making homemade ricotta and queso blanco......much q/view

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got14u

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
SMF Premier Member
Oct 12, 2008
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WYOMING
Here are some pics from making cheese today.

1. this one is a ricotta cheese from whole milk. here is the recipe. I add about double the amount of salt.
Ricotta from Whole Milk
1. Use whole milk .. The fresher the better
2. Add 2 tsp of citric acid per gallon of liquid (dissolved in 1 cup cool water). Add 1/2 of this Citric Acid solution to the milk (save the rest of the citric acid). Stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.
3. Add 1 tsp salt
4. Heat the milk slowly on low to med stirring well to prevent scorching
5. At 165-170F watch for small flakes forming in the milk and the separation of small curds.
If after a few minutes you do not see the flakes forming, add more of the Citric acid until they form (do this in small 1 Tbsp increments to avoid over acid milk).
6. Continue heating to 190-195F then turn the heat off
7. As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.
Let the curds rest for 10-15 min.
*** This is very important because this is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured
8. Ladle the curds gently into draining forms (No cheese cloth should be needed if you were patient in the previous step). Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.
For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours). before chilling overnight
Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days

just getting started

in to some molds

a look at the whey after getting all the curds out.

and here is what the cheese looks like after the molds. I should have pressed them a little long but it still taste great.


2. Here is the recipe for queso blanco ( also use about double the amount of salt.

Start with 1 Gallon of Milk heated slowly to 185F with occasional stirring.

Once the temp is reached add 1/4 cup of White Vinegar (I used apple cider) while stirring. Add this in 3 equal additions. You should notice the curds beginning to form and the whey separating as a greenish yellow liquid. Let rest for 5 min.

Once the curds begin to form well, stir to keep from matting for another 5 minutes.

Spread a sanitized piece of cheesecloth over a colander which is placed over a pan to collect the whey.

Pour the curds and whey into this cloth. Add 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt.

Chopped chiles, spices or herbs can be mixed in also at this point.

Stir the curds gently to increase whey drainage and mix the salt. The cloth may be hung for 10-30 minutes for a drier cheese.

Transfer your curds to an open ended 2 Lb. cheese mold resting on a draining mat and set the follower on top.

Begin with 10 lbs of weight for 20 min. and then increase to 25 lbs for 2-5 hours.

(for the herbs i used 2 fresh japs from the garden and also cut some fresh oregano)
here are some pics from the process
all it takes


all mixed up. I also put about 1-2 teaspoons of heavy cream in at this time. The finished product is still in the press. I will post that up soon. thanks for lookin
 
That's awesome.

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to you for making cheese at home. I'm very impressed.
 
Execellent post, and great pics too. Congrats on the making of some tasty cheese.
 
thanks guys....I have really started to enjoy making homemade cheese. my next is cheddar. as soon as i can get a "quite cheese cave" for aging. here are the finished pics of the queso blanco. man it really turned out good. slapped some on a corn tortilla. the jap flavor really came through
here is my press with a 20# weight on it.
 
Definetly a very nice job making cheese. You made it look easy to do.
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My wife is interested in making cheese. I bought her a book on cheese making and she is anxious to start trying. This looks like an easy one for her to start with...
 
It is most definitely one of the easiest ones to make. there is also the 30 minute mozzarella. what book did u get here ?
 
Wow! This is a great post and something I am definitely going to try. I had to stop and give you points in the middle of reading it and haven't even gotten to the queso blanco yet, I do have two questions. Did you use anything special to press the ricotta cheese?
Second, when you said...

Did you mean 1 Tbsp increments or was it supposed to be 1 tsp?
Was just wondering because the initial amounts of citric acid was teaspoons and wanted to be sure since I will be making this very soon.
Thank you so much for a great post
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1.No i do not use anything special on the ricotta. just a form that i bought on line.
2. The citric acid is 2 teaspoons dissolved in 1 cup of water. Then you can add as needed. Alos the 2 teaspoons of citric is per gallon of milk. so if you are useing 2 gallons of milk you can put 4 teaspoons of citric in 1 cup of water. I hope this clears that up. If not let me know. Tasunka no problem. It is not my full recipe. It is one I have found and just did small tweaks to it.

that is the book I have learned alot from. great book !

and thanks for the points everyone !!!
 
Great looking cheese!
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for making it look so easy.
 
pasteurized...just don't get ultra pasteurized. I also put about half a cup of heavy cream in as well. there is a way to make cheese with dry milk and cream thar produces a good yeild. I just got a connection for farm fresh milk. I will be useing it for cheese making from now on. It is very hard to come by now adays becuase of all the restrictions. but when making certain cheeses you are pasteurizing it as well.
 
Man that looks good, wish I had some for tonight.
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Thanks for the tutorial.
 
My wife is worried about me taking up another hobby but I am thinking about buying the kit to make mozarella - I think the kit is $30 and makes about 30 Lbs - have you tried any of the kits for any other cheeses? If so where did you get it from
That cheese looks awesome
 
don't waste your time with the kits. you can make everything you need. all youneed if my memory serves me correctly is citric acid, some rennet. other then that you probably have everything in your kitchen . well maybe a long thermometer. here is a link to a 30 minute mozarella recipe.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/21.html
 
Thank you very much for this link - Is this where you buy the rennet tablets?
Looks like I get to buy a new stainless steel pot - Oh darn
 
>>>Is this where you buy the rennet tablets?<<<

i found mine at wal-mart; if i remember correctly, they were near the ice cream toppings, cones etc.
 
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