Feta cheese is praised for its tangy flavor and crumbly texture. This popular cheese is often used in salads, pastries, and as a table cheese. Understanding its shelf life is important for both safety and quality.
Feta cheese’s longevity depends on its packaging and storage conditions. Typically, an unopened package of feta can last for up to six months when stored in the refrigerator. Once you open feta cheese, it’s important to consume it within a certain timeframe to maintain its taste and texture, which we will discuss in this article.
How Long Does Feta Cheese Last ?
How long feta cheese can last after opening can depend, you need to make sure it’s stored correctly; for example feta cheese packed in liquid salt brine will last up to 6 months. Now you can keep the cheese in its original container, but then you need to make sure that the block is completely submerged in brine.
If you want your cheese to last long, then avoid buying dry packed feta cheese, because those cheeses can be used within a week.
How Can You Tell If Feta Has Gone Bad?
If your cheese is near best-by date and you don’t know if you should eat it, do these next things:
- Mold – If there are any green spots on your cheese, throw it out.
- A yeasty aroma – If the cheese has yeasty aroma, then throw your cheese out
- Harsh, unbalanced flavors – When you eat your cheese, it should taste like fresh, mildly tangly diary. If your feta cheese starts to taste more piquant, bitter, rancid, or unbalanced, then you should avoid eating it.
Can You Freeze Feta Cheese ?
I’ll say it right away, don’t freeze your feta cheese. Even though most people think that keeping it in the freezer might extend its longevity, the problem is when cheese is kept in the freezer it starts to destroy the texture. Defrosted feta cheese will be more crumbly. So my advice is to avoid keeping it in the freezer.
How To Increase Longevity Of Feta Cheese ?
Here are a few things you can do to increase the longevity of feta cheese.
First thing you should consider when you’re removing a portion of the cheese from the brine, use some clean fork or tongs. You should avoid touching brine or cheese with your fingers because it isn’t clean and dry introduces microbes into the feta’s environment
How to Make Additional Brine to Preserve Feta
You should create a brine featuring milk and vinegar instead of making basic salt and water brine, because it can dry out the cheese and make it oversalted. Here’s how we do it
Method:
First mix ½ cup whole milk, ½ cup water, 1½ teaspoons table salt, and ½ teaspoon distilled white vinegar.
After that put feta cheese in an airtight container and refrigerate for one week or use it to top off your container of feta in brine if the liquid level has dropped below the top of the cheese.