How to Make Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
Equipment
- Measuring Equipment (Cup/Tablespoon)
- Pot
- Stove Top
- Candy Thermometer
- Cheese Cloth
- Strainer
- Container
Ingredients
- 2 Liters Whole Milk
- 4 Tablespoons Vinegar
- 1 Pinch Sea Salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine all the ingedients.
- Heat slowly to 90c (194f), stirring continuously.
- As the pot reaches 90c (194f), the curds and whey will start separating.
- Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
- Line a strainer with cheese cloth and strain out the curds from the whey.*
- Let the whey drain further in the refrigerator for the next few hours.
- The curdes are ricotta cheese. They can packaged into a container.
- Keep refrideratored. The cheese should be good for up to 10 days.
Notes
Ricotta Cheese
One of the most difficult things about life in Japan is the lack of access to quality cheese. It’s either of poor quality or very expensive. Most of the time it’s both. It is possible to find ricotta in Japan. Sometimes Costco has it, but like most things at Costco, you can’t count on it being in stock. Sometimes it’s there, and other times it’s not. It is possible to order ricotta from some online shops as well, but it’s quite expensive. I honestly have no idea what the quality is like.
This is all a moot point, since I learned that making ricotta is incredible easy to do. As well, it doesn’t require anything too unusual to get the job done. Best of all, it tastes way better than anything you’re going to buy in the supermarket. Why haven’t I been doing this my entire life? Most likely because I assumed the process of making any cheese was beyond what could be done in the home kitchen.
Milk Stripped Down
While it is incredibly simple to make ricotta, it does require one or two things you might not have. You really do need to monitor the temperature. The curds and whey will start separating at around 80c, but the milk needs to get up 90c to finish the process. Going over 90c is not going to be good for the taste. As soon as my thermometer hits 90, the heat goes off and the cheese is allowed to cool off.
It’s clear why you need a proper candy thermometer. You can get one for under $10 and they don’t take up much space.
I highly recommend investing in a nut milk bag. It’s like a cheese cloth, but much much stronger. It’s also reusable, which it what makes it a must have item in your kitchen.
You also need some cheese cloth to allow you to separate the curds from the whey. Cheese cloth is super cheap as well.
Fixing Mistakes
It’s very clear when the curds spate from the whey. Huge puffy cloud-like chunks will start forming in the pot. The color will turn a yellowish tint. The constancy will fill different as you stir.
What happens if your curds and whey don’t separate? First, check your temperature. Nine times out of ten you haven’t gotten it hot enough. If you have a thermometer with Celsius and Fahrenheit make sure you’re looking in the right place. I’ve done this too many times.
If you have determined that you are hot enough, but the separation hasn’t happened it most likely because you have introduced enough acid. In this case, start by adding another tablespoon and stirring it in. Give a minute or two. If you still don’t see a reaction, try adding another half tablespoon.
I’ve never had a problem when using vinegar, however when using lemon juice I’ve had problems getting the proper reaction. For that reason, I only use vinegar. Any vinegar will work, really, but I tend to use apple vinegar.
If the curds and whey still aren’t separated, something else must be seriously wrong.
Perhaps the milk you’re using isn’t the right quality. As the recipe states; use only whole milk. Low fat, 1%, etc. doesn’t cut it.
Using Your Ricotta Cheese
Homemade ricotta is awesome on so many things. You can of course make a number of Italian dishes like ravioli or lasagna with ricotta. It can be sweetened up and put into a number of desserts, from cannoli to pancakes. Ricotta can even be sprinkled over a salad, if you so desire. There is no shortage of applications.
Do note: Ricotta is not a low-carb cheese.
Now that you’ve got ricotta, you need something to do with it.
Let’s enjoy the magical Italian music of Charles Magnante.