Sunday, May 8, 2011

Why throw away the Whey?

Earlier I made mozzarella and had leftover whey.  So I thought I would try my hand and making Ricotta Cheese.  Probably one of the simplest cheeses to make.  A lot hotter temperatures than your mozzarella, 195 degrees, so it takes about 2 hours to make.  And if you don't stir, you burn.  I purchased some Ricotta from the store to do a side by side comparison with the sassy-side-kick wife!  Trust me, she can be brutally honest.  

Left over whey from the mozzarella cannot sit more than 2 hours.  
 Starting temp: 125 degrees.
 Hit my target-195 degrees!  Stirring often.
 Add a gallon of Organic Whole Milk.
Bring the temp back up to 195 degrees and stir often.  Remove from heat and stir in 8 TBS of fresh lemon.
I strain mine through cheese cloth.  I wanted it a little dry.  Sat for 5 minutes.
 And there you go, fresh Ricotta Cheese!
 Now for the true test... Store or Fresh?
 Look at the face after store bought...
 Okay... she is really not a ricotta fan.  But liked homemade over store.

Lasagna anyone?  Or may be Ziti? 

1 comment:

  1. That sassy side kick wife is a trooper! I'm not sure I could spoon plain ricotta in my mouth. But I would definitely try the lasagna and ziti. Great pictures.

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