Super EASY Homemade Ricotta Cheese Lo Fat

Have you ever stumbled upon a DIY project and was simply amazed at how easy the article "made" it sound, and then took months to even consider tackling it yourself? That would be my reaction when I first found this recipe for #Homemade Ricotta Cheese. I finally decided yesterday I was going to try it as I had some free time on my hands and REALLY wanted some without going to the store. I must say I will NEVER buy Ricotta cheese from the store again! It was super easy, took less than a minute to get the ingredients measured and combined! Total "wait" time that I had while slowly heating up the milk and then placing in the colander to drain for the finished product was less than an hour. An hour that I spent working on other things in my kitchen.  The finished product is wonderful, nothing like I have ever bought in the store!

As I have always told my family and friends, when I make items at home, I know what goes into them. They are fresh and they have no nasty chemicals going into them to make them have a longer shelf life. When I make HUGE batches of items that I want / need to have a longer shelf life..... I FREEZE THEM :) and use at my convenience.

Since this was my first time trying this I made a smaller batch then the recipe I found at Motherearthnews.com  I also revised the order in which I added the citric acid and utilized my 2% milk instead of whole milk. I could not be happier with the results!

Homemade Lo-Fat Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta is traditionally made by recooking the whey from a previous batch of hard cheese, such as Parmesan, but this recipe is a simpler version. Use fresh ricotta in Italian classics like lasagna, or serve with honey, fresh fruits, use on garlic / Italian breads and it also great mixed with fresh herbs to create a dip for crackers.

2 Qts 2% milk
1/2 tsp citric acid * You can also use fresh lemon juice 2 1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp  salt (optional)
Cheesecloth or DIY Cheese Cloth*

First get your cheesecloth ready 

If you do not have cheesecloth do not dispair, I use a white pillow case that I cut in half. It is great! It drains just like cheese cloth and can be reused for any recipe that calls for cheesecloth for years to come.
  *PRIOR to using my DIY cheesecloth I rinse it thouroghly under cold running water for a few minutes to make sure to get off any dust that may have gotten on it while in storage, then wring it out and put it in my microwave for 2 minutes on high to get it good and hot to kill off any bacteria. Let it sit in the microwave heated while you are waiting for the milk to heat, this will allow it time to cool off so you can handle it without getting burned. 

Add the milk  to a stainless steel pot. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon (or  plastic stainless steel spoon) to prevent scorching, slowly heat the mixture to between 185 and 195 degrees. Once the milk reached 190 I measured out the citric acid and sprinkled it in the warm milk while stirring. With in a few seconds this is what it looked like. 

Within just a minute or so this is what the mixture looked like. Notice that the whey (liquid) now has no more milk look to it. As soon as the curds and whey separate (there should be no milky whey, only clear whey), turn off the heat and let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.

Line a colander with cheesecloth, and ladle the curds into the colander. Mix in the salt with a spoon. Let the cheese drain for 30 minutes.

After draining I was left with about 5 cups of Whey! Do not throw this out, it has many beneficial uses and is packed with vitamins and minerals. Check out all of the blog posts from others on how to use the whey. You can use it in recipes substituting it for some of the milk or water, put a little on your dog / cat food - animals love it! If nothing else water your plants with it or put it in your compost pile!!

For firmer cheese, tie the cheesecloth into a bag and hang it from a hook to drain. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Yield: 3/4 to 1 pounds

#DIYRicottaCheese   #FrugalKitchen    #SustainableLiving    #HomemadeDairy  #DairyRecipes

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