We regularly use feta cheese to make yogurt dip haydari, which is certainly one of our favourite meze dishes. And there may be at all times some leftover feta cheese crumbles afterwards. So what will we do with it? Effectively, we both eat it at breakfast the following morning or retailer it within the fridge for later use.

We do love this tender cheese within the easiest method: Mixed with tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onion and with spices like oregano and typically crimson pepper flakes. It’s also an important snack with a bit bread to suppress starvation. And it will not final very lengthy in our dwelling. 

No concept what feta cheese is? It’s a Greek aged cheese that’s historically constituted of sheep’s milk solely or a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. It’s wholesome and packed  with vitamins. Outdoors Greece, there are white cheeses made with cow’s milk. Their tangy style and crumbly texture is similar to feta’s as they’re made with the identical growing old course of. 

How Lengthy Does Feta Cheese Final?

Greek feta cheese is matured in brine, an answer of water and salt, and preserved in giant barrels. At supermarkets, it’s usually bought in sealed packages. And an unopened package deal of feta lasts for a number of months within the fridge, however at all times test the expiration date earlier than consuming it.

Feta comes with little or no brine in its package deal. Just like different fermented meals like pickles, feta is prone to dry out and lose taste when the package deal is opened and it’s faraway from brine and uncovered to air. So that you would possibly surprise find out how to preserve feta recent and prolong its shelf life.

One of the simplest ways to maintain it recent within the fridge for 3-Four days is wrapping it with a dampened paper towel after which preserve it in a container. It’s undoubtedly not a good suggestion to easily preserve it in plastic wrap or in a plastic bag.  

And in case you are not planning to make use of it in just a few days and need to preserve it longer, you want a easy resolution: Make your personal brine! This retains the feta recent for just a few weeks.

Elements For Feta Cheese Brine

Similar to when preserving green olives, we solely want 2 substances to make the brine: Water and kosher salt. 

Water must be at room temperature.  In case you discover it tough to dissolve salt in it, warmth half of the water, dissolve salt in it after which mix it with chilly water. Whether it is nonetheless heat, deliver it to room temperature after which use. By no means retailer feta cheese in heat water.

We suggest kosher salt when making brine. It’s not only a flavoring agent, however it additionally helps the cheese to maintain agency. Desk salt does not have the identical impact. And simply plain water does not work. 

How To Make Brine 

Making brine is very easy and it’s the methodology cheese makers use to retailer feta. The brine retains the feta cheese a salty punch.

Dissolve 2 teaspoons of kosher salt in 1 cup of water. Reduce the leftover feta cheese in cubes and place them on this easy brine. Be certain all items of cheese are lined nicely with the brine. Double or triple the quantity of water and salt if wanted.

You do not have to slice the cheese earlier than including it into the brine, you’ll be able to retailer a complete or half block of feta cheese on this brine if you’d like. However we discover it simpler to take the cheese cubes out of the container as wanted. 

After putting the feta cheese within the brine, seal the container and preserve it within the fridge for as much as 3-Four weeks. 

Storing In Olive Oil

In case you are after a low-sodium choice to retailer feta cheese, the easiest way is marinating it in olive oil. Reduce the cheese block into cubes, put them in a storage container. Pour olive oil (additional virgin if potential) over them ensuring they’re all nicely lined with olive oil. Seal the container and preserve it within the fridge for as much as Three weeks.

You possibly can add extra flavors within the oil if you’d like. Herbs like oregano or thyme and garlic might be good additions. 

Whenever you deplete all of the cheese within the marinade, you should utilize the remaining olive oil in salads. 

Freezing Feta Cheese

Freezing is one other choice to retailer feta cheese, however we suggest it for crumbled feta as it’s simpler to thaw. Additionally, consuming frozen feta as it’s might not be pretty much as good as consuming recent cheese.

So you will not need to eat it with crackers as an appetizer. As an alternative, use thawed crumbled cheese in recipes like pasta, spanakopita (Greek cheese pie), quiche or pizza.

You possibly can freeze feta crumbles in resealable luggage for as much as Three months.

Incessantly Requested Questions

Our Favourite Recipes With Feta

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