Uses for whey.

[ericindc]

Now I'm not so certain that what I have is whey. I followed a recipe for making ricotta and after the milk/cream mixture curdled and was strained, I was left with nearly a quart of liquid. Is this resulting liquid not whey?

If it is, a search for uses for whey resulted in many suggestions to make ricotta cheese. Well, making ricotta cheese is how I ended up with the excess liquid in the first place. Can I just continue to head the liquid, add an acid, and take the resulting curds (more ricotta)? If not, what are some good (and simple) ways to use the liquid?

[soupkitten]

you can make a good smoothie out of it , or use anywhere you'd use buttermilk (except salad dressing). lots of people used to wash their faces in whey in the old days-- it is a traditional beauty treatment.

[BerkshireTsarina]

I make "Greek" yogurt by straining/draining Dannon no-fat yogurt overnight in the fridge. That leaves a lot of whey. My German friend (who calls what I produce "quark" becuz it's pretty close) always drinks it. She says it's very healthy. Healthy or not, I don't drink it, usually throw it away. Last time, though, I was making Elizabeth David's Potage Bonne Femme that morning, so I used the whey in place of some of the water in the soup. Good idea! Probably most thick soups would be good using whey.

[Hoosierland]

A friend of mine makes whey pickles, don't know how he does it exactly, but it involves soaking cucumbers in whey (and probably many other things).

[Sam Fujisaka]

I just drink it (chilled).

[poptart]

What does it taste like? I never liked drinking milk (though I love yogurt and cheese) since I was a child so am kind of hesitant to try if it tastes too much like milk.

Yeah, I am weird. :-)

[Sam Fujisaka]

A bit tart, not at all sweet, refreshing after a workout.

[poptart]

Thanks...maybe I will give it a try next time I make yogurt.
:-)

[chloe103]

Yup - what you have is whey.

Ricotta is traditionally made from whey, which is the liquid that remains when milk has been curdled to make cheese. Some protein remains in the liquid, and by adding acid, it too can be curdled-- those curds are ricotta. What you or I do in our kitchens, making ricotta directly from milk rather than from whey, is a great short-hand version of the process.

I've never managed to get a second batch of ricotta from the whey that I end up with, but it can definitely be put to other good uses. My favourite thing to do is make biscuits, using the whey (rather than buttermilk) as my liquid. I'm happy to post a recipe, if you like.

[todao]

Whey is a watery liquid and it's not unusual for it to be a little bit blue in color.
You can use it in soups, bread, gravy, sauces, milkshakes, etc.