Making cheese at home / yogurt /using the whey

SyntonicGarden

For what it's worth, I'm SO glad I stumbled upon and responded to this thread. It's nice to meet so many other people who enjoy this. It's also awesome to see some tips I wasn't aware of up until now. Thanks!

sunnysmile

Okay, I made my first attempt. I think I didn't heat it enough the first time because I got very fine cheese and about 10 ounces from a gallon. But then in my attempt to make ricotta I started heating it again and added a bit more white vinegar and then I got this large amount of large curds, not as creamy as the first small curds and then the water turned green. After the first fine curds it was still white so I think I didn't do it completely right. The first batch I added some vanilla and sweetener to it and to yummy and creamy. The second batch I am trying to sprinkle some salt but sure I did that at the right time. Should that be added to the water after it is green and before you strain it To get the best flavor?

Not bad for a first attempt!

sunnysmile

I am confused on when to salt the cheese when making pot cheese or paneer. Do you add salt to the mixture after you add the acid and the curds begin to form, or during the straining process?

sullykat

I've made my own greek yogurt using regular plain yogurt, just by straining it.

There is a bit of math, weighing, and internet searching for calories in whey involved to find out the calories of the yogurt - CHeck the calorie count/ nutritional info on your pre strained tub of yogurt. Strain your yogurt. Weigh your whey. Go online to find out the calories of whey per gram. Figure out how many calories/macros are in your whey, subtract these numbers from the initial numbers of the pre strained tub of yogurt. This will give you the calorie/ nutrition count for the entire strained tub. Now figure out your serving size (eg, 100g) and divide by the calories in the strained tub.

Left over whey is great to marinate meat in. It is a wicked tenderizer!

returntorural

bump

why did I never think to go to Pinterest to find cheese making recipes?!

I regularly make paneer (and ghee). It's super easy and delicious.

sunnysmile

the cheese I made yesterday tastes better today! I am pleased. I am going to look into buying citric acid powder which I have read will also help the curds form and vegetable rennet. Now I need to look for some recipes. I may add some garlic and herbs to some of the pot cheese I made yesterday and try it on toast. Any particular combinations you have tried?

SyntonicGarden

I am confused on when to salt the cheese when making pot cheese or paneer. Do you add salt to the mixture after you add the acid and the curds begin to form, or during the straining process?

I believe it's always done during or after straining, since the curds need to first set up. As another poster pointed out, the timing of the addition of the salt affects how sharp the cheese will be.

PinkyMouse

Hi !

I have a yogurt maker since last christmas and have so much fun preparing my own yogurt ! I tried coconut, chocolat-chai tea, vanilla, orange blossom.

My favorite: orange blossom !!!! and you can make an increadible dessert with this !

VERRINE POMEGRANATA-ORANGE BLOSSOM
remove the grains of a pomegranata in a large bol filled with water. Be carefull to remove the white membranes which are bitter.
collect the grains and add some sugar (1 tbsp) with orange blossom (2 tbsp).
in a "verrine" (google it in french) pour some pomegranata to make a layer, then add pomegranata homemade yogurt to make another layer. Continue making layers until the verrine is full. finish with yogurt and decorate with some pomegranata !

my only regret, my yogurt maker does not make cheese...

HeidiCooksSupper

I've enjoyed making acid-based cheeses but cannot rely on my rennet-using skills. Milk + Heat + Acid + a strainer = Quark, Paneer, Farmer's Cheese, Pot Cheese, Ricotta -- whatever you want to call it. I've use lemon, various vinegars, and powdered citric acid to make the cheese. Each results in slightly different flavors. Balsamic vinegar is really tasty but makes the cheese a bit beige. Lemon is even better if you add in the lemon zest.

I use the cheese as a spread, wherever I'd use ricotta, squeezed drier as Paneer in Indian Recipes, and tossed on hot pasta. I saved the whey to use in making bread.

I use the cheap gallons of whole milk when it's on sale. Better milk would probably make better cheese but you need to make sure the milk is not "ultra-pasteurized" because that won't form curds. Sadly, most of the organic milk in the stores around here is ultra-pasteurized. The cheap milk is only pasteurized.

