How to Make Ricotta Cheese at Home

How to Make Ricotta Cheese at Home1 How to Make Ricotta Cheese at Home Ricotta cheese is a classic ingredient used in making a number of delicious Italian dishes which are served as desserts and appetizers. The Greek term ricotta is translated as “recooked” as this type of cheese can easily be reheated before its usage. People like this cheese as these are soft and contains very lower amount of fat. There are a number of aspects like the milk type, temperature, and amount of salt, which need to be considered while making the ricotta cheese at home.

Ingredients

1 gallon of whole pasteurized milk
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt (you have option to vary the amount of salt to your taste. If you will use the cheese for deserts you have to use lesser amount of salt.)

Instructions

You need a large sized heavy non-reactive pot for making the ricotta cheese. Use cold water and rinse the inside of the pot you intend to sue for this purpose. This action will be very much effective in preventing the milk from being scorched. Pour in the 1 gallon of whole pasteurized milk to the pot and put it on the stove over a medium heat. Add the salt to the ilk and stir for few minutes to get it mixed well. Let the milk heat up slowly by stirring continuously. Within a few minutes steam will be formed on the surface along with tiny bubbles. Use a thermometer to check the boiling temperature for reaching at the scalding temperature. After some time the milk will start boiling.
Once the milk is hot up to the correct temperature, remove the pot from heat. Add the one-third cup of vinegar to the hot milk and stir gently for about one minute. Add the additional salt to your taste. Increase the amount of salt if you want to get a salty cheese and reduce the amount for using the cheese in deserts. Just within a few minutes, surd will be formed inside the pot. Cover the pot with a dry clean dish towel and leave it undisturbed for couple of hours to let the mixture sit down.
After the ricotta cheese has sit for more than 2 hours, dampen a piece of cheese cloth and put the same inside a colander. Use a slotted spoon for ladling out the ricotta into the colander. Place the colander along with the cheese inside a larger pan for letting it drain up freely. Let it get drained for about two hours or based on your desired creamy or dry state of the ricotta cheese.
Once you check the required creamy or dryness of the cheese, lift the cheesecloth up. Lift the cheesecloth up by holding its four corners by twisting it gently. You need to squeeze the cloth a bit if the liquid runs clear, but there is no need to squeeze if the liquid runs milky. Seal the container air-tightly and keep in inside the refrigerator. As the ricotta cheese does not freeze well, keep in inside the freezer up to 7 days.