Milk, lemon juice, and about half hour of your time — that's all you need to make a batch of fresh, creamy homemade ricotta. You're not going to believe how easy and foolproof this is! And trust me, once you make your own ricotta, it's hard to go back to the stuff from the tub. When I say this only takes a half hour, I should clarify that most of that time is actually hands off. You bring the milk almost to a simmer, add lemon juice or vinegar, and then let it sit while you work on the rest of dinner. Another 10 minutes or so goes into straining the curds, and then the ricotta is ready for your lasagna, pizza, or whatever devious and delicious plans you have in store. This process for making ricotta works best if you're using whole milk, though I've had success with 2%. Just avoid skim or nonfat milk as there just isn't enough milk fat left in the milk to actually separate into curds and whey. Also avoid using ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk, as this process changes the protein structure of the milk and prevents it from separating. Unfortunately, many organic milks are UHT pasteurized, so if organic ricotta is your aim, definitely check the carton before buying. Homemade ricotta really does have better texture and flavor than anything I've ever bought at the grocery store. I suspect that this is due in large part to the fact that it's freshly made. I like that I can control just how wet or dry the ricotta is simply by how long I let it drain — I like wetter, looser ricotta for things like pizzas and drier, firmer ricotta for cannoli and other desserts. If you wrap the drained ricotta in cheese cloth and press it beneath a weighted plate in the refrigerator overnight, you can also make a simple ricotta salata or farmer's cheese. I also like that I can make exactly the amount of ricotta that I need. I find that a half gallon of milk dependably makes about 2 cups of ricotta depending on how long I let it drain, and the recipe can be scaled up or down to fit my recipe. Of course, if and when I do have leftover ricotta, I know there are plenty of ways to use up those last few dabs! Making ricotta yourself also gives you a bonus: the leftover whey. This whey is fantastic in baked goods — try using whey instead of water in your next batch of bread or pizza dough. So good. You can also use a few spoonfuls of whey to jump-start the lacto-fermentation process when making things like sauerkraut and kvass. Once you make your own ricotta, it's hard to go back to the stuff from the tub. How to Make Homemade RicottaMakes 2 cups What You NeedIngredients Equipment Instructions
Recipe Notes
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Wednesday, August 21, 2013
How to Make Homemade Ricotta Cheese — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn
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