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How to make Ricotta Cheese
By
DK
on Jan 30, 2012
For me, making things from scratch has been immensely satisfying, be it a phyllo/filo dough, overnight pizza dough, milk khoya or something simple like making my own pumpkin puree instead of buying canned ones. But I found it tough to continue the same pace after my little one was born. With a job and a kid, things definitely took a back seat in the kitchen for a while. But then, personally, health and well being took the front seat. The responsibility of a little one, who is dependent on me for his health, is too big for my shoulders to be taken lightly. The situation on hand and my belief being very contradictory, I started working out other ways which was beneficial - to me, on my energy and my sanity. I relied on recipes that did not make me reach out, too much for processed or factory made food where the "ingredients" section required a chemist to decipher it. Simple meals were what I relied on during that tough phase.
Now, things are more regulated. No, I still don't have the time to make something as complex as an Austrian Apple Strudel or the energy to try something continuously for 8 times before hitting success. But I definitely have the time to make waffles, pancakes, an occasional bread and at times something from scratch that's so simple that it doesn't even seem labor intensive. Like Ricotta Cheese. Its very simple to make, doesn't need my attention most of the time and is such a dream to make. I say dream cos the cheese that you taste at the end of it, just doesn't deserve this kind of ease and simplicity. But then - Simplicity is quite hard to achieve, as my parents often tell me. :)
Note: Traditional Ricotta Cheese is made using leftover whey from making other cheeses, that use a coagulant like microbial, vegetable or animal rennet (example: Cottage Cheese, Mozzarella etc). But you can also make Ricotta this way from Whole Milk in which case it becomes virtually similar to the Indian Cheese - Paneer. You can make Paneer the same way as this (in which case,the salt is not required, but can be added along with spices for interesting variations). Also note that the leftover whey that you get from making Paneer cannot be used to make Ricotta, since it also uses Vinegar/lime juice.
Note: Traditional Ricotta Cheese is made using leftover whey from making other cheeses, that use a coagulant like microbial, vegetable or animal rennet (example: Cottage Cheese, Mozzarella etc). But you can also make Ricotta this way from Whole Milk in which case it becomes virtually similar to the Indian Cheese - Paneer. You can make Paneer the same way as this (in which case,the salt is not required, but can be added along with spices for interesting variations). Also note that the leftover whey that you get from making Paneer cannot be used to make Ricotta, since it also uses Vinegar/lime juice.
References
recipe courtesy food and wine
Basic Information
Prep Time: 2 to 4 hours
Cook Time: Under 30 min
Serves: 3 people
Yield: Makes 3-1/2 cups
Ingredients
- 2 quarts (1.89 liters) organic Whole Milk,
- 1 cup organic Heavy Cream,
- 3 tbsp white Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp salt
Method
1
In a heavy saucepan, combine milk and cream.
2
Warm in moderately high heat
3
until the surface becomes foamy and steamy and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the milk registers 185F°. Don't let the milk boil.
Update: I was under the assumption that the specific heat was due to the addition of Heavy cream. But turns out that you don't even need this much temperature (leave alone boiling the milk). Here is a good explanation from Serious Eats about the temperatures.
Update: I was under the assumption that the specific heat was due to the addition of Heavy cream. But turns out that you don't even need this much temperature (leave alone boiling the milk). Here is a good explanation from Serious Eats about the temperatures.
Most ricotta recipes call for heating the milk to 180°F, the temperature at which it starts to simmer. But is it really necessary to heat it that high? I tried heating pots of milk to various temperatures (every five degrees between 150°F and 190°F) before adding vinegar as a coagulant and observing the results. Guess what? Between 165°F and 185°F or so, there was no real noticeable differences in the amount of curd produced, nor the texture of the curd. So where does this particular piece of culinary you-wishdom come from? My first instinct is that it's a carry-over and misapplication from the days when custards were made with un-pasteurized milk. Back then, milk had to be heated to 180°F in order to deactivate certain enzymes that can prevent a custard from setting. These days, milk is pretty much always pasteurized (heated before packaging) so this step is unnecessary. But wait a minute! Pasteurized milk is only raised to 161°F and works perfectly well in custards. So that whole 180°F for custards rule must also be a myth. My best guess as to why many recipes arbitrarily pick 180°F? It's the point at which milk starts simmering: an easy temperature to gauge even without a thermometer. But seeing as we've all got one (you do all have an instant read thermometer, right?) We'll stick with the 165 to 185°F range, instead of aiming for that perfect 180°F.
