Have you ever wished you could make your own cheese? Some kinds, like gouda or cheddar, practically require a degree in chemistry and a cave set aside for the process, but soft cheese is simple enough for any kitchen.
Not convinced? Here’s the ingredient list:
1/2 gallon of milk (try whole milk)
The juice of 2 lemons, or about 1/3 cup bottled lemon juice
Salt
The equipment list is almost as short:
A large, heavy-bottomed pot
A whisk
A thermometer (up to 185*)
A colander
Cheesecloth
Ready? Pour the milk into the pot and turn on the heat. Whisk often and keep an eye on the temperature.
When it reaches 185*, turn off the element and add the 1/3 cup of lemon juice. Immediately the curds begin to separate from the whey. (If they don’t, add a wee bit more lemon juice.)
Then cover the pot and set your timer for 15 minutes.
While it’s resting, line your colander with cheesecloth. If you’re using the whey for something—the liquid for tomorrow’s bread baking, perhaps?—set the colander over a bowl large enough to contain it. Or you can set the colander in the sink. When the timer goes off, pour the contents of the pot into the colander and let it sit until it comes to room temperature.
Then fold the cheesecloth over the curds, set the colander in a bowl, and put the whole thing in the fridge overnight (or for a few hours, at least). After the curds have chilled and set, remove them from the cheesecloth and add salt 1/2 teaspoon at a time, kneading it in with your hands, until the cheese is as salted as you prefer.
At this stage you can add other flavors if you like. A bulb of roasted garlic is great, or a filet of smoked salmon. But there’s really no need. It’s delicious on toast or crackers just as it is.
Now that’s easy enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face. Just say “cheese.”
Valerie Comer‘s life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local food movement as well as their creation-care-focused church. She only hopes her imaginary friends enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughters. Her first published work, a novella, was released in the collection Rainbow’s End from Barbour Books in May 2012. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.
Valerie Comer is a fiction author and a blogger where food meets faith. She and her husband of over 30 years farm, garden, and keep bees on a small farm in Western Canada, where they grow much of their own food, preserving vast amounts of it by canning, freezing, and dehydrating. She believes taking good care of both the planet and her family is an act of worship and thankfulness to God the Creator. Valerie writes contemporary romantic fiction (such as Rainbow's End--Barbour, 2012) as a natural offshoot of her passions.
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This is so cool, Valerie! My mom makes her own Greek yogurt in somewhat the same fashion, but I don’t think we’ve ever tried making cheese. We’ll have to now!
I hope you do, Caitlin! I couldn’t believe how easy it is to do–and how delicious it is!
This looks great and fun to do too! I never thought about making cheese – always thought it would be too complicated. We may have to try this. I’m sure the kids would enjoy doing it too. Thanks!
Most kinds ARE way more complicated! Because it takes a low level of attention (but real attention) while heating, I tend to make this when I’m in the kitchen doing something else anyway. I bet your kids will love making and eating this cheese!
Awesome! Now I just need my raw milk source to start producing again.
Raw milk is definitely THE best. But I’ve done it both ways (and with varying fat content) and it all works. Lately I’ve been scooping sugar snap peas through the cheese. Yum!
Does this make a soft, spreadable cheese? or a mozzerella type cheese?
I’ve made mozzerella, with only about a 50 percent success rate. This looks so easy!
More spreadable, like a cream cheese, depending on how much whey you drain out. The drier it is, the more crumbly. I hope you try it!
Thank you! We’ll be trying this.
Thanks for sharing, Valerie! I have an easy Mozzarella cheese that I used to make so much as well as homemade ricotta, but when we were in a hurry, I would make this type of cheese!
I haven’t tried making ricotta yet–would love to learn now!
I have made ricotta cheese twice for lasagna. It is delicious. I put it on the meat sauce before the mozzarella.
Oh, also, I noticed that you did not mention that you should always use a enamel covered or only stainless steel pans. Ricotta is really easy. It is a whey cheese, from whey from cheese made with rennet, but it is so easy!