Homemade cheese like this is very different from package Ricotta. You can easily find many recipes online just by googling "homemade ricotta."

allisonlane61

I make Tvorag (Russian "pot" cheese) all the time using a gallon of 2% milk and kefir. I've used yogurt, lemon, and the other things, but I like the taste and texture from the kefir. I mix them together in a pot, heat on low heat maybe 45 minutes or around there, and sit it in the oven (not heated up) or somewhere out of the way if I'm using the oven for up to two days. Sometimes after 24 hours, I'll reheat it on the stovetop and then put it out of the way again for another 24 hours, it really just depends on what I"m doing and if I'm home or if I want the cheese sooner or later. Sorry to be so "loose" with my directions, but it's not that complicated really.

sunnysmile

I make Tvorag (Russian "pot" cheese) all the time using a gallon of 2% milk and kefir. I've used yogurt, lemon, and the other things, but I like the taste and texture from the kefir. I mix them together in a pot, heat on low heat maybe 45 minutes or around there, and sit it in the oven (not heated up) or somewhere out of the way if I'm using the oven for up to two days. Sometimes after 24 hours, I'll reheat it on the stovetop and then put it out of the way again for another 24 hours, it really just depends on what I"m doing and if I'm home or if I want the cheese sooner or later. Sorry to be so "loose" with my directions, but it's not that complicated really.

Interesting. Is the kefir the acid used for separating the curd from the whey?

chadgard

I recommend the book "Home CheeseMaking," by Ricki whose last name I cannot remember, but she's the founder of New England Cheesemaking. It's a great introduction to making cheese at home. I mostly make mozzarella, neufchatel, ricotta, yogurt, and marscapone, as I don't have a press or a good place to age cheeses.... Mozzarella is great 'cause you can make it in a half hour, so even if unexpected guests come over for dinner, with a little time and a good garden, you can make mozzarella to go with a good salad and some tomatoes or whatever else is in season, and you'll impress people a lot, for little effort.

For yogurt, I have the Yogotherm, which New England Cheesemaking also sells. For me, It's far easier to use than ovens with lights on, cardboard boxes with light bulbs, crock pots, or even electric yogurt makers. As a bonus, it uses no electricity, which means we can still make yogurt when the power is out for 3 weeks (tends to happen about twice a year).

Anyway, the Yogotherm is basically a plastic yogurt container, and a styrofoam cooler with a hole to fit it. You heat your milk up, let it cool, add your culture (or yogurt from your last batch), close the lid, and it maintains the temperature merely through insulation.

I like to make bread with my whey. In particular focaccia, but you can use the whey to replace the water in most bread recipes. Adds some flavor and nutrition to the bread, and it'll keep longer. If I had a pig, I understand they love whey, and make tastier chops if fed whey regularly. But I don't have a pig.

angelcurry130

whey is good for a lot of different things...

you can use it to marinade and tenderize meat (makes for a FANTASTIC brine!)
pour a half cup or so in a smoothie for some extra tang and digestion aid (not so much for a citric acid version)
you can replace milk in things like pancake batter, cake mix, muffins, sauces, etc. (think buttermilk, and you get a similar result)
if you are using a citric acid mix, you can use the whey in a foot soak


as for the different "acids" you can use, lime and lemon juice are great if you add spices to the cheese. you can range anywhere from spicy and stong like pepper or basil to something more delicate like cardamom, cloves or even ginger.
citric acid doesn't leave any flavors that i've noticed. you usually get a blank slate.
vinegar is much like the citrus acids. depending on which kind you use, you will get a different flavor. apple cider vinegar is more sour to me than white vinegar, which i find astringent. i tend to use the resulting cheese in a recipe rather than just eating it on its own.

i'm glad you are having such luck with your experiments. cheesemaking is so much fun! and it can be affordable (i cheat sometimes if i want an easy paneer for curry: powdered milk rehydrated with HALF the called for water...white vinegar. this isn't great for nibbling on, but it works in a pinch.)

sunnysmile

I am surprised that the cheese I made the other day tastes sweeter today as it sits in fridge. It is a fresh cheese so it won't last that long.

bethlaf

when i had my goats my favorite thing to make was easy cheese
its warmed up milk with vinegar
then strained.

sunnysmile

Ah, I ate all the cheese I made ... hard to stop eating it as it was soooo good.

A friend INSISTED that what I made was Ricotta cheese (I heated milk and added acid - lime and white vinegar). I thought I had fresh pot cheese or farmers cheese, but Ricotta is more fattening. What do you think?

sunnysmile

Homemade cheese I much more fattening than I thought, scale is up, egggaads