4
Remove the pot from the heat. Add the vinegar
5
and stir gently for 30 seconds;
6
the mixture will curdle almost immediately.
7
Add the salt
8
and stir for 30 seconds longer.
9
Cover the pot with a clean towel and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.
10
Line a large colander with several layers of cheesecloth, allowing several inches of overhang.
11
Set the colander in a large bowl.
12
Using a slotted spoon,
13
transfer the curds to the colander.
14
I am not sure why the site insisted on transferring using a slotted spoon cos after 5-6 times, I kinda felt stupid doing that and toppled the whole pan on to the cheese cloth. Saved me time and effort! (If there is a specific reason drop me a line.) Will you just look at that glorious cheese (In India, this stage is referred to as "Chenna" and used to make many heavenly sweets)
15
After you had a fill of gazing at that beautiful cheese " like a lovelorn lover" (I overheard the father and son snickering after calling me so) gather the corners of the cheesecloth
16
and close with a rubber band. Or force the snickering husband to hold it that way for the next 30 minutes.
17
Let the ricotta stand for 30 minutes, gently pressing
18
and squeezing the cheesecloth occasionally to drain off the whey. That, right there, is what Greeks (or probably someone else!) termed as "Healing Water". PLEASE DO NOT EVEN THINK OF DISCARDING IT! If you so totally must, send it over to me. :-D.
19
Now use this Ricotta for your recipes. The site mentions that the cheese keeps well for 4 days refrigerated.
I usually use the whole thing to make a dish or eat it mixed it with little sweetener and vanilla extract. Or spread it on my toast with honey or ..or..I can go on and on and on.
The site suggests that it keeps well for 4 days packed in an airtight container. But another friend told me that hers lasted for 12 days when she made using this recipe. I think simply use your judgement and good sense of smell to decide how long your cheese keeps well for. For something so ridiculously easy to make, this tastes like a million bucks!
The site suggests that it keeps well for 4 days packed in an airtight container. But another friend told me that hers lasted for 12 days when she made using this recipe. I think simply use your judgement and good sense of smell to decide how long your cheese keeps well for. For something so ridiculously easy to make, this tastes like a million bucks!
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18 Responses to “How to make Ricotta Cheese”
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IS IT NECESSARY TO USE ORGANIC MILK AND WHY SO — I WANT TO MAKE THIS BUT IT IS 100 MILES TO ORGANIC MILK — THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP —
TONYK
I have become significantly lactose intolerant and therefore, today, bought one gallon of Lactaid 100% lactose free whole milk and a bottle of vegetable rennet. Your recipe called for cream…..no lactose free cream available. You also rec. the use of vinegar. Could I use my rennet? Can I make decent ricotta cheese from whole milk without the cream? I want to make lasagna and panna cotta. Should I add salt?
Dear DK…thanks for this lovely recipe. I had been wanting some ricotta cheese desperately. While i tried this recipe, the milk didnt curdle enough, like only the inch of the upper layer of milk curdled while the lower ones just unaffected. While adding vinegar I did stir it slowly. Dont know what to do next with those enormous quantity of milk?
… Thanks in advance for your help
Add in a little more of the vinegar
I happened to make ricotta last weekend. I used a traditional Italian recipe that uses fig sap to curdle the milk. I think I used a bit much and drained it for a long time which resulted in a very firm cheese. It tastes great.
Regarding your question on temperature of the milk, it seems to be to do with steel using or pasturising the milk. I noticed on my thermometer that the temperate required in most recipes for ricotta coincided with the temperature for steralisation. Given that traditionally ricotta would be made from raw milk or leftover whey from making other cheeses it makes sense that the milk needed to be sterilized.
Hi I had made this with soymilk(home made) the result was I never had to buy tofu again! It smell
ed better and had a good texture also!
Mahalakshmi – That’s fantastic! Never tried making it myself – now cant wait to thanks to your input. –DK
Hi i wanteed to know is ricotta cheese is the same as cream cheese.. can i use this to make cheese cakes??? thanks
Ricotta Cheese is not same as Cream Cheese. But there is an Italian version of Cheesecake that uses Ricotta as the base instead of cream cheese. –DK
DK, regarding the draining of the whey and your easy way of pouring it all together… here is what the seriouseats.com have to say about it… think u got the answer
Drainage
When transferring the curds to the strainer, I discovered that despite the strong temptation to simply dump everything in, it’s much more efficient to spoon the curds into the drainage device, trying to minimize the amount of liquid whey you add—the fine curds can gunk up the works, making it a very slow process for all the whey to completely drain.
