The Fine Art of Making Cottage Cheese

I started writing this post in June of 2013 and have yet to make a good, tasty batch of cottage cheese. Here is what I wrote back then.

"I have yet to be successful making cottage cheese. It is either more like ultra thick yogurt, tiny little curd crumbs or rubbery. Sound appetizing? Not, really. But.....I still want to be able to make it, so succeed or fail, I am going to try again and let you see how it goes. Who knows, maybe there is someone out there reading that knows how to do this and can help me out. That would be a real blessing.

This recipe calls for one gallon of whole milk, buttermilk and rennet. It is really a pretty simple process." 





I still have yet to make a good cottage cheese. I didn't even try for a year or so, since it never turned out edible. Well, last week I decided it was time to try again. I used the same book, same recipe and got the same results.....again. The curd was too done, rubbery and squeaked in my teeth. There was no flavor to speak of and the consistency was yucky.

After that attempt I got out my other cheese making books and compared the recipes. The main difference was not letting the curd sit at 110* for 30 minutes after it was heated up. I hoped that eliminating that 30 minute time frame would allow the curds to stay in a softer state, similar to store bought cottage cheese. It's hard to describe, but if you picture the consistency of store bought cottage cheese curds, they are soft, pliable and kind of juicy inside. I know, poor description, but I can't think of a better way to compare theirs and mine. 

I made another batch of cottage cheese today. It's better, but still rather rubbery, lacking the soft, pliable texture I am looking for. Here is what I did.

1 gallon of skimmed goat milk heated to 86*
Add 1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
Add 1/4 cup water to which 1/4 tsp. of rennet was added
Stir for 30 seconds
Let sit and ripen for 1 hour at 86*
Cut the curd into 1/2" cubes
Slowly heat curd to 110*

Okay. This is where the cheese books differed. Two of them indicated that the next step is too drain the curd instead of letting it sit and 'cook' at 110*, so that's what I did today.
 

When I poured the curd and whey into a cheese cloth lined colander, the consistency of the curd was very nice and reminded me somewhat of store bought cottage cheese. I was happy. But as soon as I poured it into the colander to drain, it's like the curds released all of their interior moisture, matted up and became chewy and squeaky again. Rats!

The next step is supposed to be to let the whey drain, then dip the cheese cloth with the curds into cold water to cool them, and let them drain again. Which I did, but the curds had already changed. It's this change or step that I am trying to figure out. How do I prevent the curds from releasing their moisture/liquid/whey? Cool them quicker? I'm not sure. I'll have to experiment some more.

The good news is that it tastes better this time. I crumbled up the curd, since it was trying to mat together. It's just the nature of the curd to want to mat together. I added 1/2 tsp. of salt and about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cream I had skimmed from the milk before I started.

Frank and I did a taste test before I put it into the fridge to chill. We'll see how it tastes later on, then again tomorrow. My first attempt the other day ended up as pig food, so it wasn't a complete loss. This one may end up the same way. I may even share some with the chickens, too.

If you have any recommendations, I sure would like to hear them. I know there are other ways to make cottage cheese, like leaving it out on the cabinet for a few days and letting it curdle. I'm not brave enough to try that one yet. I guess I still want to have a little more control over the process. Not that I don't have sauerkraut and kefir sitting out on the cabinet all the time, it's just different than two or three day old curdled milk.

I'll keep you updated on my cottage cheese making progress, and hopefully it won't be two years before I try again. I'd like to be able to master this technique. It's kind of like learning to make bread. Frank and I have eaten a bunch of heavy, heavy flat whole wheat bread. We call it brick bread. Almost edible, but not very good. That was part of my learning to make a consistently, good loaf of bread. Then I started making sourdough bread. Yes, we have had a few rather heavy batches, and one that was too sour to eat. Now is the time to master making good, edible cottage cheese, so please help me out if you can.

Until next time - Fern

Why Do We Make Cheese?

