More Than 30 Cheese Ball Recipes Perfect for Parties (2024)

FAQs

How do you firm up a cheese ball? ›

Cover the cheeseball in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow it to firm up. Take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften just slightly.

They're the unsung heroes of every food-fueled social gathering, and there are more than 1,100 of them in any given barrel. I'm talking, of course, about Utz Cheese Balls -- specifically, the giant barrels of them you can find at Walmart or Target or Sam's Club (pretty much wherever giant barrels of things are sold).

Your cheese ball is too runny: Once you have added all the extras, and it's all mixed in well, if the texture is more salad dressing-like than something you might spread on a bagel, you can tighten it up easily by adding unsalted butter, one tablespoon at a time, mixing before you add more.

Cheese balls freeze quite well. Again, it's best to wrap the cheese ball in one layer of plastic wrap, then one layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to four weeks. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Yeast extract improves the overall flavor and intensifies the Old cheese flavor. Yeast extract, containing natural flavored nucleotides, polypeptides, amino acids, organic acids, etc., is used in a wide range of foods as a natural flavor enhancer.

Why is my cheese ball so hard? You want your cheese ball to be firm enough to hold its shape, but soft enough to allow for easy spreading. To achieve this consistency, the key is making sure your cream cheese is softened before preparing.

Storing in Fridge: If you start with fresh ingredients, you can store the cheese ball in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. How to Freeze: I prefer a freshly made cheese ball, BUT you can freeze cheese balls.

Wrapping and storing a cheese ball in the fridge will help hold its shape, prevent it from crumbling, and keep the cheese from drying out. Furthermore, wrapping the cheese ball in aluminum foil will provide additional support and stop the cheese from absorbing odors from other foods in the fridge.

While the cheese ball itself keeps well for up to a week in the refrigerator, the crunchy coating it's rolled in doesn't — it can get soft and mushy in a matter of hours. Hold off on rolling the ball in any chopped nuts, toasted seeds, or crushed chips or pretzels until you're ready to serve it.

For a cheese dip or sauce, the addition of cornstarch serves a similar function: Starch molecules absorb water and expand, not only thickening the liquid phase of the sauce, but also physically preventing the proteins from binding into long, tangled strands and the fats from separating out and pooling.

Why does my cheese clump instead of melt? ›

Thing is, once cheese is heated too far beyond its melting point, the proteins firm up and squeeze out moisture—the same way protein does in meat. When this occurs you're left with rubbery, clumpy bits of cheese protein that separate from the fat and moisture.

Wrap the cheese ball tightly with cling wrap and pop it into the fridge. I will harden when it is chilled. You'll need to chill it for several hours for it to be firm.

In general, hand-crafted cheeses with delicate flavors and aromas don't freeze well and are best bought in smaller portions and eaten fresh. Freezing is also not recommended for fresh curd cheeses like cottage cheese, ricotta, and quark due to their high moisture content.

You can freeze soft cheese by grating it and putting it in a plastic bag. Make sure to squeeze the air out of the bag before sealing it tightly. To freeze hard cheese, simply cut it into chunks and wrap it in parchment paper and foil before placing it in an airtight plastic bag, the Food Network recommends.

Storage: Will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks if covered or stored in an airtight container.

Ok hardness comes from the moisture level in the cheese. The more liquid you squeeze out the harder it will be. Aging cheese also hardens cheese because moisture evaporates in the aging process. The longer it is aged the more moisture is removed.

There's a way to save gritty cheese sauces, and you likely already have it in your fridge: lemon juice. A squirt of lemon comes to the rescue of ruined sauces in a pinch. All you have to do is cool the broken sauce, add a tablespoon of lemon juice (or white wine, if you don't mind the flavor), and whisk vigorously.

Thing is, once cheese is heated too far beyond its melting point, the proteins firm up and squeeze out moisture—the same way protein does in meat. When this occurs you're left with rubbery, clumpy bits of cheese protein that separate from the fat and moisture.

One of the most common ways to help cheese melt smoothly is to add starch: this is a process that works in sauces like mornay, or nacho cheese sauce. Starches and other thickeners will physically impede fat molecules from joining up into larger droplets, as well as making the water phase of the cheese more viscous.