I have been promising to bring you my homemade feta cheese recipe for a while (Ahem, probably a couple of years. Eek.) Today is finally the day. You may be wondering why I bother making feta cheese from scratch. The answer-as is often the case- is that homemade tastes great and because I can. I am, after all, the daughter of a man who feels driven to walk laps around the house outside in blizzards when authorities warn that you shouldn’t go out unless you have to do so.
There’s an enormous satisfaction in doing something that seems just undo-able, isn’t there? Not only does homemade feta taste incredible, but it delivers a pioneer, up-by-my-bootstraps joy that a store-bought version just can’t give no matter how wonderful it is.
…But there’s another reason to take the plunge and it’s a doozy. For the cost of three gallons of milk (it can be pasteurized/homogenized or raw, cow or goat milk) and about a dollars worth of other stuff, you get a massive amount of feta cheese. As in a gallon jar of brined feta cheese. If you’re fearful of trying your hand at cheese making, just think of it this way; the risk is about twelve dollars worth of materials (depending on milk cost near you) versus a potential payoff of about forty dollars worth of cheese and an enormous ego boost. If it -bumbum BUM!!!!!- goes wrong, you can feed the errant cheese to dogs, cats, pigs, etc… They’ll be happy.
I’m going to get right into it because even if I’m being succinct, this post is going to be long on account of the how-to photos… There’s no getting around it. Some important notes:
- Stay calm! Cheesemaking is not supposed to be stressful. It may seem complicated, but it isn’t. Just go one step at a time and you’ll get there.
- Don’t get freaked out by the length of time it takes to make this. Much of the time is hands-off time. Another warning for those who haven’t made cheese or fermented something before; it gets a little, um, pungent smelling at times. Keep a-going. Don’t worry! Remember that cheese making is essentially controlling how fast and in what way milk ‘goes bad’. If it goes bad the right way it’s delicious!
- The only special equipment you really need to pull this off is a large stainless steel or other non-reactive pot, a heat source, a long knife or off-set spatula, a colander, something from whence to hang the cheese and butter muslin (extra, super, mega fine cheesecloth.) Do not confuse this with the “fine” cheesecloth you get in the grocery store or hardware store. It’s confusing terminology, but that stuff is so not fine. Just look for something called butter muslin and you’ll be fine. Finer than cheesecloth. Sorry. You can get it here.
- You can opt to use raw OR pasteurized/homogenized milk. It can be cow milk or goat milk. Any of those choices will be delicious.
- Goat milk is naturally more tangy, so if you use cow milk, you may want to consider adding a bit of lipase powder. Lipase is an enzyme that naturally occurs in higher amounts in goat milk. If you want cow milk feta to have that bite that is found in feta, lipase powder is your answer. You can get it via my beloved Amazon.com should you wish to.
- As far as specialty ingredients go, the lipase is optional, but rennet and mesophilic culture are not optional. Again? You can turn to Amazon.com. Here’s one for mesophilic culture.
- Whatever you do, don’t think Junket Rennet will do the job. It simply won’t. That’s for custard making. My preferred cheesemaking rennet is made from animal sources.
- But there is a perfectly acceptable and delicious vegetarian option…
- Finally, I suggest you start the process around lunch time. This gives you the time needed to do the Day One portion of the recipe before too late in the day.
Just think what you’d do with a gallon jar full of fabulous feta cheese. You can go nuts with feta! On pizzas, spanakopita, this tempting salad from my friend, a baked potato, in soup, in omelets, with olives and bread, IN bread, and in just about any recipe that calls for cheese. Where would you use your wealth of feta?
Homemade Feta Cheese | Make Ahead Mondays
Ingredients
For the Cheese:
- 3 gallons fresh raw or pasteurized and homogenized goat or cow milk
- 1/4 teaspoon Mesophilic culture see link in post for source
- 1/4 teaspoon lipase powder if using cow milk Omit for vegetarian cheese. Lipase is animal derived.
- 1 teaspoon single-strength liquid rennet dissolved in 1/2 cup of cool or 1/2 teaspoon double strength liquid OR 3/4 of a vegetarian rennet tablet crushed, UNCHLORINATED water.
- kosher salt no substitute
For the Brine:
- 1/2 cup kosher salt no substitute
- 1 gallon cool UNCHLORINATED water
Instructions
To Make the Cheese:
- Sterilize all of your equipment with boiling water before beginning (including the cheesecloth.)
- In a very large, non-reactive pot, bring all of the milk up to 86°F.-88°F. Add the mesophilic culture and the lipase powder, if you are using it. Stir well with an up and down motion, cover the pot and let rest for one hour. Try to maintain the 86°F temperature. If you have trouble with that, you can set your large pot inside a larger pot with an inch of hot water in the bottom of it. This should help regulate the temperature more gently than firing up a burner directly beneath the milk. The goal is to avoid rapid temperature changes.*See notes.
- After 1 hour, add the dissolved rennet to the milk and stir vigorously for 15-20 seconds. Remove the spoon from the pot, cover it, and let it stand undisturbed for 30-40 minutes or until the curd 'breaks' cleanly when you insert the tip of a knife and lift as shown below.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta3.jpg"] - Cut a 1/2-inch grid pattern into the curd. Don't get perfectionist here, you'll get frustrated. The curd likes to move while you try to cut it, so just do your best.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta.jpg"] - After you have the grid pattern, hold the knife at a 45° angle and retrace the cuts you've already made. This is going to make MOST of the curd in the pot into roughly 1/2-inch pieces.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/feta-in-brine.jpg"] - The ones that didn't get cut that small will break up later in the process. DO NOT STIR THE CURD YET.
