could you can cheese?

[Lloyd Smale]

I get alot of blocks of american cheese from a couple older neighbors that get food packages. Could i put it in canning jars and pressure can it?

[Reload3006]

I have never even thought of it. You can vacuum pack it and freeze it.

[jpatm2]

I would think it would melt the cheese. Might try it and let us know though.

[stubshaft]

I remember the old Army C-Rations had canned cheese. I can't really say that it was good though, to me it tasted like salty grease.

[Reload3006]

looks interesting


http://www.frontierfreedom.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=32

[Lloyd Smale]

I found some recomendations on line. Most called for water bath canning but i went ahead and pressure canned it. Kind of wierd though. the oil comes to the top and the cheese goes from yellow to almost brown. The sight i got it from said that was normal and that when you remelt in just stir the oil back in and it will taste and look fine. for your information i melted it in a double boiler and then poured it into jars and pressure canned it at 9 lbs for 35 minutes. they were doing a water bath for 30 minutes on that site.

[375RUGER]

I think canned cheese has to be made with a special enzyme that doesn't outgas so the can doesn't bulge. Cheese gives off CO2 or some kind of gas.

[375RUGER]

I just saw you asked about american cheese. I don't consider processed to be real cheese so you probably don't have to worry about the enzyme thing. Give a whirl and see what happens.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup this is pasturized cheese like velveta. I just got 6 more lbs of it so ill try a water bath on it today and see if that works any better.

[Lloyd Smale]

well it turned out much better water bathed. It looks like cheese wiz instead of brown cheese with oil on top. Im sure i must have gotten it to hot pressure canning it.

[reloader28]

I picked up a preparedness book yesterday and they said something about dipping cheese in parafin wax.
I didnt read it yet, but I'll have to go thru and find it.
I do remember it said that if you turn it over once in a while after it was waxed, it would last almost forever.

[Reload3006]

I would think that cold packing it (water bath canning) would be ok. Cheese is made from moldy milk curds. so once its sealed I would imagine its going to be safe. I have opened a few jars of food that didnt seal and trust me you will know immediately if its safe to eat or not that is if you have any sort of nose at all.

[Jim]

Janet said she thought the best thing to do would be to vacuum seal it. She said ya' gotta' be real careful and get as much air as possible out of the package.