Freezing deli meats is fine if they are properly sealed. Cheese not so fine. Think of fine cheese as a living thing. With firm cheeses like parmigiano or pecorino it's best to wrap them up in cheese cloth (that's why it's called "cheese" cloth). Then tape that package up in wax paper or butcher paper. For fresh cheeses consume as quickly as possible. For whole camembert style cheeses once you cut into the rind it will begin to degrade.
Here's something I discovered with my vac -pac--food saver. That might help others.
Parmigiano reggiano: When I get wedges from CostCo I tried vac packing ..cutting it in half to use the other later.
It oiled up in the 'fridge after storage even vac sealed at home.
I now take it and cut straight through the packaging..using one half. The other Vac Packed.
That packaging protects the outer edges--but the cut edge would still oil up.
Solution: Wrap a paper towel around the exposed cut edges..and then vac pac.
Months..and months later it was still crumbly and perfect, no oily bits on the cut edge. Stored in the 'fridge not a freezer.
Because I bring bulk cured meat products back from travels and then eat them over time, I freeze cured meats all the time. I vac pack them before freezing, but the moisture content is pretty low and I've kept, for example, half a culatello for nearly a year with no adverse results. mind, I do whole pieces and then slice as I use.
I have a foodsaver. With that you really don't have to worry about *freezing* cheese, as they keep for months just in the 'fridge vac packed.
It's not so great for pre-sliced cheeses as they stick together under vac pressure, unless you pack them with wax paper between slices with very clean hands, or preferably gloves.
The meats sometimes get frozen in the vac bags. But frankly, I now just purchase small quantities that can be used within a week or so. But do freeze home made meats with the vac pac.
It really depends on the moisture content of a given meat/cheese. The more moisture there is, the more problems you will encounter once the food is defrosted.
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Parmigiano reggiano: When I get wedges from CostCo I tried vac packing ..cutting it in half to use the other later.
It oiled up in the 'fridge after storage even vac sealed at home.
I now take it and cut straight through the packaging..using one half. The other Vac Packed.
That packaging protects the outer edges--but the cut edge would still oil up.
Solution: Wrap a paper towel around the exposed cut edges..and then vac pac.
Months..and months later it was still crumbly and perfect, no oily bits on the cut edge. Stored in the 'fridge not a freezer.
It's not so great for pre-sliced cheeses as they stick together under vac pressure, unless you pack them with wax paper between slices with very clean hands, or preferably gloves.
The meats sometimes get frozen in the vac bags. But frankly, I now just purchase small quantities that can be used within a week or so. But do freeze home made meats with the vac pac.