Making cheese is something I wanted to do for years. I wanted to be able to make my own cheese from whole, natural milk for a good, wholesome food for us to eat. We have long tried to minimize the additives and chemicals in our diet. That doesn't mean we don't like pizza, green bean casserole, lasagna, potato chips and Cheetos sometimes, but as a general rule we try to eat fairly healthy.

After I had made cheese for a while, I decided to research how to make rennet. I knew from some past reading that natural animal rennet is made from the stomach of a newborn calf. Well, I don't have any calves and even if I did, I don't really want to butcher a newborn for his stomach.....unless I really needed to.






This information prompted more research. What I found made me upset and depressed. Almost all (depending upon what you read, about 90%) commercially made cheese in the United States is made from GMO (genetically modified organism) rennet. I was appalled!! Even when you try to buy the most basic ingredients and cook a healthy meal for yourself, you unknowingly get to consume more GMO. 

So, with a little more research, I have found that some companies sell imported rennet that is not GMO based. This is the rennet I use in our cheese. Knowledge gives us more control over our lives and decisions.

I sometimes find it disheartening that our food and water is laced with so many chemicals that have been proven to damage the human body. It is impossible to eliminate them all in this day and time, but it doesn't hurt to try. We find the more we educate ourselves, the better choices we are able to make. And in the process of doing so, we not only take more control of how we treat our bodies, but we take responsibility for the choices we make.

Until next time - Fern

Chevre Cheese

Chevre is a soft cheese made from goat milk. The consistency is similar to cream cheese, but the flavor is different because it is made from whole milk, not cream.

By itself, chevre doesn't have a lot of flavor. It is good mixed with herbs as a dip or spread. It also makes a very good cheesecake. The flavor is different from a cream cheese cheesecake, but still very good.

One nice thing about chevre is how easy it is to make. 

A standard batch that makes about four cups of cheese is made from five quarts of milk.

Heat the milk to 86 degrees, then add 1/2 cup of cultured buttermilk and three tablespoons of diluted rennet. Diluted rennet is made by adding three drops of rennet to 1/3 cup of cold water. 

Cover the cheese pot and let set for 12 to 18 hours. The cheese curd should be solid and will break when you poke it (like the cheddar cheese). 

Line another pot with a cheese cloth and scoop the curd into it.

Now comes a trick that I learned watching a YouTube. Hold two corners of the cheese cloth in each hand.
Roll the cheese back and forth in the cloth.

This will release a lot of the whey from the curd. The first few times I made chevre there was a lot of whey left in the curd when I finished hanging it (you will see that in a minute). This rolling activity has improved the consistency of the cheese.

Tie the opposite corners of the cheese cloth together so you can hang it to drain.


 

Frank put this hook right under the edge of the upper cabinet just for hanging our cheeses. It works great and is not noticeable when not in use.

Next, hang the cheese and let it drain for 12 to 15 hours. I usually time this so the cheese will hang overnight. This way it won't be in the way during the day. 

There will still be a little whey puddled on the cheese in the morning, but it can easily be poured off. The consistency is semi firm, it will keep it's shape but is very soft.

We like to mix one cup of chevre with one tablespoon of dried onions and one teaspoon of salt. This is good with veges from the garden.

Freezing doesn't change the flavor or consistency of chevre. It will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks.






I think it's about time for another cheesecake. That means we will need to make some graham crackers for the crust. 

Until next time - Fern

Making Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella is another cheese we have had success making - after a time of trial and error. Frank prefers it over cheddar and we can cook with it or eat it for lunch with deviled eggs and crackers. Mozzarella is a fresh cheese that does not need to be waxed or aged. In fact, it is very good right after you make it.

There are several steps in making mozzarella that are the same as making cheddar. You will find links back to the cheddar cheese post in some of these directions.

This recipe calls for one gallon of milk, but if I am going to do that much work, I want more for the effort. The first time I made it I was very surprised at how little cheese I got from one gallon of milk, so now I use four gallons - the same amount of time with more results.

2 gallons of milk for each pot

We use the same double boiler method we use for cheddar cheese.

