Homemade Fast Feta Cheese

Yesterday this salty, tangy plate of Feta cheese was 4 litres (4 quarts) of milk on my kitchen bench. Out of all the cheeses I make at home, this one is probably the one I do most often.

Homemade Feta cheese is fast and versatile, and you get a good yield. This batch weighed in at 500 grams (1 lb) of cheese, which will last for several weeks in the fridge.

Equipment:

• Thermometer
• Wooden Feta Press
• Cotton Cheesecloth
• Stainless steel pan
• Slotted spoon
• Long carving knife
• Weights (gym weights or tins)

Ingredients:

• Feta Culture
• Rennet
• Natural Sea Salt
• 4-6 litres (4-6 quarts) of milk

1. Sterilise all equipment with boiling water
2.  Heat the milk to 34°C (90°F)
3. Stir in the Feta Starter Culture and leave for 1 hour with the lid on
4. Dissolve the rennet in cold unchlorinated water, stir in and leave for a further hour with the lid on.
5. Cut the curd with a carving knife into 2.5cm (1 inch) squares and leave for 10 minutes.
6. Sit the press on a draining tray and line it with cheesecloth.
7. Ladle the curds into the press, cover with cheesecloth and put the lid on
8. Add up to 5kg of weights to the press and leave for at least 4 hours.
9. Slice it into fat fingers, sprinkle liberally with sea salt, and pack them in a container with a lid on to cure for a further 6-8 hours.
10. Drain the liquid off and put the cheese in the fridge - eat within two weeks

Notes:

• The more weights you use, the firmer the Feta.
• Don't leave it unsalted at room temperature for more than 6 hours in the press, or it can pick up unwanted bacteria.
• If the cheese has holes in it like Swiss cheese throw it out - it has picked up rogue bacteria along the way.
• Don't' worry about the amount of salt - most of it comes out with the whey as one of its purposes is to draw moisture from the cheese.
• Don't store it in oil or brine. Oil is not a preservative, and brine just makes it go too salty or slimy.

Here is a short video to see each step of the recipe.