Do you make your own cottage cheese? Sour cream? Cheese? Care to share your info?

[kdmama33]

I want to start making my own cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc. I've been buying all of these things, but I'm wanting to venture into trying my hand at making my own. So what do I need to know? Good place to get cultures, renet, and such? Tips, tricks, etc. would also be welcome.

I want to make as much of the food we eat entirely from scratch -- so that I know exactly what goes into it -- as I can. This is my next step in that process, so any help is greatly appreciated. TIA!

[NettleSongMama]

Yeah, I do that. Well, not so much sour cream or butter because we have goats and I don't have a cream seperator. If you can, and are truly interested, you should try to get a dairy animal or two. Cheesemaking takes a lot of milk. I get my rennet in liquid form from Hoeggers. Ricki Carroll's Home Cheesemaking is a good book to start with.
I have kind of gotten away from long complicated recipes though and have settled on tried and true simple recipes. With everything else I really don't have the time to spend hours in the kitchen on one pound of cheese. So I go for the easy ones that my family likes and can be made with as little fuss as possible. Even if they are not as prize winning as they could be- so my basics are a simple ricotta type cheese that I use for stuffing things, mozzerella, I just love those little fresh balls drenched in olive oil with torn basil leaf. That is my favorite thing ever when the tomatoes come in....a simple cheese that is spreadable- like cream cheese, you can make them "moldy" or roll them in cracked pepper, lemon or orange zest or flavor with all sorts of stuff like walnuts and cranberries etc. skys the limit. I like a good simple hard cheese, it slices well, good for sandwiches etc. I make a good feta, which you can marinate with peppercorns and sundried tomato.
I've tried alot of the intricate cultures or starters- mesophilic and thermophilic. I've played only briefly with the molds (I love Stilton and all blue cheese!!) as I lost goats when I started to get into that and now my molds have been sitting in my fridge unused...maybe I will get them out soon. I always end up going back to simple buttermilk though, or whey. Maybe when the kids are older and I have more time, I will get more into it and put out some real, true, identity driven cheeses. Maybe even make a cheese cave:
(though one of those dorm fridges works great if you set it to temp for ageing cheese)
Until then I am just happy to have the basics and be able to enjoy them. My advice would be to start slow and understand why you are doing what you are doing when you make cheese- kind of like baking bread- you need to understand the process to be able to be sucessful.

[estuary]

for a sour cream variation I use a fil mjolk culture (as opposed to rennet) which results in a creme fraiche... slightly sour - works well as either a desert topper or a burrito/soup addition. It cultures in 24 hours and doesn't require rennet.

I also make a yogurt "cheese" (where the whey is drained off and the resulting thick 'cheese' is spreadable (last week I added garlic powder, salt and cumin powder for a cracker spread - and I've also made a sweet version with honey).

No true cheeses happening here as I am awaiting the day of a larger kitchen, more time at home, and access to more milk...

[GouGou]

Fromage Blanc

Hi. I'm new here and this is my very first post!

I make a cultured milk product called "Fromage Blanc". It's very similar to yogurt, but tastes subtly different. It's used in France as yogurt is used elsewhere. I got turned on to it while visiting a couple of years ago. You simply cannot find it in the US (well, actually, you can, but it's salted and isn't quite the same thing).

I get my starter from a company called New England Cheesemaking Co. (cheesemaking.com). It's a good source for other things, too, if you're interested in making your own cheese.

The starter comes with instructions, but I do things a little differently. It's a longer process, but well worth it.

So... You start with 1 gallon of whole milk in a large pot. You need a thermometer (I have a digital one that beeps when the desired temperature is reached). Heat to 180 F, then cool to 86 F (I think this is done mainly to condense the milk). You may want to skim off the skin several times during the heating-cooling process. Empty milk into a large glass bowl, add starter, cover with plastic wrap, then place in a draftless, undisturbed place to set for 12-18 hours, the longer the better.

