Bushra Griffith
Feta cheese is a tasty addition to a variety of dishes, most commonly crumbled over food, but it can also be purchased in block form. Since feta is softer than most cheeses, it can be sliced into smaller cubes or crumbled into pieces. Crumbled feta can be stored in a salty brine to make it last longer. One mess-free way to crumble feta is to place the block of cheese in a plastic bag and squeeze the outside of the bag to break it into smaller pieces.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Texture | Softer than most other cheeses |
| Forms | Block, slice, crumbled |
| Cutting methods | Using a knife, crumbling with hands or a fork, using a plastic bag |
| Storing | Refrigerate in a plastic bag, store in a salty brine |
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What You'll Learn
Crumble feta cheese with your hands, a fork, or inside a plastic bag
Feta cheese is a tasty addition to a variety of dishes, and it is well-known for being crumbled over food. You can purchase it in block form, and crumble it with your hands, a fork, or inside a plastic bag.
To crumble feta cheese with your hands, simply break off chunks of the block and crumble them in your hands. This method can be a bit messy, so you may prefer to use a fork or a plastic bag.
If you want to use a fork, just stick it into the block of feta and twist until the cheese crumbles. This method is a bit quicker and less messy than using your hands.
You can also crumble feta cheese inside a plastic bag. Place the block of cheese inside a clean plastic bag and seal it. Then, simply squeeze the outside of the bag to crumble the cheese. This method is quick and easy, with very little cleanup.
No matter which method you choose, you can store any leftover crumbled feta cheese in a salty brine to make it last longer. You can also refrigerate it in a plastic bag if you plan on eating it soon.
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Cube feta cheese
Feta cheese is a tasty addition to a variety of dishes. It is usually crumbled over food, but you can also buy it in block form. As feta is softer than most other cheeses, it can be tricky to cut into cubes without crumbling. Here is a step-by-step guide to achieving evenly cut feta cubes:
Start by placing the block of feta in the bottom of a clean, resealable plastic bag. Leave the bag open, but ensure the cheese is at the bottom. This method helps to contain the mess of crumbling cheese and also protects your hands from any sharp edges.
Next, grip the plastic bag around the cheese and gently squeeze to start breaking it into smaller pieces. Work your way around all the edges of the cheese, squeezing and crumbling it until you have a bag of uniformly crumbled feta.
Now, to form the crumbled cheese into cubes, use your hands or a fork to shape the cheese. If you want neater, more uniform cubes, you can lightly wet your hands before shaping the cheese. This will help to prevent the cheese from sticking to your hands and allow you to form smoother, more defined cubes.
Finally, if you are not using the feta cubes right away, you can refrigerate them to keep them fresh. Lightly wetting your hands and shaping the cheese into cubes before refrigeration will help to prevent the cheese from drying out and ensure it retains its shape and texture.
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Cut down the richness of feta cheese by using cow's milk feta
Feta cheese is a tasty addition to a variety of dishes and is well-known for being crumbled over food. It is traditionally made with sheep and goat milk, but you can also make it with cow's milk. The difference lies in labeling and selling the product. Good feta should taste like the animal it comes from—sheepy/goaty, creamy, and salty. If "salt" is the dominant flavour, it's poor-quality feta.
To cut down on the strong flavour of feta cheese, use cow's milk feta instead of sheep's or goat's milk feta. Cow's milk feta is easier to find at the supermarket, as the yield of goat and sheep milk is much lower, so the price per gallon is much higher.
To make cow's milk feta, you will need fresh buttermilk, which has the cultures required to give your feta a tangy flavour and lactic body. Heat the milk to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, add the buttermilk, and let it sit for 60 minutes. Then, add the diluted rennet to the milk mixture and stir gently for no more than 30 seconds. Let the pot sit undisturbed for an hour, and then check for a clean break by slicing the curd and pulling it back with a knife. If you see whey fill the crack and your knife is clean, you have a clean break. If not, let it sit for another 30 minutes and then check again. Once you have a clean break, cut the curd into 1/2-inch cubes, and then let them heal for five minutes.
You can also crumble feta cheese with your hands or a fork, or by placing it in a plastic bag and squeezing the outside of the bag to break it into smaller pieces.
