Making cheese at home / yogurt /using the whey

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  • wanabefitter
    wanabefitter Posts: 24
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  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    Do you think it makes a difference if I use vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice for the acid for making the pot cheese? I mean regarding the flavor of the cheese itself? My husband buys so many limes (huge bag) that I figured that might be the easiest way to try first but am not overly fond of lime flavor (as compared to lemon). My husband is sure that this won't work but I told him he will be surprised! I read somewhere about taking the whey from making the pot cheese and then using that to make ricotta cheese, but somehow that seems too good to be true to be able to get cheese twice from same ingredient, but it had something to do with letting it sit for 12 hours? I may have misread it on I think wiki site.

    I was thinking about milk price comment. I know it is expensive, maybe Costco milk will be less? I have been paying $4.99 pound for the fresh pot cheese and am thinking that making it might be less expensive but also great fun (and tasty!)

    The thing to consider is price per pound. It might be hard to tell before you make your first batch of the pot cheese and the milk fat percentage often affects the volume of the finished product. I know that when I make a hard cheese, like a farmhouse cheddar, that I get just under 1 lb of cheese for every gallon. When you think that a gallon of milk is about 5 pounds, it sounds wasteful, but a pound of store-bought, processed cheese is about the same as... a gallon of milk. But I often get a tastier, fresher product.

    While I'm sure I'm going to get my butt handed to me, if you can find a local dairy, you might find the fresh milk to be comparable in price. The other "trick" I've used is to ask the local health food store if they have any raw milk that's going off-date, since my store will sell it at half price. (There's a deposit on the glass bottles, but it's refundable.) So I'll get a gallon of almost skunked, organic, raw milk for a lot cheaper. If I'm throwing a good strong culture in it, I figure it'll kill off anything harmful.

    Edited to add: If you decide to use lemon juice, make sure to strain it. I'm not sure how the limes will affect the taste of the cheese.
  • sunnysmile
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    Do you think it makes a difference if I use vinegar, lemon juice, or lime juice for the acid for making the pot cheese? I mean regarding the flavor of the cheese itself? My husband buys so many limes (huge bag) that I figured that might be the easiest way to try first but am not overly fond of lime flavor (as compared to lemon). My husband is sure that this won't work but I told him he will be surprised! I read somewhere about taking the whey from making the pot cheese and then using that to make ricotta cheese, but somehow that seems too good to be true to be able to get cheese twice from same ingredient, but it had something to do with letting it sit for 12 hours? I may have misread it on I think wiki site.

    I was thinking about milk price comment. I know it is expensive, maybe Costco milk will be less? I have been paying $4.99 pound for the fresh pot cheese and am thinking that making it might be less expensive but also great fun (and tasty!)

    The thing to consider is price per pound. It might be hard to tell before you make your first batch of the pot cheese and the milk fat percentage often affects the volume of the finished product. I know that when I make a hard cheese, like a farmhouse cheddar, that I get just under 1 lb of cheese for every gallon. When you think that a gallon of milk is about 5 pounds, it sounds wasteful, but a pound of store-bought, processed cheese is about the same as... a gallon of milk. But I often get a tastier, fresher product.

    While I'm sure I'm going to get my butt handed to me, if you can find a local dairy, you might find the fresh milk to be comparable in price. The other "trick" I've used is to ask the local health food store if they have any raw milk that's going off-date, since my store will sell it at half price. (There's a deposit on the glass bottles, but it's refundable.) So I'll get a gallon of almost skunked, organic, raw milk for a lot cheaper. If I'm throwing a good strong culture in it, I figure it'll kill off anything harmful.

    Edited to add: If you decide to use lemon juice, make sure to strain it. I'm not sure how the limes will affect the taste of the cheese.

    Thanks for the great ideas and info. When you talk about straining it, if I used a different acid other than lemon (or lime) would I still need to strain it? I had just assumed straining was part of the process? You can tell I am a neophyte in this. I will look at the price of milk in Costco or for when there is a sale too. I have not tried raw milk before. Is it safe when it is not pasteurized or does raw mean it combines more of the cream?
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    Thanks for the great ideas and info. When you talk about straining it, if I used a different acid other than lemon (or lime) would I still need to strain it? I had just assumed straining was part of the process? You can tell I am a neophyte in this. I will look at the price of milk in Costco or for when there is a sale too. I have not tried raw milk before. Is it safe when it is not pasteurized or does raw mean it combines more of the cream?

    Straining the pulp out of the lemon juice. : )


    This might help. Start here: http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/246-FAQ-Cheesemaking-for-Beginners.html

    And about the whey: http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com/2010/04/using-that-leftover-whey.html
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    A word about ricotta:

    Ricotta actually means "recooked." Yes, you WILL get more cheese out of your whey - BUT, you will only get about 3 TBSP out of a GALLON of whey. So... Not enough to really make it worth it.