- Let the curd rest undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, stir gently, breaking up any larger pieces you missed with the knife. Again, don't sweat this too much... Just try to have most pieces in the neighborhood of 1/2 an inch.
- Keep the curd at 86°F to 88°F for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time to keep the curd from sticking to itself. You'll notice the curd getting slightly firmer and smaller. This is because as you stir it and hold it at this temperature it releases more whey.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta-1.jpg"] - Dampen your butter muslin/cheesecloth and use it to line a large colander. I usually position the colander over another large stockpot because I like to save the whey for baking.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta-2.jpg"] - Carefully and gently ladle the curds and whey into the lined colander.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta-4.jpg"] - When all the curds are in the colander, draw all 4 corners of the cheesecloth together to form a bag and tie in a sturdy knot. Hang the bag over the sink or a bowl or pot so it can drain freely.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta-5.jpg"] - Let the cheese drain at room temperature for 3-4 hours, carefully lower the bag into the colander and untie the bag. At this point, the cheese will be smooth on the bottom and spiky on top.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta-6.jpg"] - Flip the curd over so the spikes are at the bottom, retie and rehang the bag. Let it drain for 24 hours.
Here is where you're going to notice a certain stank coming from the vicinity of your cheese. That's okay. It means you're on the right track. Don't back down!
- After 24 hours, lower the cheese, untie the bag and put the curd onto a sterilized cutting board. Cut it into blocks. I usually aim for pieces that are about the size of a deck of cards but about 2 inches thick.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta-9.jpg"] - Generously sprinkle all of the surfaces of the cut cheese with kosher salt then load the cheese into a sterilized, large, food-safe container with a tightly fitting lid.
[img src="https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/homemade-feta-10.jpg"] - Let the cheese rest at room temperature (DO NOT REFRIGERATE even though it is counterintuitive.) for 2 to 3 days so that it can continue releasing whey and hardening up. This will help it store longer.
To Prepare the Brine and Store the Cheese:
- Pour the whey the cheese has released into a sterilized large, food-safe container with a tightly fitting lid. Arrange the cheese blocks in it.
- Add the gallon of water and 1/2 cup of kosher salt to a non-reactive pot. Stir well over medium heat until the salt is completely dissolved. Let the brine come to room temperature before pouring it over the cheese. Put the lid in place tightly on the container and store the cheese in the refrigerator.
- Let the cheese age at least two weeks before eating. It is good for up to a year as long as it is kept submerged in the brine and refrigerated. It will continue to get stronger in taste as it ages.
Recipe Notes
*If your room temperature is too cool and you are having trouble maintaining the temperature of the milk, you can either set the pot inside a larger pot with an inch or two of hot water in the bottom. When the temperature of the milk starts dropping, you can turn the burner on under the larger pot and the hot water will help gently raise the temperature of the milk in the inside pot. The goal is to avoid rapid temperature changes with can affect the culture at work in the milk as well as risk scorching. Scorched cheese is blechy.
Another option -and my preferred one- is to set the pot on top of a warm but not hot heating pad. This is my go-to procedure during cooler months when I have to wear a sweat-a to make feta.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
I adore feta and am so intrigued to try making it!! This looks incredible!
Rebecca says
You have to do it if you’re a feta fan. It’s so amazing when homemade.
Alison says
WOW – I am so excited so try this. Thank you so much for posting this.
My family love feta but I was not so keen – UNTIL I tried baked feta on holiday in Greece. Now everyone is always asking for that especially on garlic bread. My oldest son is really fussy about food but he will always eat a feta sandwich
Can’t wait to try this and am immediately going to send off for the rennet etc.
Thank you for your help
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
Amazing! It looks a bit intimidating but I still want to try it! After all, nothing beats homemade, right?
Rebecca says
Absolutely! Don’t let the length of the instructions keep you from trying it. You can do it!
Kristen says
You impress me so, my cheese making friend. Promise me next time we are together we’ll make cheese. OK? thank you!
Rebecca says
Surely there must be a blogger conference who wants to fly me out and house me in exchange for a cheese making seminar. 🙂 I promise I’ll try to make cheese with you wherever we are when we meet again. I could be the MacGyver of cheesemaking. 🙂
Julie C says
Hello and thanks for sharing this recipe! I made your mozzerella cheese and felt like a culinary genious 🙂 One question – they whey that comes out of your cheese in the “age for 2-3 days in salt” step – that whey becomes part of the brine, yes? Or does it go in one container and the cheese/brine in another? I really enjoy your blog – I made your candied jalepenos (again) this weekend!
Rebecca says
Good question for clarification. Yes… Put the whey that is released by the cheese in the 2-3 day room temperature stint in the jar with the cheese and whatever amount of the brine you can pour in over the top. THANK YOU!
Patty says
Oh Rebecca, you have just absolutely made my day!
Living in a country where dairy is not part of the traditional diet {much less cheese!}, I miss it so!
All cheese is imported from Europe and VERY pricey….like a tiny jar of feta in oil {300 grams} is about $8.00.
But now, you’ve made me one happy lady!
Of course, I’ll have to order me some stuff from Amazon…..and wait for it to wind its way through the postal systems of two countries……..and then explain to the customs officials what the crazy white lady has in her box……but it won’t matter, because I’ll have tons and tons of my very own feta!
I’m usually not this excited, but, well, cheese can do that to a gal!
Have a lovely day 🙂
Rebecca says
…And you’ve made mine! I’m so glad to help a fellow cheese lover out! Please let me know if you have any questions during the process. We’ll get you your cheese!