The first step is to add 2 1/2 tsp. citric acid powder to 1/2 cup cold water. Stir until dissolved then stir into the cool milk for 30 seconds. 

Slowly heat to 88 degrees stirring occasionally for even heating. Since I have started making mozzarella regularly, I buy my citric acid powder in bulk.

Add 1/2 tsp. of rennet to 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir this into the milk for 10 seconds and let set for 15 minutes to coagulate.

I always think it is neat to see the curd form. It will usually pull away from the side of the pan a little. Sometimes there will be a thin layer of whey on top.




Cut the curd and let it settle to the bottom of the pot and rest for 10 minutes.

Slowly heat the curd to 108 degrees. Then let it sit and 'cook' for 35 minutes keeping the temperature at 108 degrees.

Pour off the whey and let the curd drain in a colander for 15 minutes. It looks good, doesn't it? I usually flip it over a time to two so the whey will drain better. These curds are the same color, but the angle of the picture make them look different.

When you make mozzarella you use a brine made of one quart of cold water and one cup of salt. You can adjust the salt to your taste. It is a lot of salt to use up and pour down the drain, so I tried adding salt to the curd after I poured off the whey. It wasn't near as good as the brine, so I still do it this way. When times get tough and I don't have the salt to spare, I will do away with the brine and just add the salt directly.

 You can put the cheese directly into the bowl with the brine and it will conform to the shape of the bowl. I found that I liked the cheese to have a little more shape, so I use this cheese mold.

Now comes the weird part - stretching the cheese. When I first started making mozzarella, I had no idea how to stretch it. I tried to follow written directions and posted questions at a few places on the internet, but didn't get any responses. So, I just followed the directions the best I could and kind of made up the rest. After a while of trial and error, the cheese started to take on the correct consistency and quit bouncing, I mean chewing, like rubber. 

So..... to stretch the curd, heat some of the whey or water to 160 degrees. (I have always used whey.) You will need two spoons. I use large regular and slotted spoons. I have also read that you can do this step wearing rubber kitchen gloves, but I prefer not to.

Put the curd in the pot of hot whey (one at a time if you are making two batches - the curd from both would be too much to work with). You have to stretch the curd for it to soften and melt when you use it to cook with - like on pizza and in lasagna.
The books describe the consistency of the curd as taffy-like and shiny when you have stretched it enough. The first few times I did this, I had no idea of how long to stretch it and it came out pretty rubbery. It tasted good, but the
consistency was rather chewy. Raise and lower the curd into and out of the whey until it starts to become stringy and sticky like you would expect mozzarella to be. It will take about three to five minutes. Then it is finished.

It is a challenging feat to get the cheese from the pot into the brine without it stretching out and falling off the spoons. I just kind of juggle it over there. At this point you can shape the cheese any way you want - flat, balls, sticks, etc. If you choose smaller pieces the brine

time will be less, or it will be too salty. The cheese will float in the brine which isn't a problem. The first few times I made it into balls and just rolled it over so all sides would have a chance to soak. Now I weigh it down with a glass bowl and let it sit. 
 
The amount of time you allow the cheese to brine will depend on your personal preference. I have tried 10 minutes, 20 minutes and 30 minutes and have settled on 20 minutes.

When the time is up set the cheese out on a towel to dry, turning it several times to allow the whey to drain out from the wrinkled areas. The better it dries the longer it will keep. Any leftover whey will spoil first.

As the cheese dries it will spread out and flatten. I have tried letting it sit in the cheese mold because I like the shape, but it doesn't allow the cheese to dry well enough.

One batch will go in the refrigerator for fresh eating.

One batch will go in the freezer. Freezing does not affect the quality of this cheese. I wrap it in a paper towel and put it in a freezer bag.
 

We store up cheese in the summer when our goats' milk production is at it's peak. It's nice to go to our own 'store' to get cheese for that pizza we want to make for dinner. Hmm....that can be another post. Sounds good, doesn't it?


Until next time - Fern