milk on special, also free lemons. Price wise it works out pretty much the same as bought one. So I won't bother again.
enigma,
Apr 9, 4:30am
So you will be wearing your badge with pride then!
lindylambchops1,
Apr 9, 4:36am
I think people will avoid you after wearing your badge for a few days!
lilyfield,
Apr 9, 7:00am
lol badge--time we get an editing option inin headings
olwen,
Apr 9, 7:34am
I made something very like ricotta.It may be paneer, but it will work well instead of ricotta.I used 2 litres of full-cream milk for about $3.60 for the cheapest one in the supermarket.One teaspoon of citric acid and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.Put all in a big pot and heat gently.It needs to reach a temperature of 90C which I judged by looking for bubbles forming at the edge.During this process it will curdle.Stir a little while it heats to stop it sticking.When hot turn it off and leave a few minutes.Strain through a seive lined with a couple of layers of cheesecloth and allow dor drain.My yield was 375g of ricotta.At the regular price of ricotta I'll do this again.Tomorrow we are having lasagne for dinner.
elliehen,
Apr 9, 8:42am
There are some things it's fun to do once and then leave to the experts ;)
motorbo,
Apr 9, 12:42pm
i agree
miri_s,
Apr 9, 4:54pm
My understanding is that for a smooth ricotta, you really need to use rennet (traditional ricotta was the by-product of cheese making).Did your recipe produce a creamy result or was it more lumpy like the OP's cottage cheese!Curious to know.
I've been meaning to buy some rennet in order to try making my own ricotta - as it is more expensive than cottage cheese, it seems worth the effort.
miri_s,
Apr 9, 4:54pm
My understanding is that for a smooth, sweet ricotta, you really need to use rennet (traditional ricotta was the by-product of cheese making).Did your recipe produce a creamy result or was it more lumpy like the OP's cottage cheese!Curious to know.
I've been meaning to buy some rennet in order to try making my own ricotta. As it is more expensive than cottage cheese to buy commercially, it seems worth the effort.
miri_s,
Apr 9, 4:54pm
My understanding is that for a smooth, naturally sweet ricotta, you really need to use rennet (traditional ricotta was the by-product of cheese making).Did your recipe produce a creamy result or was it more lumpy like the OP's cottage cheese!Curious to know.
I've been meaning to buy some rennet in order to try making my own ricotta. As it is more expensive than cottage cheese to buy commercially, it seems worth the effort.
olwen,
Apr 9, 5:45pm
My product is not that lumpy, but a little bit grainy - to me it's quite similar to the bought product.True ricotta is made from whey after cheese (normally mozzarella) has been made, but the heat is a big part of the equation.There are instructions around for making mozzarella.I tried it once and was reasonably pleased with the results. The yield of ricotta would be much lower if you had made mozzarella first. Rennet is quite cheap and is in the dessert aisle normally.People of my generation were brought up on junket for pudding.
Put 2 litres of the cheapest blue top milk plus a teaspoon of salt in a large bowl in the microwave for 15 minutes on high, take out and stir in 3 tablespoons of vinegar- leave for a while - strain it through a tea towel over a sieve and therr you have it - cottage cheese/ricotta - badge optional.
sarahb5,
Apr 9, 11:41pm
Or just strain natural, unsweetened yoghurt through a cloth and sieve - gives pretty much the same result - like concentrated yoghurt or curd cheese.I use it the same way I would use ricotta or cottage cheese.
daleaway,
Apr 9, 11:56pm
15 minutes seems a long time, #10. I am curious about what the long cooking with salt does to the milk. It's obviously not just a case of heating it up before adding the acid, so how does the cooking alter it !
mwood,
Apr 10, 12:31am
It's not cooking it - it "obviously"takes that long to heat 2 litres of milk and teaspoon of salt to the correct temperature in my in my 1100 watt microwave - try it
miri_s,
Apr 10, 1:08am
Because I have been thinking about making ricotta, I did a little reading on rennet vs junket a couple of days ago.
The quality of the products are a little different apparently: "Junket contains the same enzyme as calf rennet. The difference is that junket often has a high pepsin content, whichmeans that when used in cheesemaking the cheese may develop bitterness. However, rennet is a more highly refined product with a higher chymosin content and lower pepsin content and as such, is less likely to develop a bitter flavour in cheese. Junket tablets are also a more expensive method of obtaining the same level of milk coagulation, in comparison with rennet. "
But for a domestic fresh cheese project, it's probably not a big issue whether junket or proper rennet is used.Good to hear your ingredients produced pretty fair results olwen - maybe I'll give this version a try, as well.
olwen,
Apr 10, 1:56am
What is available is Renco -- aliquid rennet.I've not seen junket tablets for around 35 years.When added to milk with vanilla sugar it forms junket.Up until the early 60's we got flavoured junket tablets in a glass tube.One plus sugar made a pint of milk into junket, and the flavours were mixed so it was a lucky dip what flavour it was.Then they disappeared and we got plain junket tablets. Now the is only renco available and juket is out of fashion.
miri_s,
Apr 10, 2:26am
Renco - I shall look for that, thanks :-)I guess ricotta is simply an unsweetened form of the dessert then, with any liquid strained out!Those flavoured tablets sound a little bit suspect, lol - but the simple vanilla junket sounds like it could have been rather nice!I'm a different generation, but my mother used to talk about junket from her childhood, along with tapioca, sago and jam rolypoly - all relegated to the golden years of NZ history for now.
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