As for how long it should drain? Well that all depends on what you’re going to do with it:
Drainage Length: Under five minutes.
Texture: Extremely moist and creamy (a cream-cheese-like consistency) with small, tender curds.
Best Uses: Immediate consumption, while still warm. For savory applications, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and serve. For dessert, drizzle warm ricotta with honey, and serve with fruit.
Drainage Length: 15 to 20 minutes.
Texture: Small, tender curds with a cottage cheese-like consistency. Moist and spreadable, but not runny.
Best Uses: Moist savory applications like lasagna or ravioli fillings and dips, or certain un-cooked pastry applications, like cannoli filling.
Drainage Length: At least two hours, or up to overnight (refrigerated).
Texture: Firm, dry, crumbly curds that can easily be molded into firm shapes.
Best Uses: Pastry, such as ricotta pancakes, ricotta gnocchi, or ricotta tortas.
AWESOME! Thanks Bhuvs! Hugs for the details –DK
hi DK, can i use lime juice instead of vinegar ??? if so what amoount… thanks
I guess you can. Use the same amount
Hi DK,
This is a great recipe and very well done. Can you tell me what did you use the drained whey for? My husband makes excellent paneer at home but we discard the whey, it will be really nice if we can use the whey too! Thanks for all ur recipes and ur tips.
Best Wishes!
Hi Sony – I use to make my flatbreads (roti), Breads, cook rice with it, use instead of vinegar in salads (since its basically acid but with protein), use it in the soaking liquid for wholegrains/beans -DK
Hi DK thanx a lot for this…i have couple of questions….do u need to boil d milk if it is not pasturized ? and is the diffce betn paneer and ricota is adding cream?
@ ruby whey is full of protein, can be used to make dough as water,add in dal veg, or store in bottle, keep out for 3 -4 days then keep it in fridge,can be used instead of vineger..
Yes you would have to. Pasteurizing is such a controversial topic. Many ppl believe that we are killing necc. enzymes by this practice and that our older generations were healthier when consuming it unpasteurized. But then another school of thought says that we are protecting ourselves from harm’s way by doing this!
But I think you would be better of boiling it to the given temperatures when unpasteurized. Paneer can be made with addition of cream too. When Ricotta is made this way (by using whole milk)it is exactly the same as Paneer. But traditional Ricotta is made using leftover whey from making other cheeses (that use coagulation in the form of enzymes instead of just acid). So that way traditional ricotta and paneer are not the same.
Great DK and thank you for sharing. I have a question though. What do you do with the whey as you mentioned not to discard?
I use to make my flatbreads (roti), Breads, cook rice with it, use instead of vinegar in salads (since its basically acid but with protein), use it in the soaking liquid for wholegrains/beans -DK
nice one DK..
Hi DK,
As you mentioned paneer is made the same way. Then paneer and ricotta cheese are almost same. Does the addition of heavy cream makes the difference?
Heavy cream can be added even while making paneer Puja. It is just to add in some fat to the milk, esp. in the US which I think has lower fat % compared to the ones we get in India. So both are ditto same except for the salt. But as you might already know you can add salt (along with spices) to give more flavor to your paneer too. This was of making Ricotta Cheese (from milk instead of traditional whey) is same as paneer – DK
Hi, can this be made with soy milk and soy cream?
I am not sure of that having never researched into it. Will update if I get to know something in this regard -DK
Hi, I wanna know why to keep the curd site for 2hrs after the paneer has been formed. Usually i drain the whey once whole thing is ready, like with in 10 to 15 mins into cheese cloth. Am i doing any thing wrong or can we get more cheese your way?
I think it is just to make sure it has curdled enough to make sure you get it all. I personally dont think it is strictly necessary. –DK
VEry nicely explained and well done.
hi dk, why do you not boil the milk, is there a reason? I usually make paneer this way, but boil the milk.
Thanks for the interesting question. I was under the assumption that this was because of heavy cream added to this, but well Serious Eats gives a logical explanation (turns out you don’t even need 185F). Check out the link while I update the post.