There are many ricotta recipes out there. I have tried a few, but I keep coming back to this one for a few reasons:
1. Only three ingredients. Three! Three easy to find, inexpensive ingredients that allow you to make your very own cheese.
2. It’s very simple. You basically have two tasks. Heat the milk and then dump in vinegar. Anyone can do this.
3. It’s quick. Many cheese making recipes call for hours of keeping the milk at the same temperature, and long periods to chill. From start to finish, this recipe only takes an hour to complete.
Ricotta is versatile. You can use it as a spread on crackers or bread. Many fancy appetizers call for a layer of ricotta to add some creaminess and weight. You could also roll it into cute little balls and put it on a toothpick with your other favorite ingredients (usually one sweet and one savory). Use it as a filling for crepes or blinis. You can toss it into just about any pasta recipe. Many pasta dishes even require it, including lasagna, rolled up baked pasta, and ravioli. And what about pizza? Feeling like a quattro formaggi? Ricotta makes a great addition!
As far as food science goes, this is one of the cooler experiments. As soon as you add the vinegar to the milk, clumps immediately begin to form as the curds separate from the whey. You should at least try this once just to see the process. I promise it’s cool. Plus, you get the satisfaction of having made your own cheese.
A word of caution: Please follow the ingredients list and directions carefully. There are many other versions of ricotta recipes that you can use, so please find one that works for you if this one doesn’t. But in order to guarantee good results with this recipe, you should follow it closely.
Adapted from The Kitchn
Ricotta Cheese
makes approximately 2 cups
– 1/2 gallon of whole milk (normal pasteurized is fine, but ultra high temperature pasteurized isn’t)
– 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
– 1 tsp salt (optional)
In a non-reactive pan (i.e. stainless steel or non-stick) heat milk over low heat. Continue to heat, stirring occasionally until the milk hits about 170 degrees F. From that point, stir frequently until the milk reaches 200 degrees F. It will get foamy and steam during this process, however, if it starts to boil, quickly remove it from the heat. The heating process should take around 30 minutes.
Once the milk reaches 200 degrees F, remove from heat. Add the vinegar and stir a few times to combine. You should see curds starting to separate.
Let the mixture sit off of the heat for 10 minutes to give the curds time to fully develop. At the end of this, you should have nice clumps of ricotta formed. If this isn’t the case, add another Tbsp of vinegar and wait a few more minutes.
Place a few layers of cheese cloth or a simple flour sack towel in a fine mesh strainer situated over a large bowl. Pour the ricotta and whey mixture into the strainer. Let this drain for 10 to 20 minutes over the bowl, making sure the bottom of the strainer is above the liquid whey. Alternatively, you can tie your towel to your kitchen sink faucet like I did. Drain the ricotta until it has the wetness that you like. I prefer to only drain mine for 10 minutes so that it has a creamier, more spreadable texture.
Store your fresh ricotta in a sealed container in the fridge and eat it within a week.
Oh, and there are plenty of uses for the whey as well! So before you discard it, consider baking something with it, or looking up another recipe.
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