How Do You Make Cheese At Home?
You can make cheese using ingredients and equipment found in most kitchens. • Place two cups of milk in the saucepan, slowly bringing the milk to a boil while stirring constantly. It is very important to constantly stir the milk or it will burn. • Turn the burner off once the milk is boiling, but leave the saucepan on the element or gas grate. • Add 4 teaspoons vinegar to the boiling milk, at which point the milk should turn into curds and whey. • Stir well with spoon and let it sit on the element for 5-10 minutes. • Pass the curds and whey through cheesecloth or a handkerchief to separate the curds from the whey. • Press the cheese using the cloth to get most of the moisture out. • Open the cloth and add a pinch of salt if desired. • Mix the cheese and salt and then press again to remove any extra moisture. • Put the cheese in a mold or just leave it in a ball type form. Refrigerate for a while before eating.
Making fresh mozzarella cheese at home is not only quick and easy, but very fun to learn something new. Each week I’m able to make a batch of cheese with organic milk, which is about 1/2 the price of organic store bought cheese. Crush the 1/4 tablet of rennet in the 1/4 cup cold water, and set aside. It is important that the water is chlorine free. Most bottled water fits this criteria. Place your stainless steel stock pot on the stove and pour in the gallon of milk. The milk cannot be ultra-pasteurized. Turn the burner on to medium heat. Sprinkle the 2 teaspoons of citric acid in the milk and stir. Slowly heat the milk to 88 degrees. Once the cheese reaches 88 degrees, add the rennet and water mixture. Stir gently and occasionally until it reaches 105 degrees. Turn off the heat. You should see the curd and whey separating. Ladle the curds (the solids) into a microwave safe mixing bowl. Pour off as much whey (liquid) as possible back into the pot. Microwave the curds on high for 1 minu
