Why is feta cheese in water

By "feta in brine," we mean the stuff that comes packed in a plastic container full of liquid—in this case, salt water—as opposed to the pre-crumbled or vacuum-sealed varieties. Crumbled feta may have the appeal of saving you, what, the three seconds it'll take you to crumble the cheese by hand?

But you'll end up with a cheese that's bland, dry, and less tart than it should be. Vacuum-packed feta is often the cheapest option, but is more likely to turn stiff and rubbery, even if you place it into a homemade brine as soon as you get home. Buying in brine on the other hand, will do amazing things for feta's texture think smooth and creamy , its taste think sharp and tangy , and its shelf life think weeks instead of days.

Brine is the key to a chunk-free whipped feta dip. No matter whether you're crumbling, blending, melting, or slicing your feta, it'll be better if it's been chilling in a vat of salt water. Menu A Cozy Fall Brunch. Find the inspiration you crave for your love of cooking. Videos View All. Fine Cooking Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Sign Up Log In Follow. Double Check Do you really want to delete the list,? Cancel Delete.

You must be a registered user to access this feature. Please log in or create a free account. Log In Sign Up. This feature has been temporarily disabled during the beta site preview. Got it. Double Check Are you sure you want to delete your notes for this recipe? You must be a magazine subscriber to access this feature. To keep reading, subscribe today. Let's say you buy a block of feta cheese—perhaps to make creamy dip or to shave over your summer veggies —and, let's say you don't use it all.

Seriously, who ever uses the whole block at once?! You want to save that feta, don't you? Of course you do, you little wasteless superhero.

But if you just pop that feta into a tupperware and toss it back in the fridge, in a day or two, you'll have a dried-out, sour chunk of cheese.