Great feta? It's close to home
By Kathy Saunders, Times Correspondent
Published March 28, 2007
Rarely do I order salad in a restaurant without indulging in a little crumbled blue cheese on top. It's a treat that I save for eating out. I never think to ask for feta cheese. The cheese familiar in Greek recipes is often too chalky for my taste. It turns out that I've been buying the wrong feta.
Taster's Choice judges sniffed and nibbled 10 brands of feta from local stores. Being so close to the sponge docks of Tarpon Springs, we expected to find some imported feta that was irresistible.
But we didn't have to look for the Mediterranean brands. Publix sold our favorite $1.99 for 4 ounces.
Judges gave the Publix cheese an impressive 87 of 100 possible points. Feta, usually made with sheep's or goat's milk, can have a grainy texture. The Publix brand was smooth, with a nice balance of salt and dairy flavors; the crumbles resembled small pebbles. All four panelists said they would buy feta at Publix.
"It's soft and melts in your mouth," said one judge.
They also liked the Kolios brand ($2.50 for 7 ounces at Albertsons). Judges gave their second choice 79 total points. Again, all four panelists said they won't make a trip to a cheese market when an Albertsons is nearby.
The Kolios cheese crumbled into smooth chunks. Judges detected a mild, almost buttery, flavor.
One panelist described the flavor as nutty.
Instead of a Greek salad, the Kolios brand left at least one judge craving a gyro sandwich.
Close behind the Kolios cheese was a feta from Mt. Vikos ($5.99 for 6 ounces at Sweetbay). Judges gave 77 points to the Mt. Vikos feta.
"This is yummy with a nice, salty flavor," said one panelist.
"It's mellow and nice, almost like a blue-vein cheese," said another.
Three of the four judges said they would buy the Mt. Vikos brand. The other said it was too close to blue cheese to make it into his shopping cart.
Also sampled were feta cheeses by: Vigo ($2.99 for 8 ounces at Publix); Athenos ($2.99 for 8 ounces at Publix); President ($5.39 for 8 ounces at Publix); Greco ($3.99 for 7 ounces at Sweetbay); Nikos ($3.49 for 6 ounces at Sweetbay); Sweetbay ($2.99 for 6 ounces); and Odyssey ($5.32 for 24 ounces at Sam's Club).
Panelists were: Nan Jensen, registered dietitian with Pinellas County Cooperative Extension; Bob Devin Jones, artistic director of Studio@620 James McConnell, chef at Pepin Restaurant in St. Petersburg; and personal chef and mother of four Julie Overton. All foods were tasted blind.
Send suggestions for product tasting to Taste section, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731 or e-mail them to krieta@sptimes.com Please put TEST SUGGESTION in the subject line. To read past Taster's Choice columns, go to www.sptimes.com/food.
Feta cheese
1. Publix
2. Kolios
3. Mt. Vikos