Making Ricotta Cheese Recipe

You can make Cottage cheese from whole milk using Rennet for coagulation and use the left over whey to make Ricotta cheese

Traditional Ricotta cheese is made from whey collected in making other cheeses that use live cultures to make lactic acid and Rennet for coagulation at room temperatures. The best example of such whey collected is while making cottage cheese . Ricotta is Italian for 'to cook again'. The first cooking makes whey, the second cooking makes Ricotta.

Ricotta cheese is firm, and not hard and rubbery like Paneer . It is moist and granular resembling Chenna . Chenna can be used as Ricotta Cheese. Sometimes, Chenna is even called Ricotta Cheese.

We will make Ricotta Cheese from whey

Ingredients

1. Whey: 1 Gallon

2. Vinegar: 4 to 8 Tablespoons depending on the already present acid in the whey. I will start with 4 Tablespoons.

Method

1. Heat whey to 170ºF.

2. Stir in vinegar. Raise the temperature to 185ºF. The whey will start to coagulate. 

3. Cook for about 15 minutes. Make sure to maintain the temperature at 185ºF. Higher temperature will make hard and rubbery cheese.

4. Line a colander with fine cheesecloth known as 'Butter Muslin". Transfer the contents into the lined colander. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth. Hang to drain for about two hours. Store in the refrigerator.

Yogi's Notes

1. You may add up to 10% cow's milk to the whey. You will still be making Ricotta Cheese, except it may be called Ricotta Piemontese.

2. Traditionally, the Ricotta Cheese is not drained in a colander. Instead, it is drained in a wicker basket for up to two days. You can buy plastic molds that imitate the wicker basket for this purpose.