At this point you have a product that looks like yogurt. Prepare a collander by lining it with cheesecloth, and put it on top of a container to collect the liquids (whey). Using a ladle, spoon the Fromage into the cheesecloth lined collander, then place into the refrigerator to drain for 5 hours or so (longer gives a thicker consistency). Remove from fridge after draining and using a hand whisk blend the Fromage to smooth out the lumps.

You can use this the same way you use yogurt.

Let me know if you have any questions...

Enjoy

[RootBeerFloat]

:

Especially interested in instructions on how to make cottage cheese from raw cow's milk!

[rareimer]

i would LOVE to make sour cream. i know that apparently you can use the Yogourmet cheese starter to do it, but i'm not sure what's involved.

[JElaineB]

Originally Posted by Ally'smom

:

Especially interested in instructions on how to make cottage cheese from raw cow's milk!

Do you want to make it with or without a purchased starter? I have recipes for both that should work, but I've never tried them.

[Contented73]

I'm also a fan of the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company. We bought our starter kit from them a year ago, and have made plain old mozarella more than anything -- it is really easy, especially if you start with raw milk. Obviously these aren't specific instructions, but the gist is that you add the culture, heat it, let it separate, and then scoop off the top. It takes about an hour. We made it last weekend and used the mozarella for pizza, and kept the leftover whey in a pitcher in the fridge, and have been using that in all sorts of different recipies (oatmeal, fermenting, just drinking, etc.)

Hard cheeses are much more complicated, but the NE Cheesemaking Supply Co. has a great video to help you get started. I'm sure there are lots of cheesemaking books out there as well.....and...hmm, doesn't Nourishing Traditions have basic recipies? I know it at least has the recipie for cream cheese, which seems super easy. Basically just let your milk sit out and sour and curdle, then remove the solids. Of course you have to start with raw milk, though.

This probably didn't answer your question at all -- but I'm just happy there are other people out there interested in cheese making!

Suzanne.

[snowbunny]

Originally Posted by estuary

for a sour cream variation I use a fil mjolk culture (as opposed to rennet) which results in a creme fraiche... slightly sour - works well as either a desert topper or a burrito/soup addition. It cultures in 24 hours and doesn't require rennet.

Where'd you find the fil mjolk culture? I've been looking to try some.

[GouGou]

Whey out...

Hi. So, after my post, I got inspired and made up a bunch of Fromage Blanc (see my previous post...). I'm straining it right now and will end up with yellowish liquids (I'm new to NT, waiting for my book to arrive, and assuming the yellowish liquids are the whey...).

Up to this point in my life, I've haven't been keeping or using the whey for anything, but I'm thinking that there are at least a dozen uses for it.

Also, how long will it keep for?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

GouGou

[RootBeerFloat]

Originally Posted by JElaineB

Do you want to make it with or without a purchased starter? I have recipes for both that should work, but I've never tried them.

Both?

[JElaineB]

Originally Posted by Ally'smom

Both?

I'll try to remember to post them tonight.

[JElaineB]

Cottage cheese recipe

This cottage cheese recipe is from The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker that I got for Christmas from my parents in 1980 when I was not quite 10 years old. I am parapharsing quite a bit, so I hope this isn't considered copyright infringement.

Ingredients
1 gallon milk - it calls for skim but but I am not sure why
(1/2 cup buttermilk - if using pastuerized milk)
Heavy cream - approx 1/4 cup
salt

Instructions
The milk needs to be sour to make cottage cheese. For raw milk you would just need to set the milk out and let it sour (may take several days). If using pasteurized milk, she says to mix 1/2 cup of cultured buttermilk with 1 gallon milk and let it stand at room temp (covered) for 1-2 days until it smells slightly sour and has clabbered, resembling pudding. It sounds to me this is just making more cultured buttermilk?

When the milk is sour, put it in a heatproof 6 qt. bowl on top of a 6 qt. pot of water filled 1/3 of the way full (basically make a double boiler). Heat VERY slowly without stirring until puddinglike curds form, with the whey rising above. This may take up to one hour. During this time the water must not boil and the milk must not be stirred.

After the curds are well formed, remove from heat and pour whey into a smaller bowl. This can be used for other things (you could make ricotta cheese with it, or save it for later).

