess only time will tell. It looks good so far though.


Any Meat, Cheese, or low acid items need to be pressure cooked, times vary per item. There is no cheese on this but a good web site Canning Recipes


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

Yes, you can, can cheese. There was a thread on that not long ago on this forum. I don't have time to do a search right now but you might give it a shot.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

It ain't FDA approved but there be several folks includin myself what can cheese albight the hard cheese like cheddar.

A pint jar holds bout 7/8ths of a pound a cheese. Put yer jars in a oven an warm em ta 250° then add in the melted cheese, or yall can put the jars inta a pan a water an bring ta a boil an melt the cheese. Leave about a 1 inch head space.

Put on sterilized lids an bans an water bath can fer 90 minutes.

Use wide mouth jars so the cheese be easier ta get out a the jar. Sometimes warmin the jar a bit helps.

Longest I've heard a it keepin be 5 years, mine don't never last that long cause we've ate it!


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Here are a few of our past post on canning cheese ...

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/canned-butter-cheese-5381/

http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/butter-cheese-botulisum-5386/


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## lhalfcent (Mar 11, 2010)

why not just dip cheese in that red wax and store it in a cool place? seems to me that is the tried and true way that's been done for centuries?


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Cheese, even in wax is a living breathing thing-it has to have the right temperatures to maintain the flavor. The longer it lives the stronger the tastes becomes, and certain cheeses store better than others.. the hard dry cheeses can be stored for years under the correct temperatures and moisture, others which are softer and have more moisture will not store forever no matter the correct conditions. Canned it "kills" the live thing that cheese is and it remains at the same flavor that it was canned at and it becomes more stable. 
Unless you have cows and the right ingredients to make cheese and keep some in rotation once it is gone after TSHTF it is gone..
I have been studying how they used to make it with the calf stomach lining and how the different cultures might have come about, and it is simple and complicated both at the same time.
Simple cheeses with just an acid and heat to curdle the milk and fancy cheeses with all kinds of cultures and heating and adding rennet etc.. It is almost as interesting as making your own breads.


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