Secrets and shelf life of feta cheese
High-quality feta cheese, with its structure, resembles compressed cottage cheese. Like other soft cheeses, it is not able to ripen. Therefore, you need to eat it as soon as possible.
Even on refrigerator shelves, this product can quickly become dry. Compliance with storage times and rules will allow feta cheese to remain juicy and fresh longer.
Content
How long is it stored?
Soft feta is not intended for long-term storage after opening the store package. The exact expiration dates depend on the type of cheese:
- weighed in brine;
- in a box in brine;
- in vacuum packaging.
Packaged
The factory packaging indicates the timing and method of storing feta. On refrigerator shelves at a temperature of +2 °C to + 4 °C, such a product can last from 2 to 12 months. At temperatures from 4 °C to 17 °C - up to 48 hours.
After opening
After opening the vacuum packaging, feta should be consumed within 5-7 days. This product can be stored in strong brine for 3-4 weeks.. The optimal storage temperature is from +2 °C to + 4 °C.
At temperatures from 4 °C to 17 °C (in the cellar or on the balcony), the product without vacuum packaging is stored for no longer than 2 hours. And in brine - up to 24 hours.
How to store it correctly?
Feta must certainly be stored in the liquid with which it was purchased.. Only under such conditions the taste and nutritional value of the product will remain unchanged.
If the product is purchased by weight, it is recommended to ask the seller to pour a little brine into a separate container. The feta is then stored in this brine.
This product can be kept in any container, glass, porcelain or plastic. The main thing is that the container is tightly closed with a lid.
The cheese must be completely immersed in brine throughout the entire storage period.. If you plan to store the feta for only a few hours, you can first wrap it in cling film. But you should not keep it in this form for a long time; it is better to eat it as soon as possible.
How to make brine?
If, after opening the store package, it turns out that the amount of brine is insufficient, you can prepare a special liquid yourself.
Ingredients:
- water - 1 glass;
- salt - 1 tbsp. l.
Preparation:
- Dissolve salt in a glass of water.
- Immerse the cheese in the liquid so that the product is completely hidden under the brine.
The concentrated saline solution has pronounced preservative properties. But connoisseurs of soft cheese rarely use such liquid. Because such soaking affects the taste of feta - it becomes more salty.
To remove excess salt from a product, you need to place the product in a mixture of milk and water, taken in equal proportions. This soaking is done an hour before serving the cheese to the table. If the product seems to be just a little salty, you can simply rinse it with clean water.
Can it be frozen?
Low temperatures will help extend the shelf life of feta cheese to 3 months or more. But it is important to remember that after defrosting, the structure and taste of soft cheese will change.It will become less salty and a little grainy. This product is best used for preparing salads and other dishes.
How to freeze correctly Chees Feta:
-
If soft cheese is in brine, it needs to be drained. It is not recommended to freeze feta along with brine.Cheese packaged in a box should also be removed from the liquid first. In general, the variety of feta packaged in vacuum packaging is best suited for freezing.
- Lightly blot the product with paper towels. It is not necessary to remove all the liquid from the surface of the cheese. Otherwise, after freezing such a product will become dry.
- Divide the cheese briquette into portions of the desired size. It is better to think in advance what volumes of cheese will be needed for preparing dishes after defrosting. If you are not sure how much feta you will need in the future, it is better to chop the piece into smaller portions rather than larger ones.
- Each cut piece is separately wrapped in cling film. These portions are placed in a sealed plastic bag. In this case, you need to try to remove air as much as possible.
- You can also cut the feta into small cubes. After this, they are sent into a plastic bag, after making sure that all the air has been removed.
How can you tell if a product is spoiled?
The harder the cheese, the longer it will last. Therefore, the shelf life of soft feta is short and this product quickly deteriorates.
To determine whether a product should be discarded, You need to look for the following signs:
- Dark spots. You can try cutting out the damaged parts and using the remaining ones.But due to the high humidity of the product, dark spots spread very quickly throughout the entire piece. So it is better to throw away such a damaged product.
- Change of structure. If the cheese is dry and crumbles when touched, this also indicates that the product is stale.
- Sour smell.
- Darkening of the brine or mucus on its surface.
If there is at least one sign of spoilage of the product, you should not eat such a product. Stale cheese is hazardous to health.
Conclusion
Feta is a soft cheese that quickly loses its freshness and taste without brine. To extend the shelf life of such a product, it must be completely immersed in salty liquid.
It must remain in it throughout the entire storage period. If the taste of the product has changed or even slightly changed color, it is better to discard the entire piece.
