Certain cheeses, such as halloumi and mozzarella, are often stored in sealed packages that are filled with liquid rather than air (I'm assuming to help to preserve it for longer).
However, this tends to cause a problem when it comes to cooking, as a large amount of excess moisture inevitably leaks out. This sometimes really ruins certain dishes, for example when shallow-fried halloumi becomes almost poached, or when the mozzarella causes a pizza base to become soggy.
The only solutions I've found are to grate the cheese and squeeze out the moisture (which changes the texture) or to wrap the cheese in paper towels and leave it for a while to absorb some of the water (which takes a long time), neither of which are always an option.
Are there any more effective methods for removing the excess liquid from these types of cheeses immediately prior to cooking?
Best Answer
The tool for the job is a cheese press, though for small quantities a tofu press (I have one similar to this) works well. I bought mine for home-made paneer and bought tofu, but have also used it for halloumi and mozarella (home made, not brilliantly successful).
The idea is simple: wrap the cheese in a cheesecloth, place in the press, weight, and wait. If your cheese doesn't have flat parallel sides the design I've linked above won't work as well; there are more piston-like shapes that keep the top plate of the press horizontal.
You can improvise with two plates, but it's fiddly, and the bottom plate should really have drainage holes.