I’ve been fortunate to find a source for local, raw milk recently and my family picks up a gallon a week. Normally we go through it with no problem, but occasionally it starts to sour before we can use it. This week I found myself with three quarts of milk just starting to turn and I did not want it to go to waste. My friend Patti (who writes about candy at Candy Yum Yum) suggested that I make cottage cheese. I already had some cottage cheese in the fridge, but her suggestion got me thinking: What about ricotta cheese? Is that something I could do easily?
I found two recipes that looked doable. One, via a Bing search, over at Eggs on Sunday (just bookmarked!) and the other in my copy of Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses
It took me less than an hour to get to the “hanging” point, but much of this was just spent waiting for the milk to warm. This was really very easy. I think the biggest hurdle most people would face is that they don’t have cheesecloth on hand. I happened to have some, but I really think this could work in a fine sieve, too.
Ingredients:
- 3 quarts whole milk (I used raw milk but whole pasteurized milk will be fine)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
Process:
- Mix milk and salt in a pot. Cook over medium high heat, stirring every few minutes, until the milk reaches 185 degrees. (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, bring the milk to a simmer but do not let it boil.)
- Stir in the lemon juice, turn the heat down to medium, and let sit for one minute. As soon as you stir in the lemon juice, you’ll see the milk start to curdle and separate into curds and whey.
After adding the lemon juice
- Gently stir again and turn off the heat. Let sit without stirring (it’s hard not to keep checking it!) for ten minutes.
After sitting for ten minutes
- While the pot sits, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth. Place the colander in a bowl to catch the whey. The whey is the liquid byproduct of making the cheese, and you know I’m not going to let that go down the drain!
- Pour the contents of the pot into the colander. Pull opposite corners of the cheesecloth together and tie a knot. Repeat with the other corners, then hang this little bag-o-cheese on the handle of a wooden spoon suspended over the dirty pot to catch any drips. Allow to drain for a couple of hours, then transfer your homemade ricotta cheese to a glass container and refrigerate.
All tied up
Any ricotta cheese that I’d buy in the store comes from across the ocean. Making my own allows me to use local ingredients and avoid the plastic container that store bought ricotta comes in. This was easy enough that I’d do it again, absolutely, and I’m surprised that I’ve made it this far in life without knowing that it’s possible to make ricotta cheese at home. Of course, mine didn’t turn out exactly like the ricotta I’d get in a store. This batch is actually firm enough to slice. If I wanted to use this to make lasagna or a cheesecake, I’d need to thin it out with heavy cream. Instead, we’re just slicing it and eating it as is – nobody’s complaining! In the future, I may try an entirely different method – one that uses buttermilk – that I spotted on Babette Feasts. Her homemade ricotta looks much more suitably textured than mine!
It's firm enough to slice
And now, about that whey. You can use the leftover whey in place of the liquid in just about any recipe that calls for milk (think: muffins, pancakes, bread). I used mine to make several batches of foccacia bread, and still have a bit more in the refrigerator. I’ve also heard of it being used to replace water for cooking rice and in place of milk in an au gratin potato recipe.
Check out pictures of the complete process below (if you’re reading this and don’t see pictures, click here to get to the full post).
This post is part of Simple Lives Thursday.
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- Cheesecloth lined colander
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- After adding the lemon juice
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- After letting the mixture sit for one minute on the heat
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- After sitting for ten minutes
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- Straining the ricotta
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- Tying the ricotta up to hang
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- All tied up
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- Hanging the ricotta to drain for two hours
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- The finished ricotta cheese
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- It’s firm enough to slice
Hi…I’ve made homemade ricotta with yogurt, full fat milk, salt and vinegar. It came out really nice.
Interesting! It seems like there are a lot of different variations on how to do it.
I’m bookmarking this… but wish I’d seen it/you’d posted it a few days ago. lol. We also get 1 gal of raw milk every saturday and if there is any left on saturday it’s starting to turn sour. This morning I just dumped it in my smoothie but making cottage cheese/ricotta would have been fab – there was only 2 cups or so but… Thanks for the instructions for next time!
Robin, it sounds like you’re on the same schedule we are. I pick up fresh milk on Saturdays, and anything left from the previous week is starting to turn. I’ve used it to make pudding in the past, but wanted to try something different – and this was SO easy.
It’s beautiful; I love that you can slice it!
I know – it’s totally not what I expected, but that’s okay!
I wonder how much sour milk gets tossed out that could be easily turned into ricotta cheese. Excellent repurposing.
Jane Boursaw recently posted..Taking on Tyson- Mike Tyson Loves Pigeons
Don’t forget, you can also use flour sack towels in place of cheesecloth – they can be washed and reused until they’re ready for the rag pile!
Casey@Good. Food. Stories. recently posted..Nikujaga- Ultimate Japanese Country Cooking
Great idea!! I tend to buy smaller containers so that I don’t waste milk but larger containers are more economical and this would be a great way to use the excess.
I would have never considered making homemade ricotta cheese until reading this post. And I bet it tastes much better than the ricotta cheese you would buy in the store.
Donna Hull recently posted..Hope Villa- A Romantic Haven Near Christchurch
Ricotta cheese is one of my favorite things to eat. Thanks for this recipe! I love your blog, with such great, actionable ideas. Keep up the great work.
Sheryl recently posted..Five Breaking Health Stories You May Have Missed
I have some frozen milk (pasturized, whole), do you think i’d be able to defrost it and use for this recipe?
Oh, wow. I have no idea. I can’t see why it wouldn’t, but I’ve not actually tried that.
I didn’t realize this – thanks for the bonus tip!
I know! I didn’t realize it, either until I started poking around.
That’s fantastic! Now I won’t have any qualms about buying too much milk. I usually freeze half just inc ase, but defrosted milk isn’t really that good for drinking anymore.. thanks for sharing! i did make yogurt cheese before, and this sounds quite similar!
http://mummyicancook.blogspot.com/2011/01/homemade-cream-cheese.html
Shu Han recently posted..Baked Egg in Jacket Sweet Potato- with Chilli Lime and Coriander Butter
Have rediscovered ricotta. Love it on rustic, whole grain bread with jam. Must give this a go.
sarah henry recently posted..A Planner who Favors Edible- Eco Eduction- and Risks
I love your site & feel the same about most things you write (& also am missing that recipe-following gene!)
btw I’ve come across a few fermenting recipes that use whey including a ‘lacto-fermented’ ketchup …
You can also just set the soured raw milk out in a clean jar for a day til it thickens (clabbers) then hang/strain and you`ll have cream cheese, also tasty.