For crying out loud, don’t preserve feta in plain water

This week, co-owner Connie Stamoolis of Stamoolis Brothers Co., owner Jenny Tao of Cafe 33 and baker Casey Renee of Confections answer queries on storing feta, cooking rice and rolling out pie dough.

If you have a question for Kitchen Talk, email kitchentalk@post-gazette.com.

Q: What is the best way to store feta?

A: If you are not using the feta right away, refrigerate it in a brine solution. The important thing is that the cheese should be completely covered by the brine whether it is stored in a glass or plastic container. Then change the brine weekly. This way, the feta will last longer. The brine helps to preserve the cheese and prevent the cheese from drying out and turning sour.

To make the brine, dissolve a tablespoon of salt in two cups of water; make sure the salt is dissolved.

Feta is made with sheep’s or goat’s milk or a combination of the two, and should be typically white in color. You know the cheese has gone bad when it turns orangish or yellowish and is slimy instead of being smooth and creamy.

I would not recommend freezing feta because the texture will change. The cheese will crumble when thawed and you won’t be able to get a nice clean cut.

People who are watching their salt intake can submerge the feta in milk but the flavor won’t be the same. But never, ever bank on plain water to preserve feta.

— Connie Stamoolis, coowner of Stamoolis Brothers Co., Strip District.

Q: How do I get rice to be fluffy like the one served at Asian restaurants?

A: It’s best to use regular Asian white rice — one that is of a short or medium grain. Don’t use the long and skinny type or Jasmine rice, which is for sushi.

The proportion to cook the average rice is one cup of water to one cup of rice. New rice, which is grown either this year or last year, needs less water. So for one cup of rice, use just under one of water. Rice that is three or four years old requires more water to cook and so add a little more than a cup of water.

Start by rinsing the rice in water a couple of times and drain the water each time. Add the required amount of water to the pot and place it on the stovetop.

Bring the water to a boil, leaving the pot uncovered. Then cover the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook the rice until all the water evaporates. There will be little holes on top of the rice to indicate the rice is cooked.

There is no need to add oil when cooking plain rice nor do you need to stir the rice.

— Jenny Tao, owner of Cafe 33, Squirrel Hill.

Q: What is the best way to roll out pie dough?

A: Place the pie dough between two large sheets of parchment paper. This way the dough will not stick to anything and you will not mess up the recipe by adding more flour than it requires.

Flatten the ball with your hand, and then roll it inside out with a rolling pin. Turn the paper as you work so the dough is rolled out evenly.

If you are rolling out the dough for a while or the dough sticks to the paper, refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes before transferring it to a pie plate.

— Casey Renee, owner of Confections, a pop-up.