Lisa says
Is there anything you cannot do? You are amazing. I want to be your next door neighbor. We could food swap!
Rebecca says
That’s just it, Lisa… Everyone can do this! I wish you were my neighbor, too!
Jill says
Wow. Can I just come over and get some? Hehe. Looks delicious!
Rebecca says
Sure thing. I kind of made 3 gallon jars full.
Amy says
You need a cheese shop. Yes you do!
Rebecca says
Only if you’ll shop there. 🙂
Isabelle @ Crumb says
Ermahgerd! This project sounds like just my kind of DIY… for one, I absolutely, desperately love feta (I blame it the fact that I grew up in cheese-loving family in a Greek neighbourhood) and two, did I mention I love feta? Now I just need to see if I can find rennet up here in Canadia to avoid having to fuss with customs.
Rebecca says
I’m the same, Isabelle… I eat indecent amounts of feta. I blame my love of feta. 🙂 I’m sure you can get rennet in Canada… Try The Dairy Connection and New England Cheesemaking Company. I think they both ship north of the border!
Brook says
Hi Isabelle,
To order in Canada (or the US), you could try Glengarry Cheesemaking and Dairy Supply:
http://www.glengarrycheesemaking.on.ca/
I haven’t ordered from them yet, but they’re at the top of my list once I’ve unpacked and settled in to my new home. Happy cheese-making : )
Carrie says
I have been waiting…waiting so long. THANK YOU! Looks JUST like what Dan and I would buy in Greece. You’re a gem!!
Rebecca says
I feel so guilty I didn’t get it to you sooner, Carrie. Thank you for being patient!
Brook says
Thanks for the fantastic tutorial! And if you’re ever lucky enough to be able to get your hands on some sheep’s milk, it makes my favorite of all feta, both creamy and hard. I’d been able to find it in both milk and cheese form in Connecticut, but no such luck after I moved back to the Canadian prairies.
Thanks again for your marvelous blog, and all the best to you and yours in the new year.
Eileen says
Huge Feta cheese fan here, and making cheese is on my “culinary bucket list”. I think your recipe and instructions are so useful Rebecca. Can’t wait to get started!
Sandy @ RE says
You are a Cheese Mama. Love your cheese – hope we get to make it together in 2013! Love your new site here, too, Rebecca. It’s looking awesome!
Vivian says
Can feta be frozen? I’m intrigued, guess I’ll be ordering cheese-making supplies!
jeri says
Have you tried making this in smaller batches; can I just halve the recipe? As much as I love cheese, there are just two of us.
kate C. says
I was thinking the same thing! I would imagine you could. I’m pretty sure I alone could eat that much cheese in a year, however, I worry that I don’t have a big enough pot for 3 gallons of milk and also enough room in the fridge for storing it! Thanks for the recipe, Rebecca!
Amanda L says
I love this post. I cannot wait to try this… but, there is a problem- the amazon links on the web page are missing. Any suggestions? I wanted to make sure I bought the correct items.
Thank you so much- I Love your blog.
Amanda
Jackson, MS
Rebecca says
Thank you so much, Amanda! I’m not sure why the links aren’t showing for you because I see them alright when I pull up the page… Do you have a flash or ad blocker on your browser? That might prevent you from seeing it…
Isra {TheFrugalette} says
My husband is Arab and we go through feta cheese faster than water, no joke. We buy it buy the pound from Costco, this looks so fabulous and delish, thank you for sharing!!
Chocolate Lady says
Oh my goodness! I have to make this cheese! Thank you so much for posting this recipe with wonderful, photographic, step-by-step instructions. I’ve tried my hand at Ethiopian cheese which is quite delicious, but can’t wait to make my favorite – feta! I just discovered your blog a few months ago, and in fact, right now have a batch of your hot dog buns proofing in the oven. I love your philosophy – homemade does taste so much better, and I, too, make things, just because I can! THANK YOU!
Janice Dunn says
Hi, I read through your post and sent my order off to amazon so I can try this amazing project bugt I have a few questions up front. When I am warming the milk up to the proper temperature, what type of heat am I using? High, Med/high…? Also I live where it’s very cold so I need a little clarification on the heating pad because that sounded like a good plan to me.
When you say “and let rest for one hour” are you removing the pot from the burner and setting it on a hot pad to maintain the temp or is this where its in the double boiler to maintain the temp? I have the same question for the next step when it says “let it stand undisturbed for 30-40 minutes”. Just trying to make sre I do it right! Thanks.
Rebecca says
Let’s see if I can go through your questions one by one. First, I’d heat the milk using the lowest temperature I can to get it up to temperature. That way you reduce the risk of scorching it. Scorching=bad. As for the heating pad, All you really need to do is set it on the counter under the pot. When I say rest for one hour, what you do with it next depends on the ambient temperature of your room. Is your room super duper cold? You’ll probably want to move it onto the heating pad. If your room is pretty cozy, you don’t have to move it anywhere. An alternative, if you want, is just to turn the heat on under the pot every now and then (very low) to bring it back to temperature. The only problem with doing it that way is that you don’t want to raise or lower the temp fast because you risk overshooting your desired temperature by enough to alter the end product. Does this help?
Amanda L says
Hi Rebecca,
I made this recipe and stored it in the brine for two weeks. I halved the recipe b/c I didn’t have a pot that was large enough for holding 3 gallons of milk.
The cheese turned out good, loved the consistency, but it was way too salty.
I packed it with Kosher Salt, and then poured the brine on top (after 24 hours) I didn’t cut the brine from 1/2 cup to 1/4- which probably was the problem.