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Store feta cheese in a salty brine to make it last longer
Feta cheese is a tasty addition to a variety of dishes. It is usually crumbled over food, but you can also purchase it in block form. Storing feta cheese in a salty brine will make it last longer. Feta cheese is typically a goat and/or sheep's milk cheese and has a unique flavour, partly because it sits in saltwater for its natural life. This brine not only helps to preserve the moisture and keep off harmful bacteria, but it also adds to the flavour.
If you have bought feta in brine, make sure you keep it in the brine, making sure the cheese is covered completely. If you have discarded the brine, or if your feta did not come with brine, you can easily save the remaining cheese by making your own. Combine 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt for every cup of water, stirring until the salt dissolves, and make enough to submerge the feta entirely. When storing, make sure you keep the feta in a totally airtight container.
If you are storing crumbled feta, you can do the same thing, but freezing them also optimises freshness. Feta will last for up to three months in the freezer, but this may change the flavour and texture of the cheese. If freezing crumbles, it is recommended that you pre-freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring to a ziplock bag to keep them from freezing together.
If you are storing a block of feta, you can cut it into smaller cubes or crumble it into pieces. To crumble feta cheese, place a block of cheese in the bottom of a clean plastic bag. Squeeze the outside of the bag to crumble the cheese. Grip the plastic bag around the feta and squeeze the chunk to break it into smaller pieces. Repeat this process along all edges of the cheese until it is completely crumbled.
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Making feta cheese: cut the curd to 1/2-inch cubes
Making feta cheese from scratch is a rewarding process that yields approximately a gallon jar of this delicious cheese. The first step is to prepare the ingredients. You will need 2.5 gallons of raw milk, and you can use pasteurized milk, but ensure it is not homogenized or ultra-pasteurized. If using pasteurized milk, add calcium chloride to restore the damaged calcium content during pasteurization. You will also need either 1/2 teaspoon of freeze-dried mesophilic culture or 3/4 cup of well-fed clabber, rennet, and salt.
Once you have your ingredients, follow these steps:
- Combine the milk with the culture or clabber and add rennet following the package directions.
- Let the mixture sit covered for an hour until you achieve a "clean break." This is when you can gently lift the surface of the curds with your finger, and the milk splits cleanly.
- Cut the curds into a grid of 3/4-inch cubes by cutting horizontally, vertically, and up and down.
- Let the curds sit for 5 minutes to firm up, and then stir gently for 20-30 minutes. Continue stirring until the curds have shrunk slightly and have a slight firmness when pressed between your fingers, resembling a poached egg.
- Allow the curds to settle to the bottom of your pot, and scoop off the whey, reserving about half a gallon for brine. Properly treating the whey is crucial to preventing "dissolving feta."
- Gently scoop the curds into forms, such as designated feta forms, old yogurt containers with holes, or a cloth-lined colander. Place the forms on a rack with a drip tray and flip the cheeses every 10 minutes for the first hour.
- After the first hour, let the cheeses sit in the forms for about 8 hours. During this time, keep the whey nearby at a similar temperature to continue acidifying with the cheese.
- Remove the cheese from the forms, and cut them to fit into your gallon jar if needed.
- Dry salt the cheeses by rubbing their surfaces with a small amount of salt, not exceeding 1 teaspoon per 1 pound of cheese.
- If the cheese still feels squishy or flimsy, return it to the forms to maintain its shape.
Now you have successfully made your own feta cheese with 1/2-inch curd cubes! Enjoy experimenting with this versatile and tasty cheese in various dishes.
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Frequently asked questions
Feta cheese is usually crumbled over food, but it can also be purchased in block form. To crumble feta cheese, you can use a fork or your hands. You can also place the cheese inside a plastic bag and squeeze the outside of the bag to crumble it.
Yes, since feta is softer than most other cheeses, you can cut blocks of feta into smaller cubes.
Yes, you can store crumbled feta cheese in a salty brine if you want it to last longer. You can also refrigerate it in a plastic bag if you plan on eating it soon.
Feta cheese is a tasty addition to a variety of dishes. You can sprinkle it over pasta, add it to salads, or include it in a quiche.
The word "feta" comes from the Italian word "fetta", which means slice. It is of Latin origin from "offa", which means bite or morsel.
