350952 Wed Dec 13 17:03:42 -0800 2006 11 31 Home Cooking 0 2096218 Is it possible? I need to use it this weekend but believe it'll be slightly past prime. Can I chop it up (grating will create a gummy mess, I'm thinking) and freeze it? I have plenty and would rather use it than buy fresh. Also, how would mozarella do as a substitute for fontina in a recipe? I'm just not familiar with fontina. Thanks. Wed Dec 13 17:03:42 -0800 2006 15994 Clarissa 1 2096249 Can't freeze it. It will separate. It won't be bad by the weekend. Wed Dec 13 17:10:43 -0800 2006 2096218 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 2096251 I freeze leftover mozarella, both grated and in a block. There's a change in texture when it's thawed, so you might not want to eat it plain but would be fine in cooked dishes. Fontina and mozarella are both good melting cheeses so can be used interchangeably in that sense. Wed Dec 13 17:11:20 -0800 2006 2096218 11407 JoanN 2 2096282 Yeah but the flavor isn't even close and you might be missing something tastewise if you use the mozzarella. Wed Dec 13 17:21:07 -0800 2006 2096251 12821 ESNY 3 2096403 Definitely true. That's why I only addressed the melting capabilities, not the flavor. Wed Dec 13 17:49:43 -0800 2006 2096282 11407 JoanN 2 2096442 fresh mozzarella, which has a much higher water content, is going to suffer much more in the freezing and thawing process than firmer mozzarella in a block Wed Dec 13 17:57:17 -0800 2006 2096251 13150 babette feasts 3 2096463 Also true. The mozzarella I freeze is a low-moisture variety that I mail-order specifically for pizza. I use it for other things as well, but only in cooked dishes. If I want a tomato and mozzarella salad, I buy fresh and use it up. Wed Dec 13 18:02:10 -0800 2006 2096442 11407 JoanN 4 2098494 Fresh mozzarella cannot be low moisture. I'm sure that you agree, if you mail order it, it is not "fresh". Thu Dec 14 04:10:02 -0800 2006 2096463 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 2096364 Thanks for the replies. Still on the fence about whether to take a chance and freeze, although it's for a baked pasta dish and will probably work fine if defrosted, I'm thinking. As far as substituting for fontina, there are a couple of other cheeses in this (gorgonzola and parmesan) so I'm thinking it'll work fine as a melted cheese, even if it doesn't add whatever fontina would have contributed. I appreciate the help. Wed Dec 13 17:40:19 -0800 2006 2096218 15994 Clarissa 2 2096451 Fontina and fresh mozzarella are very different. Fontina is much firmer and has a WHOLE lot more flavor, along the lines of an aged swiss or even gouda, or gruyere. I think a better substitute would be a nice provolone. If you do go ahead with the mozz, maybe increase the proportions of he other cheeses a bit to make up for the lack of fontina flavor. Wed Dec 13 18:00:14 -0800 2006 2096364 13150 babette feasts 3 2096589 Great idea. Thank you, and thanks to the others who offered help, as well. Wed Dec 13 18:34:46 -0800 2006 2096451 15994 Clarissa 1 2096925 I would absolutely not freeze fresh mozzarella. It should be kept in a brine or in whey or in water. IMO mozzarella isn't a real good sub for Italian fontina (your recipe appears to be Italian). Italian fontina has a sweetish nutty taste, not that assertive but not as mild as mozzarella. Mozzarella is a better sub for Danish fontina. A better sub for fontina might be provolone. Wed Dec 13 19:49:31 -0800 2006 2096218 43893 C. Hamster