Please note right at the start that canning cheese is purely experimental on my part because I haven't found it in any canning books as of yet. I have read of others out there having tremendous success so I've patterned my processes after theirs. I've used cheese that I canned 2+ years ago and it's still perfectly good!! The taste is somewhat sharper though.
I believe it's fairly safe to experiment with the harder cheeses because they are high in lactic acid making them a safe bet in the world of canning. If cheese goes bad it will simply get moldy and you shouldn't suffer food poisoning.
Personally, I've canned cheddar and mozzarella with great results. Others have done pepper jack as well. I've read never to can soft cheeses so stay away from those.
Here's what my cheddar cheese looks like finished:
Here's how I did it:
- Place lids in simmering water on stove.
- Cut cheese into 1" squares and fill wide mouthed pint jars.
- Place jars in pan of water on stove... make sure water never gets into jars though.
- Cheese will melt as it heats up so I stir a little and add more cheese. Continue until melted cheese is about 1/2 " from top of jar. Do NOT let cheese get on rims because the grease will keep your lids from sealing.
- Wipe rims with hot wash cloth and add lids and rings firmly.
- Cover jars with 2" water in a water bath canner and process jars 25 minutes. NOTE: Begin timer after water comes to full rolling boil.
- After cooling, label and put in a cool, dark, dry place for storage.
To remove cheese from the jar: Run a little hot water over the outside of the jar, or place it in a sink of hot water for just a few moments. Then run a knife around the inside edges and pry it out onto a plate. Be careful not expose it to too much heat as the cheese will begin to melt again and you'll have a gooey mess.
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