Feta cheese is the Greek and Mediterranean representative of what real cheese tastes like. Unlike most American and European types of cheeses that are usually on the more yellow side, Feta is a white, salty cheese with a mild, buttery flavor that’s made from sheep’s or goat milk, and it’s a staple ingredient when it comes to salads, cheese dips, pasta recipes, cheese board, and many other dishes.
You can easily find this fresh cheese in your local grocery store or market, it’s usually packed in a box with a mixture of salt and water called a brine solution to keep it fresh and preserved.
To melt feta cheese in the microwave, take the cheese out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes.
Then take a microwave-safe bowl or a microwave-safe container and crumble a block of feta cheese into tiny pieces. This cheese is very soft and delicate so it’s recommended to add just a touch of cornstarch and a splash of milk into your crumbled feta before putting it in the microwave.
Place the microwave-safe dish in the microwave and set the temperature to the highest setting you have. Now you can go ahead and start the melting of your cheese starting at 30-second intervals.
Melt your feta cheese starting for 30 seconds, mix it up well so it all incorporates and smooths out, and if your cheese isn’t quite melted yet, continue the melting process for additional 30 seconds until you have the perfect melted cheese on your hands.
How To Melt Feta Cheese In The Microwave
Feta is the easiest type of cheese to melt in the microwave. It has that perfect milky and silk texture that is just perfect to melt on the highest setting on your microwave.
If you’d like to make the easiest and the most delicious feta cheese sauce for your salads or a delicious cheese sandwich and you have no time or patience to keep on stirring your pot on the stove while the cheese keeps on sticking or burning, don’t worry, I got your back.
So, how do you do it you ask? It’s effortless if you follow these simple steps.
Melting Feta In The Microwave
- Take the feta cheese out of your refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for several minutes.
- When your cheese has achieved room temperature, crumble it up or cut it into really tiny pieces so it melts more easily.
- Transfer the cheese into a microwave-safe container and follow up with 1/4 tablespoon of cornstarch or cornmeal, and a dash of milk since feta has low moisture content and is a low-fat cheese( you can add goat milk if you wish to).
- Microwave feta cheese for 30 seconds at your microwave’s highest heat. After 30 seconds, take the container out, stir well with a spatula to mix all the ingredients together, and continue microwaving for additional 30 seconds.
- Continue microwaving until you get your desired smooth texture and consistency. Be careful not to burn the milk.
- Let your creamy cheese sauce cool for 1-2 minutes and add it to your favorite pasta recipes or sandwiches.
How To Melt Feta Using A Double Boiler
Using a double boiler isn’t as intimidating or as hard as it looks. I’m sure that most of you experienced cooks have used this technique before to apply some gentle heat to melt some chocolate chips, steam some vegetables, make a custard, and even make some delicious, runny scrambled eggs.
Melting Process:
- You can use an original double boiler for this recipe or if you don’t have one already, you can fashion your own double boiler using a tall pot and a glass bowl, a jelly jar, or a glass container of some sort.
- Crumble your 150-gram block of feta cheese into moderately small pieces into the glass bowl or jelly jar, and add a splash of water or milk to it.
- Without turning up the heat yet, put the glass jar or bowl on top of a wide and tall boiling pot of water. If you’re using a glass bowl for this process, make sure that the bowl is wider than the boiling pot.
- Turn up the heat on the stove(medium-high) and allow your water to boil. You will see that your feta cheese will start to melt really easily and evenly.
- If the feta cheese starts to melt really fast and starts to form a crust, lower the stove temperature immediately.
- Now that your cheese has fully melted, you can go ahead and take it off the heat and leave it at room temperature for a minute or 2 before you use it for your delicious meals and recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions And Answers
Why Did My Feta Cheese Not Melt
Make sure that you buy an original, Greek feta cheese so you can melt it with no problem. Original, Greek feta cheese is usually made with goat or sheep milk.
The type of milk that’s inside your feta cheese plays a huge role in whether the cheese will melt successfully or not.
Most of the “feta cheese” that’s made in the US is a product made from cow’s milk. Make sure that you read the labels before buying your cheese. The easiest feta cheese to melt is the one that’s made from sheep’s milk.
Can I Make A Cheese Sauce With Feta
Yes, you can. Combine feta cheese, Greek yogurt, lemon juice or white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, a pinch of salt and pepper, and some cream cheese in a food processor. Blend until you get a smooth consistency and serve it cold with some crackers or tortilla chips.
Can I Use Feta Cheese Instead Of Cream Cheese
Yes. Feta cheese is a great substitute for when you’re in need of some cream cheese. The difference between these two creamy kinds of cheese is the milk.
As I mentioned before, feta cheese is originally made from goat’s or sheep’s milk. Cream cheese, on the other hand, is made from cow’s milk.
Feta Melt Pasta
To make the infamous feta cheese pasta you’re going to need: cherry tomatoes, a block of feta cheese, some pressed garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper, and to top it all off, a generous amount of olive oil.
Preparation:
- Boil your pasta in salted water, rinse it, and leave it for further use.
- Preheat the oven to 204 degrees Celsius.
- Take a wide baking dish and put your feta cheese in the middle of the baking dish, and surround it with the cherry tomatoes.
- Now, add the garlic, pinch of salt, and pepper to the cherry tomatoes.
- Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on top of the tomatoes and feta cheese.
- Bake it for 5 minutes and take it out of the oven to see if your feta has melted through.
- Crumble up the feta cheese and combine it with your tomatoes so you get a “sauce-like” mixture.
- Pop it back in the oven for additional 3-4 minutes to let the flavors combine.
- Take the sauce out of the oven and combine it with your already-prepared pasta.
- Serve it with some parmesan on top if you like some more cheesiness.
