Cheese and vegetables in oil, step by step
Interactive lesson: labneh balls, brined white cheese and hard cheese in oil, marinated mushrooms for the larder and what has to go in the fridge.
Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Cheese and vegetables in oil module. Already bought? Unlock
This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.
The whole lesson as text
1. Oil doesn't preserve
Oil keeps the flavour, the fridge keeps you healthy.
- Oil only shuts out air — Under oil the cheese doesn't dry out or go mouldy on the surface. But oil doesn't preserve either cheese or vegetables.
- Salt, acidity and cold — Cheese in oil is kept safe by salt, the acidity of the cheese and a fridge at 4 °C (39 °F) or below. That's why cheese in oil goes in the fridge.
- Choose the oil — Extra virgin olive oil is best for cheese. Sunflower is cheap, for marinades, and pumpkin seed oil is only for drizzling on the plate.
- Fresh oil only — Oil with at least six months to its best-before date, from a dark bottle, without a stale smell. Oil from a jar of cheese doesn't go into a new jar.
Why: Oil separates cheese from the air, but under it remain moisture, salt and milk or vegetables. For botulism spores those are ideal conditions if the food isn't acidic, salty or cold.
- Half olive and half sunflower or rapeseed oil: the flavour is full, and the oil sets less in the fridge.
- Vegetables in oil without acid or a pressure canner don't go in the larder: fridge and 4 days.
2. Labneh balls
Balls of strained soured milk or yoghurt are the quickest cheese in oil.
- Salt the yoghurt — For 2 L (3½ pints) of soured milk or yoghurt made from pasteurised milk, use 18–20 g of salt, roughly 1 %. Stir well.
- Strain in the fridge — Hang the mass in a double layer of muslin over a bowl in the fridge for 24–48 hours, until it is as thick as dough. The whey is drunk or goes into bread dough.
- Shape and dry — Shape balls of 2–3 cm (1 in) with clean, oiled hands. Dry them uncovered in the fridge for 12–24 hours, so they form a skin.
- Into the jar under oil — Cover with oil 2 cm above, tap to let the air out, close and straight into the fridge. The balls keep for 2 weeks.
Why: The better the mass is drained and the balls are dried, the less water goes into the oil. Water at the bottom of the jar is where the cheese spoils.
- Roll the balls in paprika, sesame or dried oregano only when you take them out to serve: the oil stays clear.
- Don't take the balls out by hand, but with a clean spoon or fork.
3. Brined white cheese in oil · Locked
Buy the Cheese and vegetables in oil module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
4. Hard, mature cheese · Locked
Buy the Cheese and vegetables in oil module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
5. Marinated mushrooms · Locked
Buy the Cheese and vegetables in oil module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
6. Storage and signs of spoilage · Locked
Buy the Cheese and vegetables in oil module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.