Homemade Ricotta Cheese

[Diane Lane]

Ricotta cheese is a versatile mild tasting cheese that can be used in both cooking and baking, and can also be used on its own as a dessert topped with honey and cinnamon. I've been wanting to try making my own for a long time, and finally found a nice easy sounding recipe, and have collected the ingredients. Hopefully I'll get to this over the weekend. Ultimately, I want to try making other cheeses as well, but this seems like the best place to start.

 

[Trellum]

Nice, best of luck to you! Let us know how it goes! I've personally always wanted to make ''queso fresco'', but I haven't had the need or the chance to do so, I might have to later though Where I live there is a community of people (mostly German farmers) who make their own cheese and butter, it's delicious!

 

[Tina Nord]

I hope that it turns out good for you. I have learned that you can make your own fresh cheese like Ricotta and Mozzarella at home with cheese cloth and milk, but have never personally tried to make it. I am all for self sufficiency and am planning to make much of my own food at some point when I have a bigger kitchen (and garden) to do it. Let us all know how it turns out.

 

[Diane Lane]

It turned out really well. I will use a different pot next time, because the bottom of this one was slightly bumpy, which caused the smaller curds to settle and turn slightly darker (just a light tan, not brown or black), but the taste wasn't affected, so it was fine. I used it in both a pasta dish and also in crepes. I can probably halve the recipe next time, unless I'm going to share it, because the recipe I used made quite a bit. I will definitely make it again, and will probably also try to make mozzarella at some point.

O.k., I found one of my pictures. This is when the cheese is already made, and is draining in the jelly bag (or cheesecloth), in the sieve, over a bowl in the sink.

 

[justme4910]

post your recipe please I would like to try and make some cheese at home also

 

[Diane Lane]

post your recipe please I would like to try and make some cheese at home also

If you click on 'Ricotta Cheese' in my original post, that's the link to the recipe. I actually used another one, though, because it required less, and here's that recipe, from Chowhound. This is the list of ingredients, and the recipe (click red word recipe) will walk you through the rest:
Ingredients

• 8 cups (half gallon) pasteurizedwhole milk (not ultrapasteurized)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

 

[justme4910]

thanks Diane, hmm wished I had read this before I went to the grocery store,I would have picked up some whole milk and heavy cream all I buy is 2% milk these days,hmmm can you make some with 2% milk ?