President Feta Cheese Crumbles Review
Author’s Note: These are my own silly opinions. I have no affiliation with Président Cheese or Costco.
Don’t be a silly cheese bucket.
Did I need a 24 ounce bucket of feta cheese? No. Did I buy it anyway? Of course I did. It was on sale.
I typically buy feta as a block, so I hesitated to buy this crumbled version. The blocks are generally fresher and moister. But, I had a really good experience with the Président brand whipped cream, so I gave the ‘ol cheese bucket a chance.
I liked it a lot better than I expected. The crumbles are moist and soft (but not mushy), and they have a pleasantly rich, tangy flavor. The cheese is gently salty without being overpowering. Enjoyably creamy.
There are a lot of BIG, juicy crumbles in the bucket, which look more attractive than the small bits, IMHO. More big hunks, please!
Shaker top lid
Speaking of “the bucket,” it comes with a “shaker top.” I think this is a nice idea. But it really didn’t work for me. The big crumbles jam up the opening — like people trying to cram through an elevator door all at once. Doesn’t work. The most I could do (with very exuberant shaking) was a shower of small, snowy bits. The moistness of the crumbles is probably part of this, as they aren’t dry enough to just fall through the opening.
The good news is, you can easily just pop the entire lid off the bucket and pour (or scoop) out what you want. No fancy-schmancy hinged hatch needed!
As a side note, there ARE tiny slits around the hinged lid that allow air through. I don’t like this. I want my cheese to stay as fresh as possible. It will take me a while to eat this bucket, you know. My feta started getting dry in just 2 days. I think we need to banish this trouble-making lid!
Serving the feta
Anyway. I ate my Président Feta over fresh salads with romaine lettuce, red onions, Wild Wonders tomatoes, and some Bolthouse Farms yogurt-based dressing (this is the Green Goddess variation).
The feta rounded out the salad flavors beautifully. And it was a quick and easy addition. I hate to admit that it is definitely more convenient than block feta. But it is.
Ingredients in Président Feta Cheese Crumbles
Here are the ingredients, from the label:
- Pasteurized Milk
- Salt
- Cheese Cultures
- Enzymes
- Cellulose (to prevent caking)
- Natamycin (natural mold inhibitor)
Now, my favorite fetas are made with sheep and/or goat milks. And I really like the ones imported from Greece. This one is made from cow’s milk in the good ‘ol USA. So, it isn’t quite as authentic. But my greedy stomach didn’t complain.
Nutrition Facts
I love how the label describes a serving as “about 1 inch cube.” Like, bro. Are we gonna squish the bits together into a cube-shape? Like making a salty, minimalist snowman? Are arts and crafts part of my nutritional skills now?
Anyway. I digress. A serving is 1 ounce and contains 70 calories. You get 5 grams of fat (3.5 grams saturated fat) and 4 grams protein. There’s just 1 gram total carbohydrates, of which 0 grams are fiber and 0 grams are sugars. You get 10% your daily value sodium, and 7% your daily value cholesterol per serving. And just 6% your daily value calcium.
Price and Servings
The 1.5 pound package is normally priced as $6.79 at my local Costco warehouse. But I got mine on sale for $4.39. Since there are 24 servings per bucket, that’s 28 cents per serving at the regular price. Hard to beat.
Shelf Life
The “best by” date on my… cheese bucket (say it one more time!)… was dated for about 2 months after purchase. The label says to use within 7 days of opening. Because these are crumbles (instead of a block), the cheese starts to get dry right away, and changes flavor a bit. Best to serve it ASAP. Eat up!
You may also want to put your, errr, cheese bucket, inside a ziplock bag to seal all the air out. That naughty, leaky, lid is NOT your friend!
Dramatic Conclusion
I am not under any delusion that this feta is on the same level as an authentic, imported Greek sheep/goat milk feta. But, for the price, the quality and taste are “great.” I would buy this cheese bucket again. Especially if it’s on sale! Just be prepared to eat it quickly.
The Awesome-o-Meter has precisely measured Président Feta as a “Yaaas.”
(Maybe we should stop using “cheese bucket” as a pejorative now.)
The End.
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