However, my question is, should I had washed the salt off after the one day on the counter and then poured the brine in? or was it ok to have just poured the brine over the salt?
My husband loves salty things and even he said it was too much.
Thank you so much for this post. I am going to try it again.
Amanda
P~ says
I made the feta. It is just wonderful! Really, thank you so much for posting this process. I had wanted to make feta, but my cheese making book made it seem intimidating; you made it seem simple. And it was! I’ll never buy feta again. P~
Sara says
Hi, Rebecca… thank you for your post! I have never ventured into cheesemaking, but you make me want to try it.
Here’s the thing: I am kind of paranoid about food spoilage. I know that cheese is all about directing spoilage in the right way, but I still feel very hesitant. How will I know if my stank is the right stank? Why will this cheese keep for up to a year when I find that feta from the store spoils (REALLY spoils) within a few weeks of opening it? If you or anyone reading can reassure me at all, I would appreciate it so much. Let’s get real: should I just buy my feta?
Katie says
Rebecca- this post might have saved my life for the next 2 years!! We are living in Paraguay and they have no feta. So this is going to be my next project. I have NEVER made any kind of cheese, and I am a stick exactly to the recipe kinda girl (to a fault)! I found everything I need on Amazon, but the shipping is more than the product on a few things, which is annoying. So I tried to find rennet and mesophilic from other places, but am weary to buy something that is not exactly what you used since I know nothing about those products. Any thing you can recommend, or should I just fork over the $25to ship those two things?
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
Will you come over to my house and give me a personal lesson on this. I absolutely love it! You are talented, my friend!
Harry says
Does anyone know how many ounces of cheese this recipe makes?
Rebecca says
Hey Harry… I can’t really estimate because its going to depend on the milk itself! Batches can vary wildly… One general rule of thumb is that each gallon of milk yields in the neighborhood of a pound of cheese, but that can be off by a few ounces… 🙂
Stef says
This is exactly what I have been looking for! My question is, is there are large difference in flavor between goat milk and cows milk? I love tangy feta – not so salty – and my memories of feta in Greece is the tang. Of course my favored way to eat it is a rustic (out of Athens) taverna feta served on top of slightly acidic tomatoes, red onions, kalamta olives, oregano, red pepper flakes, drizzled with EVOO and a loaf of REAL bread to sop up the wonderful juices! With a great bottle of retsina to wash it down. And then, of course, a siesta.
Rebecca says
Okay,Stef, here’s the score. Yes, there is a large difference between goat and cow’s milk. Goat milk naturally has more lipase to it, so it’s much tangier and funkier. Cow’s milk is much more mild. You can mitigate that some with added lipase, but I think the goat feta is always going to be zippier. This is relatively salty on account of the brine, so if you don’t want it to be too salty, you may want to rinse it post aging and then freeze rather than brine it. 🙂
Eva | Adventures in Cooking says
Yayyyyy! I am SO happy you told me about this! After all that talk about yeast anxiety, I think this guide will cure my feta anxiety. And even if I mess up again and it turns into chèvre, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I will let you know how it comes out when I try it, which may not be for a bit since I need to go on a cheesecloth run and sometimes lack the motivation to un errands after work, but this WILL happen!
Also, your photos are so pretty!!! I love all the grilled sandwich/burger ones with the nice crisp on the outside of the patty, makes me want to dust off our grill and start using it again now that the weather’s warmed up 🙂
Rebecca says
You said it, Eva! One way or the other, you end up with cheese and that can’t be bad, right? 😀
Emma says
This is awesome! Can you culture bad bacteria???
Mine went really crumbly after the draining stage, did I let it get too dry?
Rebecca says
Hmmmm… smell it and if it smells like feta, taste it! I bet you can’t brine it if it’s crumbly, but I think you could still freeze it!
Donnell says
Hi there. I made your recipe a couple of days ago and I’m just wondering if you cover the feta up when it’s hardening up for the 2-3 days? Thanks!! 🙂
Bruno says
The recipe is good, but it is STENCH, not stank
Rebecca says
You say tomato, I say tomahto, Bruno 🙂 It surely does smell foul, doesn’t it?
Susan Kennedy says
I am on day two of my second batch of your feta recipe. My first batch was met with rave reviews for die hard feta lovers. I use raw jersey milk from our family cows. Thanks so much for this no fuss east to follow approach to feta cheese making!
Michael says
Hi Rebecca, Thanks for sharing the recipe. I have a question? DOes your cheese tasye like the Feta that we buy at the store. My Aunt made some, based on your recipe and it had no taste? What are we doing wrong? Please adbise at your convenience. Thanks,
Rebecca says
Hi Michael, every batch of cheese is going to be a bit different because every batch of milk is a little different. The homemade stuff is usually a bit milder to begin with but becomes quite sharp when aged. Also, did you mom use lipase powder? If she’s finding it a bit too mild for her taste, she can age it or make another batch with more lipase in it. Lipase is what helps the feta pack a punch when it’s young.
Michael says
Thanks. I appreciate the uick response. We’ll try it again. Have a great weekend.
Jeanette says
Can I use coarse salt instead of kosher? I live in a remote area and the general store doesn’t sell kosher salt.
Thanks!
Rebecca says
You can but only if it doesn’t have iodine or other additives. The beauty of kosher salt is that it is pure. Iodine will wreck the cheese! (Amazon has a good deal on kosher salt if it comes down to it!)
Jess says
So I was wondering…. I am living in a country now where the fresh milk is not considered safe and therefore only have access to UHT milk. Can it be done with this, or am I just dreaming at something that is never going to happen…. Would appreciate any advice. I am going to have fabulous cheese dreams tonight!
