Homemade Large Curd Cottage Cheese Food

HOMEMADE COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the milk to 190F.
• You will need a thermometer for other cheeses but you can get by here turning off the heat just before the milk begins to boil.
• Add the vinegar and allow the mixture to cool.
• When cool, pour the mixture, which now consists of curds and whey into a colander and drain off the whey.
• Pour the curds into a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and mix well.
• You may wish to use less salt or more, depending on your taste.
• A little cream could also be added, for a more silky variation.
• Now the best part, enjoy fresh or use in a cooked dish such as a lasagna!

QUICK COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour the skim milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat to 120 degrees F. Remove from the heat and gently pour in the vinegar. Stir slowly for 1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes. Gather up the edges of the cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time. Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine, breaking up the curd into bite-size pieces as you go. If ready to serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. If not, transfer to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half and half or heavy cream just prior to serving.

COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour milk into a small pot; bring to a boil. Add vinegar and remove from heat. Stir mixture slowly until curds form, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Allow liquid whey to drain off as curds cool, about 15 minutes. Season curds with salt.

DRY CURD COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• 1. Mix milk and buttermilk in a large oven-proof pot Cover and allow to sit for 24 hours.
• 2. Uncover and place in oven at 200 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. When it's done it should get dry around the edges and have some cracks around the edges. The middle will still be soft. Let it cool completely.
• 3. Place a cheesecloth or a couple layers of paper towels in a strainer.
• 4. Pour the cooled farm cheese into the cheesecloth in the strainer. At this point the cloudy-clear liquid will drain out of the farm cheese.
• 5. Now, gather up the sides of the cheesecloth & tie it up somewhere with a bowl sitting underneath for the whey to drip out of it. Leave it hanging there for a few hours for the whey to drain out. The remaining cheese inside the cloth should be soft with a consistency somewhere in between sour cream and cream cheese. It should be covered and refrigerated.

HOMEMADE LARGE-CURD COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Pour the milk into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat over low heat to 95 degrees F. Check temperature with a thermometer. Dissolve the rennet in the water in a small cup. Stir the dissolved rennet into the milk for 30 seconds. Stir in the buttermilk. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 30 minutes to 1 hour or until solid curds form. Cut curds into 1 inch pieces. Heat the curds with the whey over low heat to 110 degrees F., stirring gently to bring the curds from the bottom to the top (stir for the first 5 minutes, then every 5 minutes). It will take about 30 minutes for the curds to reach 110 degrees F. Pour or ladle the curds into a colander lined with a double layer of butter muslin. Let the whey drain about 5 minutes, then gather together the edges of the muslin and rinse the cheese under cold water, squeezing while rinsing. Squeeze the cheese dry, then transfer to a medium bowl and add 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use or up to 2 days.