Dampen 1 square yard of cheesecloth and line a colander with several thicknesses of cheesecloth, place a shallow pan underneath. Pour the curds into the colander and press out the excess whey with a large spoon. Gather the cloth around the curds and squeeze out more whey. Rinse the wrapped curds under cold water and squeeze more.

Place the curds in a large bowl and mash with a fork with just enough heavy cream to keep the curds together. Add salt to taste. May be formed into 12 cottage cheese balls. Chill until serving time. Makes 2 lbs. of cottage cheese.

[JElaineB]

Cottage cheese recipe (requires purchased starter)

This recipe is from Making Great Cheese at Home by Barbara Ciletti. Also parapharsing quite a bit.

The author suggests non-homogenized milk for all her recipes. However, she does suggest pastuerized milk. She seems pro-raw milk, but says if you are using raw milk to pasteurize it yourself before us in her recipes. I'm not sure if this step is necessary or not. To pasteurize, slowly heat milk in a double boiler until it reaches 144-145 degrees F, hold at that temp for 30 minutes (you may need to lower the heat or turn it to maintain the correct temp.) Remove and cool to 40 degrees F in a basin of ice or ice water. Use immediately or refridgerate for future use.

Cottage Cheese
This recipe takes about 24 hours start to finish.

Ingredients
1 gallon whole cow's milk (she says pasteurized milk - see note above)
4 ounces fresh, or 1/2 teaspoon powdered, mesophilic direct-set starter culture (contains culture and rennet)
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Slowly heat the milk in a double boiler until it reaches 70-72 degrees F. Gently stir in the mesophilic culture, making sure it blends evenly. Cover pot with lid and place pot in a draft free spot. Curds set best at 70-72 degrees, so if your kitchen is cooler, wrap a towel around the pot for insulation. Allow to incubate 15-20 hours. The consistency after this time should be firm but not extremely dense.

Cut with a stainless steel knife into 3/8 to 1/2 inch cubes. Allow the curds to settle for 30 min, the whey will rise to the top.

Heat the curds very slowly for 45-55 min in the pot over a double boiler. Each one degree rise in temp should take 1-1.5 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes to prevent curds from sticking together.

Continue to stir while raising the temp to 110 degrees F - another 15-20 min. Hold temp at 110 degrees F and stir for 25-35 minutes. The curds will firm up as the whey cooks out. Once you are happy with the texture remove the pot from the double boiler and let it sit for 10 min.

Line a colander with cheesecloth and place a basin under it to collect whey. (Do not place colander directly in the sink unless it has been scalded.) Slowly pour the curds and whey into the colander and drain for 10 minutes. Wrap the cheesecloth around the curds, and dip the bundle in a bowl of water several times to rinse the curds. Drain in the colander for a few more minutes, then rinse again, this time in a bowl of ice water. Allow curds (still in cheesecloth) to drain in colander again for 15 min.

Transfer curds to a mixing bowl, loosen with a fork and add 2-4 tablespoons heavy cream, depending on desired consistency. Sprinkle salt over mixture and blend. Refridgerate 2 hours before serving.


(After posting all that, the first recipe sounds much easier!)

[estuary]

Snowbunny, sorry I didn't see your question yesterday...

I got my starter for fil mjolk from GEM Cultures - and it's been doing just great though I've entered some sort of odd phase at the moment that hopefully is being overcome even as I type (culture got a little ropey from being left out too long- but I'm doing successive small batches nearly daily and it seems to be normalizing).

If you're near Sacramento, CA I'd be happy to share...

[bluets]

could cottage cheese be made starting with kefir? i miss cottage cheese (and other cheeses) but i'm casein intolerant. but good aged kefir doesn't bother me one bit.

[beachbuminthecity]

Originally Posted by bluets

could cottage cheese be made starting with kefir? i miss cottage cheese (and other cheeses) but i'm casein intolerant. but good aged kefir doesn't bother me one bit.

Just in case you haven't found the answer here it is :

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...8&postcount=11

[Thystle]

bump