Rebecca says
I am so sorry, but I think UHT will not work. The ultra high temp at which its processes destroys the milk day’s ability to “coagulate” when the rennet is introduced. You’d get the tiniest grains possible.
Lois says
I have the cheese in a container on counter and salted. It is releasing whey – my question is, do I let it soak in the whey now? or do I remove the whey to reintroduce after the 3 days at room temperature? Thanks.
Rebecca says
You can let it sit in the whey unless the whey starts REALLY building up. If that happens, I’d drain it and keep it in a jar for reintroduction. 🙂
Gina says
Hi Rebecca,
Thanks so much for this recipe. I made my first batch of feta a few months ago, and I’m hooked! It’s so much better than store bought, and once you make it a time or two it’s really pretty easy. I’m even selling it at my local green market along with containers of the whey that I end up with. I use raw cow milk from a local dairy with pastured cows. I’m following your recipe pretty much exactly except that I add a little calcium chloride to the brine. It’s helped to keep the cheese a bit firmer. I’m looking forward to trying batches of the cheese that have aged longer. At this point, I haven’t been able to keep it around longer than two weeks! Thanks again!
Gina
Caz says
I’m really looking forward trying this recipe out but could anyone adjust the quantity for me as I only have 2litres of goats milk and not sure how much other stuff I would use to compensate for the small quantity of mil.k. Any suggestions guys ?????
Rebecca says
Hi Caz- I’m pretty sure you can just scale up and down proportionately. I’d be inclined to freeze the 2 liters and wait until I could lay my hands on enough to make a full batch, though.
Rachel says
First time cheese maker here, but excited to give it a try! Can you skip the brine and marinade the feta with Olive Oil?
Rebecca says
You know what? I’ve never actually tried that! I think I’d be inclined to brine it anyway because it ages nicely. Then I’d probably small-batch marinate in olive oil, but that’s just me. I don’t actually know whether storing it long term in olive oil would work because it tends to solidify in the refrigerator (meaning olive oil does…)
Rachel says
If I brine first then marinade, how long would I let it brine before I make smaller batches to marinade. My goal is to re-create this wonderful marinated feta I bought from the store from Yarra Dairy, garlic and thyme. It was heavenly!
James Hale says
Hello,
I live in a very hot climate (Thailand) and am wondering if I would need to make any adjustments to your recipe due to the heat. I’m visiting my family in the U.S. right now and will bring the supplies back with me. I’m excited to try this as Feta can be quite expensive in Bangkok, but my kitchen can be quite hot and I’m not sure if that will speed up or slow down the whole process. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you!
Rebecca says
It will be quite likely to speed things along a bit, James. I don’t have personal experience with cheese making in that kind of climate, so just keep your eyes and nose on it for the visual and olfactory clues!
Jim says
In your blog you said,
“If it -bumbum BUM!!!!!- goes wrong, you can feed the errant cheese to dogs, cats, pigs, etc… They’ll be happy.”.
You shouldn’t feed dogs milk products as it makes them sick.
Rebecca says
We’re going to have to agree to disagree on this. It’s a cultured product (in this case made from raw milk.) I certainly wouldn’t dump it wholesale into the dog dish, but I’m okay with a little nibble here and there and my dogs tolerate it well.
Janice says
Hi there – can you tell me why my feta would be rubbery rather than crumbly?
Rebecca says
Hmmmmmmmm. Let me look into that for you, Janice. It should still be edible even if the texture is a little funny…
Janice says
yeah you right it is edible… but not like fetta should be – I look forward to your answer, although I am sure there could be lots of reasons.
Marti says
My feta is on the 24 hour drip stage. I would like to season my feta with Greek basil and garlic. At what stage should I introduce the spices? Thanks!
Rebecca says
Hi Marti- I have not tested adding the spices, but I think (and again, this isn’t tested!) I’d probably toss the cheese with the basil and feta before serving. If you add them before brining, I’m afraid they’d just wash off.
Jen says
I am severely lactose intolerant
Jen says
Lets try this again, my tablet was misbehaving.
I am severely lactose intolerant. One of the things I miss the most is feta. I’ve been unable to find a lactose free version. If I can make this with lactose free milk I would be in heaven. I can drink cow milk to which lactase has been added to breakdown the sugars to a form my body can digest. (Lactaid brand etc). All of the commercially available lactose free milk is “Ultra Pasteurized”. Do you have any thoughts/suggestions regarding using ultra pasteurized lactose free milk? Do you think it would work?
Rebecca says
Hi Jen- I’m afraid I have some bad news for you on the ultra pasteurized front. Most cheesemakers, myself included, would advise you against using ultra pasteurized milks because the fats have been broken down to such a degree as to be impossible to draw together when the rennet is added. When I have attempted making mozzarella from ultra pasteurized milk, it has failed completely, yielding something that was still so loose, I couldn’t even strain it and make ricotta from it. That being said, I haven’t tried making it with lactose free milk, and I’m curious.
I’m always for experimenting where budget allows. If you are the intrepid sort, you could try quartering the recipe and attempting it with the lactose free milk. If you DO decide to try it, please check back in and let me know how it goes!
Sara says
This is super. Made it for the second time, no problems either time. Chunks and chunks of feta instead of paying $3-4 for about a half cup of crumbles. And it keeps so well, too. We have a cow, so are always looking for things to do with the milk, and when we can duplicate a product we would otherwise have to buy, we’re thrilled!
tarah says
I made my first batch and now is in the brine. I cut my pieces way too small (bite sized blocks) but I fished one out of the brine after 2 days and the outside has become squishy and slimy. Did I do something wrong? I let it sit in the salt for 3 days. I followed everything to the letter. Weird. Still tastes good.