    You can, however, cook down your whey until the remaining sugars carmelize, add some brown sugar and heavy cream, and end up with a Norwegian cheese called brunost. Which is disturbingly similar to velveeta, or fudge... or a combination thereof. And you thought regular cheese was bad for you... ;-)

    I really like to use my left over whey to replace the water in my bread making. It makes the yeast SO VERY HAPPY.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    Also:

    http://cheeseforum.org for free recipes and an entire forum of cheese-obsessed freaks. ;-)

    http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/cheese.html a great explanation of cheesemaking, with pictures, by a college bio professor.

    :)
  • sunnysmile
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    A word about ricotta:

    Ricotta actually means "recooked." Yes, you WILL get more cheese out of your whey - BUT, you will only get about 3 TBSP out of a GALLON of whey. So... Not enough to really make it worth it.

    You can, however, cook down your whey until the remaining sugars carmelize, add some brown sugar and heavy cream, and end up with a Norwegian cheese called brunost. Which is disturbingly similar to velveeta, or fudge... or a combination thereof. And you thought regular cheese was bad for you... ;-)

    I really like to use my left over whey to replace the water in my bread making. It makes the yeast SO VERY HAPPY.

    If I start with 1 gallon of milk for the pot cheese and then try the ricotta from whey, it might be a fun experiment and a delicious tablespoon of ricotta, but what a tasty tablespoon. I looked at the price of whole milk gallon at Costco today, it was 3.05. Will try first with whole milk and likes since that is in the house.

    I want to try this on the weekend! And my husband can tease me all he wants and I will laugh back when I am enjoying the cheese!

    Thanks for the advice and websites.
  • shezzzzz
    shezzzzz Posts: 119 Member
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    I've been making my own yogurt for over a year now.

    I get the best results when I don't buy the "fancy ultra pasturized, fine filtered" milk. I buy the cheapest milk I can find (usually $4 for 4 litres).

    I buy fresh plain yogurt about once every 3 months when it is on a good sale to re start the process, as I find that the starter strength of re-using the previous batch weakens over time.

    Now that I have the process down to a routine, it's very easy.

    Cost wise - I get 4 large tubs of yogurt from one bag of milk, and one tub at the store, on sale, is $2, so I feel it is worth it.

    Leftover whey - I mainly use yogurt for smoothies, so I either stir it back into the yogurt, or I drain it off and use it in the smoothies, I'll have to try using it in the bread next time I bake!!
  • 2720cynthia
    2720cynthia Posts: 45 Member
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    I sometimes get raw milk and here's what I do with it:

    I skim off most of the cream and use it to make butter by whipping and whipping in the mixer. After the butter forms I drain the leftover buttermilk and put the buttermilk in a pot with the rest of the skimmed milk.

    I use the skimmed milk and buttermilk in the pot to make mozzarella. The recipe I use comes in a box of Junket rennet tablets, but there's other methods also. The curds that form make the mozzarella, and the whey is left over

    I let the leftover whey sit overnight and the next morning make it into ricotta according to a simple process which I can't remember right now!

    Three products from one jug of milk!! If you use store bought milk (skim or 2% or whole) you can still make the cheeses and just skip the butter part.

    I have a wonderful friend with cows who sells raw milk and sometimes has extra to give me when it hasn't sold withing two days.
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
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    I was going to add that I am not convinced that making your own yoghurt is any cheaper than buying it. I can buy Turkish/Greek style plain yoghurt for £1.70 a kg pot and as low as £1.39 a kg when it's on offer.

    By the time I buy milk + add the cost of electricity to keep it at the correct temperature + discount the batches that just don't set properly because the starter was spent it really doesn't seem worth it. Especially if I then strain it to make it thicker.

    At least with bread the taste difference makes it worth the effort, with yoghurt, not so much.

    Personally, homemade yogurt is WAY cheaper for me. I roughly figured out that for a months worth of yogurt (I have yogurt every day for work) would cost me $40 buying the cheapest yogurt at the store (and it's the crappy, sugar filled kind) while making ONE single batch of yogurt costs roughly $6 for a gallon of milk (or every second or third time, $15 with the starter yogurt) and that lasts me MORE than one month...sooo $40 vs $6-$15...yup, way cheaper to make my own.

    I have been making my own yogurt for years now. I sometimes strain it, sometimes not. When I do strain it I usually use the whey for smoothies because I make those pretty often but you can use them for soo many things. Pancakes, muffins, bread, waffles, etc.

    *Should add that yogurt is expensive here from the sounds of it. For a months worth of Greek yogurt I'd be spending $60 a month. And only using it for lunch, not snacks at home or baking.
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    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
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    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
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    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
    sullykat Posts: 461 Member
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    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
    returntorural Posts: 350 Member
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    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
    sunnysmile Posts: 1,192
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    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
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    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
    PinkyMouse Posts: 37 Member
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    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
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    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
    allisonlane61 Posts: 187 Member
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    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.

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