Ricotta is a key ingredient in many Italian recipes, from stuffed fresh pasta to cannoli. Maybe you didn't know yet that you can easily prepare it in your kitchen. The required ingredients are few and easy to find and the result will be fresher and lighter than any store-bought cheese. Read on to learn how you can make cottage cheese today.
Ingrediants
Ricotta Prepared with Whole Milk
- 2 l of whole milk
- 250 ml of whipping cream
- 60 ml of distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- Cooking utensils required: non-reactive material bowl, muslin food gauze, fine mesh strainer, saucepan, thermometer for cakes, ladle
Ricotta Prepared with Whey
- Whey left over from cheese making
- Cooking utensils required: non-reactive material bowl, muslin food gauze, fine mesh strainer, saucepan, thermometer for cakes, ladle
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Prepare Ricotta Starting with Whole Milk
Step 1. Prepare the colander
Line it internally with a large piece of muslin food gauze, then place it on a bowl made of a non-reactive material. Place this equipment on the work surface before you start preparing the ricotta to have it available at the right time.
If you don't use cheesecloth, it will be difficult to separate the curd from the whey. If you can't do otherwise, you can try replacing it with a double layer of kitchen paper or a thin cotton dish towel
Step 2. Heat the milk, cream and salt
Pour the three ingredients into the pot and heat them over medium-high heat. The mixture must reach 93.5 ° C; at that point, you will need to turn off the stove and move the pot elsewhere so that the milk can begin to cool. It should take about 5 minutes to reach the correct degree of heat.
- Stir the milk as it heats to prevent it from burning at the bottom of the pot.
- Use the cake thermometer (or an instant-read cooking thermometer) to determine when the mixture has reached the correct temperature. If you don't let the milk cook long enough, the curd won't separate from the whey. If, on the other hand, you were to overcook it, it would be impossible to get the right consistency for the ricotta.
Step 3. Slowly incorporate the vinegar
Continue to mix the milk and cream mixture with one hand while gradually adding the vinegar with the other. Being acidic it will cause the milk to coagulate and the curd will separate from the whey. Solid parts will form and float to the surface. Keep stirring until you have added all the vinegar.
- In this case, the coagulant of the milk is vinegar, but some people prefer to use other substances. You can try using 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of lemon juice to get a different flavor.
- For a more traditional solution, you can use animal rennet as a coagulant. If so, mix 1 teaspoon with 60ml of water, then mix in the milk.
Step 4. Let the milk sit until it thickens
Wait about 10-20 minutes to allow time for the coagulant to do its job and induce the separation between the curd and the whey. You can continue when the curd is floating on the surface of the whey forming a thick layer.
Step 5. Transfer the curd to the colander using the ladle
Gradually remove the thick dense layer on the surface with the ladle and place it on the food gauze with which you lined the inside of the strainer. Continue to collect the pieces of curd until there is only liquid whey left in the pot. At that point you can throw it away and continue.
Step 6. Let the ricotta drain
Wait at least an hour so that the whey residue can drip to the bottom of the bowl after being filtered through the gauze. It will take about half an hour for the cheese to stop dripping. Do not try to stir or push it against the colander or it will stick to the gauze.
If you want a creamier end product, stop dripping ricotta after 5-10 minutes. If, on the other hand, you prefer a more compact cheese, wait an hour for the whey to drain completely
Step 7. Transfer the cheese to a bowl using a spoon
Your ricotta is ready to be used as you like. You can enjoy it on its own or use it to prepare a sweet or savory recipe. If you don't intend to eat it right away, you can store it in the refrigerator for about a week.
Method 2 of 2: Prepare the Ricotta Starting from the Whey
Step 1. Store the whey leftover from cheese making in a pot made of a non-reactive material
When you make cheese at home, the curd settles to the bottom of the pot and you have to pour the whey away. Filter it as best you can otherwise the curd particles will turn into hard lumps in the finished cottage cheese. Cover the whey and let it sit for at least twelve hours at room temperature for it to develop sufficient acidity.
Acidified whey acts as a self-coagulant, thus making it unnecessary to add vinegar or lemon juice to separate the curd
Step 2. Heat the acidified whey
Pour it into a saucepan and heat it while stirring, being careful to prevent it from burning or sticking to the bottom. Wait for the whey temperature to reach 79.5 ° C and for a white foam to form on the surface. Continue heating and stirring until it reaches 93.5 ° C.
Keep in mind that the foam will rise, so be careful because if the whey boils it could overflow from the pot
Step 3. Remove the pot from the stove and wait for the curd to form
Cover the whey and let it cool undisturbed until it is warm to the touch. In a short time the curd will appear in the form of soft white clouds suspended in the whey, which at that point will have become transparent and will have yellowish or greenish shades.
Step 4. Filter the ricotta. Do not mix the curd
You will need to have prepared a second pot, at least as large as the first, with a large colander on top, internally lined with muslin food gauze. Transfer the curd to the colander using the ladle, taking care to leave most of the whey in the pot. When you're done, throw away the leftover serum.
This step must be carried out with extreme care and delicacy, since the curd can easily break or clog the gauze. In both cases the excess serum would drain very slowly
Step 5. Let the serum run off
It may take up to two or three hours for the ricotta to completely separate from the whey. If you prefer, you can put the colander in the refrigerator and wait until the next day.
Step 6. Remove the cottage cheese from the cheesecloth
Transfer it to a container, cover it, and store it in the refrigerator. Remember that it is best to use it as soon as possible.