Rebecca says
It’s the small cuts that probably did you in there, Tarah. It’ll still taste good, but it’s going to deteriorate in the brine far more quickly when it’s tiny.
Stephanie says
I’ve had my feta salted and resting at room temp for a little over 2 days, I looked at it today thinking I would get it ready for the brine and I found a few peices have mold on them!! I think maybe there was not enough salt? My question is, do I have to toss the whole batch or just the pieces with mold? Or can I cut or wash off the mold and keep the cheese? I’m not sure what is safe but I would hate to give up the whole batch 🙁
Rebecca says
First, look at the colour of the mold. Is it blue or green? Just cut it off and brine the rest of the cheese!
Stephanie says
No blue or green, just white/grey. I ended up tossing a few pieces, cutting off the rest of the mold, rinsing the cheese with brine and then covering it with new brine and putting it in the fridge. Do you think I didn’t use enough salt initially?
Rebecca says
There are a couple of possibilities. You could be in a very humid area which is going to encourage that to grow more quickly or the salt may have been too scant. Either is possible. Your cheese should be fine in the brine!
Richard says
Thank you so much for the recipe for feta cheese. My mother used to make feta, and yogart and other delightful foods. As a former chemist, microbiologist and daughter of Lebanese parents, she would sterilize our kitchen and bannish everybody from it for about a day while she made feta and other cultured products. She usually made enough feta and yogart to last for a couple of weeks, including a thick and tart tasting yogart being marketed today under the name Greek yogart — another prohibitively expensive food item that is inexpensive to make. Thank you again — and wish me luck.
ilene says
I have a fried who stores her cheeses in oil. Would that work? is it safe? I see people here mention buying feta cheese in oil. Let me know if you could.
Rebecca says
Hi Ilene,
I’m afraid I don’t have enough knowledge to tell you whether or not that is considered acceptable practice with cheese.
Nathan Swain says
My only complaint is that I wish the article would have called out the fact that ultra pasteurized milk was a “thing” and not good for making cheese. As a first time cheese making attempt, I had no idea I should be on the lookout for that – just had to pour a $60 batch of goat milk down the drain (goat milk is not cheap at Natural Grocers) because in attempting this, I couldn’t figure out why the rennet wasn’t working (after an hour), and then discovered after painstakingly reading through the comments, that ultra pasteurized milk isn’t good for making cheese. Oh well, I should have done more research before attempting, but alas.
Recommendation – amend the article to say “Warning! – Do not not use Ultra Pasteurized milk (the most common milk found anywhere) because “… Hopefully that will prevent other newbies from wasting hours and money.
That said, I will attempt this again, pending more online research to ensure I’m not missing any other important caveats for cheese making.
Nathan Swain says
One more thing – in no way am I blaming your article for my mistake – I should have absolutely done more research. Your site was just the first that I went to when looking to make feta (my absolute favorite cheese) and I didn’t know ultra pasteurization was something to be aware of and avoid – merely suggesting to call it out for the people like me who are absolute beginners and don’t know their stuff. I look forward to another attempt.
Rebecca says
Hi Nathan- It is very difficult for a blogger to foresee every possible misinterpretation of a recipe. I would’ve been frustrated, too, to lose $60 worth of ingredients, but I am also very cautious by nature when making an investment of that magnitude in food. Since the clarification exists twice over in the comments section, I am comfortable with leaving the recipe as is. I wish you the best of luck on your next go round. Maybe you’d like to give it a shot with some cow’s milk and lipase first because that is a far less costly attempt and no less delicious!
Rebecca says
I have to say, maybe it’s because I live in dairy country, but ultra pasteurized is the exception rather than the norm in my area. Regular pasteurized milk is plentiful (and the goat’s milk I use is generally freshly milked from friends’ goats, and is therefore not at all pasteurized!)
Gwendelen says
I am on about 1 day of the two to three day room temp aging and so far i am absolutely thrilled with the result. It looks, smells and tastes like feta, although a little on the mild side as to be expected.
I have two questions. The first is that the feta is slightly drier than I expected. Not super dry or super crumbly, but I expect as it continues in the salt, it will become more dry. If I had cut the curds a little larger, would this have made it a little creamier?
My second question is this: after hanging and then slicing, I salted and placed it in a 9×13 Pyrex pan. If the next step is to move both the cheese and the whey into the container that I am going to brine it in the fridge in (I have a gallon size jar in mind) is there any reason I couldn’t have just put it in the jar to start with, left the whey in and topped it off with the brine all in the same container that I am planning on using for long term storage? It seems like an extra step but maybe I am missing something. Perhaps exposed surface area is important? (Despite being in an airtight container?)
This was a spectacular post. I had a wonderful time doing this project with my son who is ten. The directions were clear and staightforward and anticipated questions that we had. I’ve encouraged him to do something with cheese for his school science fair based on this project. Thank you for all the effort you clearly put into this post.
Rebecca says
Hi Gwendelen!
You might find them a touch more moist if you made the curds larger. I will say, though, that the homemade, in my experience, tends to be a little drier than the commercial version.
Now, addressing your excellent question about why it doesn’t go straight into the jar instead of having the whey separate out first. The reason for this is that you need to firm the curd up before floating it in the brine. It has a distressing tendency to disintegrate when it goes straight into the brine. The exposure to air, the time allowed to expel the whey, all these things help firm the curd so it can hold up to the loooooooooong time it will spend in the brine.
