Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta is a very easy introduction cheesemaking. You don’t need any special equipment or ingredients. Just a few basic supplies and ingredients and you can make your own ricotta!

I’ve tried this using 3 different acids: lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and citric acid. Citric acid made it more crumbly (or maybe I drained it too much) whereas lemon juice and ACV had a better texture. The ACV though had a funky smell and color and the taste wasn’t as good in my opinion. Fresh lemon juice was the clear winner in my book, but any of the acids do work.

This is truly so easy to make. The hardest part is NOT stirring it f0r 10 minutes. Set a timer and literally leave the kitchen so you’re not tempted to stir.

As an option to make it more creamy and sweet, you can stir a little fresh cream back in when you’re done making it!

Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1/2 gallon whole milk

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or AVC) (or 2 teaspoons citric acid)

Instructions:

In a large pot, pour in milk and salt. Heat on the stove over medium/high heat until it reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir it frequently as it heats so the milk doesn’t scald on the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the lemon juice and stir. You’ll see curds start to form.

Shut off the burner. LEAVE IT AND DO NOT STIR FOR 10 MINUTES.

Line a colander with cheesecloth. Place it over a bowl to catch the whey.

After the 10 minutes are over, pour your curdled milk into the colander lined with cheese cloth. Leave the ricotta there to drain for 20 minutes to a few hours pending on how dry you want it. If leaving it to dry for a long time, pull the cheese cloth together and tie the cheese in it. You can tie it too a spoon to let drip over your bowl.

After the ricotta is drained, place it in a glass container and put it in the fridge. You can stir in a few tablespoons of fresh cream to make it ore creamy and sweet!

You can use the whey for baking subbing it out for recipes that call for water, milk, or even buttermilk/sour milk since it was mixed with an acid.

Enjoy!