I am so glad you enjoyed the post and that you made the cheese with your son! That makes my heart VERY happy!!! The beauty of a food based science project is that it can be eaten when all is said and done. That is all kinds of win win!
…and if you liked the highly detailed nature of this post, you might also enjoy the Guaranteed Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries post I did! More edible science!
Amy says
I can’t wait to try this but want to make sure I have the right sizes of a pot and jars. I’ll need a pot to hold three gallons of milk, and 2-1 gallon mason jars? If I’m reading correctly, I transfer to a new jar after the 2-3 day wait, after it’s cut into pieces, while it firms up. Is there a reason we don’t keep it in the same jar and add the brine? Does the final quantity of cheese fit into a gallon jar? Thank you for this recipe!
Amy says
I can’t wait to try this but want to make sure I have the right sizes of a pot and jars. I’ll need a pot to hold three gallons of milk, and 2-1 gallon mason jars? If I’m reading correctly, I transfer to a new jar after the 2-3 day wait, after it’s cut into pieces, while it firms up. Is there a reason we don’t keep it in the same jar and add the brine? Does the final quantity of cheese fit into a gallon jar? Thank you for this recipe!
Rebecca says
Hi Amy-
One jar ought to do it for you… The container I used for aging at room temperature was a plastic food safe container and I transferred the cheese and brine to a glass jar for longer refrigerator storage. There is no need for a second one. All of my cheese fit into one jar quite nicely! It’s never a bad idea to have an extra quart jar or two handy in case of overflow, though!
Rae says
I love this recipe. I tried this one 1st with fairly good results and then tried several other recipes that produced less than desirable results. (2) Two tips I can offer: 1) Allowing the milk to reach nearly room temperature prior to opening them up AND then adding them to the pot into a sink filled with water works the best. When making cheeses where the temperature is low like when making Feta, cream cheese, etc. I have found it’s easier to just skip using the stove completely. 2) Use the whey to make your brine instead of water and salt. Since doing this I have had absolutely no problems with slimy or soft feta.
Alison Webster says
I made this cheese once several months ago and am on my second round – I think it’s so cool 🙂
One question that might be kinda silly is, how should I wash the cheesecloth? I think I put it inside a delicates bag in the regular wash last time, and this batch of cheese has a few little bits of lint on the outside where it was in contact with the cloth. Tips?
Rebecca says
That is a good question, Alison! I usually rinse my cheese cloth with cold water first to remove any big particles. Then I soak in cold water an hour or so, rinse until clear, then plunk into boiling water to sterilize. After that I pin it up and air dry and it is good to go!
Alison Webster says
Thanks Rebecca!
Michelle says
Love the step by step instructions! Thank you for sharing! The pictures help a lot. It takes a long time to make a bit of Feta but I feel bad to have all this milk and not doing anything with it!
I have made a batch of Feta without culture or Ca+ (don’t have any available…waiting on being delivered) I have used fresh raw goats milk and rennet only. 12L….almost 2.5kg outcome. I find the curds to be not as firm. Long story short once drained for 24hr and cut into moderate pieces the cheese feels rubbery and squeaky. I have aged it with salt for 3 days at room temp (22C..24C) and it kind of shrinked on me. After i placed in brine and aged in the fridge for few days i though i would taste it to see how it holds. The squeak is still there..but a lighter squeak. Definitely not firm as it would be the one bought from the store. I did not use a press.
Would you happen to know firstly why rubbery and secondly why squeaky? I absolutely love the test though…..not too salty and more than a mild flavor but nit too goaty…if you know what I mean.
Thank you in advance!
Rebecca says
Hi Michelle- I have never made it without the culture, so I’m not sure. In the past, squeaky curds have been a good indicator that I could make a harder cheese than feta, like a cheddar, with good results.
Lee Kennedy says
Making this at the moment. So far so good. Great expectations.
What’s with the kosher salt nonsense? Salt is salt.
Rebecca says
Salt is not just salt when it comes to cheesemaking and canning. Iodine (in table salt) has adverse effects in cheesemaking. I wouldn’t make that substitution.
Lee Kennedy says
Thanks Rebecca. I take your point on iodine. I am using salt. Plain salt. No iodine. No free- flowing agents. No trace residues of the Hymalayan alps. Not even the wildly diverse soup that is sea salt. But I have never enquired as to its religious affiliations. It is gluten-free though. Possibly not free-range. Perhaps it is an Australian – American thing. Like miles and kilometers.
On a serious and technical front, my feta is quite rubbery at this stage (Day 1). Commercial feta tends to be quite crumbly. It that a time thing?
Rebecca says
It is a time thing -in part- and should clear up as your feta ages and brines. Perhaps the salt discrepancy is a cultural thing. Most people here in the states refer to iodized salt as plain or table salt. That’s why I specify kosher. It doesn’t mean “big k” Kosher, but refers, instead, to a salt with a larger grain size and no added iodine which can be used for koshering meat if your religion requires you to do so! Mine does not, but I find I have better control over my final product with the larger grains and since a tablespoon of kosher salt can weigh much less than a tablespoon of table salt (due to grind size) I am careful to specify the use of kosher salt in many of my recipes. I’ve been lectured more times than I can count on end products being too salty by someone who used the wrong grind of salt and subsequently ended up with a salt lick. 😀
Lee Kennedy says
Thanks for that. I suppose the equivalent here is ‘cooking salt’.
As an analytical chemist in real life I much prefer to be given weights. Some of the on-line units can be a real puzzle. (A stick of butter?, Half a can?).
Phil Eversman says
I see no reason why plain pickling salt wouldn’t work. It is just plain salt with no additives like iodine or silica.
Rebecca says
Hi Phil- I answered the whys and wherefores above in detail, but in short, different grinds of salt actually measure differently by volume. Morton’s coarse kosher salt is what I used in the recipe, so it is important for me to specify that so someone doesn’t -for instance- use a finer grind salt thereby getting far more salt per tablespoon and wonder why they have unpalatably salty feta.
Linda says
Lee, with regard to recipes calling for kosher salt (larger flake, less volume than table salt) while you cannot switch measure for measure, you CAN replace the weight of the kosher salt with the equal weight of another salt without rear of over-salting
Marianna says
Hi Rebecca
Does the milk need to be kept at 86-88 for the whole time? Like when you add the rennet?
Marianna says
Hi
Can you offer any advice as to why I’m not getting any curds?
I halved your recipe and am using mesophilic culture and lipase with store bought cows milk.
I’ve followed all instructions and it’s just been resting 40 mins with the rennet.
Thanks
Rebecca says
Hi Marianna-
Could you look over your jug of milk carefully? If it isn’t forming a curd, I am wondering whether it’s ultra pasteurized. If it is ultra pasteurized, it will not form a curd.
Carrie says
I just made this recipe and it came out exactly like your photo and a friend of mine said it was no good because of the holes?? I googled and found possible bacteria issues?
Linda says
Can this recipe be halved?
Rebecca says
I cannot see any good reason not to halve it if you’d like. 😀
Ole says
“1/4 teaspoon lipase powder if using cow milk Omit for vegetarian cheese. Lipase is animal derived.”
Unlike the Cow Milk? 😛
Rebecca says
Animal PART derived vs. extracted from the live animal leaving the animal alive. 😀
Joanne says
I recently retired and wanted to try my hand at making different cheeses among other cooking interest. I came across your Feta Cheese recipe and tried it. Turned out so good on the first try I have made it several times already. Everyone I gave some to as gifts have raved about it. Thank you for sharing your recipe and all the helpful tips to go with it. I ran out of my Feta again so will do a few more batches for myself and family.
Rebecca says
Thank you, Joanne! I’m so happy it went over well for you!
Amy says
So enjoyed reading your feta making how to 🙂 I feel as though I can give it a go through your encouraging way of writing and pics I’m very excited thank you 🙂
kim says
F***** cool man I’m going to give this one a whirl… hahaha and I am such a cheese freak as it is and I live right around the corner from rumiano cheese bet you they have some stuff that I can use hmmm…
Sarah says
I’m currently right in the middle of making this following your instructions. So far, so good! I am about to make the brine to pour over it. It smells and looks like feta, which is kind of like magic. It’s the first cheese I have made, other than some very simple farmers cheese. Thanks for the detailed instructions and encouraging words!
Margot says
Hi there and thanks for sharing.mjust to be sure, in the brining process, you cover the cheese with whey and then you add the brine to the whey-covered cheese? What ratio whey – bring do you advise?
Margot
Rebecca says
Add brine to the jar to make up for any space not filled with whey. It’s not so much about the ratio as it is about keeping the cheese covered. 🙂
Vivian says
I’m doing a 1/2 batch, it is slow ghrly cooler but I’ve got nice curds. Now hanging to drip. We shall see! Thank you!
Diane Novak says
Is this recipe able to be scaled down as in 1/3-1/2. If so would you publish the measurements. TY
Peggy says
This recipe calls for 1/4 tes. Mesaphelic. How do you mesuare that. When I make up my culture I freeze it in 1 oz. cubes? I have been making cheese for my family for a lot of years. When the kids grew up I quit for awhile. Now I am 78 years and starting back into it. It gets into your blood.
Rebecca says
Hi Peggy- I’m afraid I don’t know how much homemade culture is the equivalent of the freeze dried mesophilic culture I purchase from cheese making supply stores. I wish I did! I hear you about cheese making, though. It is just plain fun!
Tina says
Is it ok if you overheat the milk in the beginning? I accidentally heated it up to 120 degrees, not knowing how long it would take to heat up and what temp (low, med or high) to heat on. I found that info in the comments and am now waiting for the milk to cool down to add the culture. I’m wondering if this will affect the turnout and of i should just use this milk for something else and try again another time.
Rebecca says
I’d go for it anyway, Tina!
Tina says
If you have enough whey to cover the cheese after the 2 days on the counter, do you fill the whole jar with whey or partly with whey and partly with brine? I saved the whey after straining into the cheesecloth and put it in the fridge right afterwards so we have about a gallon of whey. Should I just use the whey and add extra salt?
Tina says
Also what are some fun things to do with the leftover whey?
Samantha says
Your link for rennet made from animal sources is the same as the vegeteble rennet link. The description for the product says double strength and to use 1/3 of what the recipe calls for. Does your recipe reflect using the double strength?
Rebecca says
Hi there. My recipe specifies using 1 teaspoon of single strength liquid rennet or 1/2 a teaspoon of double strength, so you can adjust accordingly. I’ll have to have a look at the links and fix them up. 🙂
Tina says
My milk did not coagulate. I used vegetarian rennet and followed the steps up to step 4 but it didn’t work. I waited 20 extra minutes (past the 40) and then added more rennet. Then waited 40 minutes and it didn’t work. :/ it basically looks like liquid on top of very soft loose cottage cheese.
Rebecca says
Hmmm. It sounds like maybe you used a weaker rennet than I’ve used. That’s a real bummer that it didn’t work out for you. I’d hang onto that milk, grab some double strength stuff, and try again!