homemade Ricotta help

[cassoulady]

I ran home at lunch to make some ricotta in preparation for making ravioli for tonight for some friends. I have now returned to the office and it dawned on me that the recipe called for a gallon of whole milk and I used a half gallon. Any ideas on what I should do since now there was too much vinegar used for the amount of milk I used?

[dingzap]

OK, I've obviously done something very wrong. I tried making ricotta tonight with zero success. I started with 2 quarts of raw whole milk, a bit of salt and about 1/3 cup half-n-half (it was all I had). Heated it to ~ 180 degrees F. I then added 1/4 cup white vinegar. Nothing. Just for kicks I added another 1/4 cup. Nothing

Then I thought, maybe it's the vinegar. I was determined to make this pot of milk curdle, even if it might be inedible. I switched to apple cider vinegar and added another 1/2 cup. Still nothing. This is impossible, right?

[scubadoo97]

If you used ultra high temperature milk it will not curd well. A lot of organics are uhtu

[biondanonima]

Dingzap stated s/he's using raw milk, not organic. Anyway, I've never tried ricotta with raw milk so I don't know what the issue might be, but I would try heating it a little further - it could be that your thermometer is off and it's not getting hot enough to curdle. I never add salt to mine before heating, either - I wonder if that might be part of the problem? How old was your vinegar?

[gembellina]

I'm making Jamie's Italy ricotta fritters tomorrow, and wanted to make my own ricotta as I'm not sure I'll have time to get to a deli to find the crumbly, non-supermarket cheese he specifies. To ensure mine is crumbly, it seems from the posts above that I should a) drain it for longer rather than shorter, and b) possibly heat it more thoroughly than I otherwise might? Any other ideas for ensuring the right consistency?

[cassoulady]

I keep making ricotta following the same porportions i always have and its always different. most recently it was so cumbly I had to add back cream to make it creamy. it is always tasty though.

[smtucker]

One answer to this: your milk is always different! Frustrating sometimes, but you can always "fix" it. I general, you want to buy the freshest, least-processed milk available. However, I usually don't plan to make it and just use whatever is in the fridge and live with the inconsistency.

[walker]

So, what's your formula? Do I need a 1/2 gal or gal of milk plus a pint of 1/2 and 1/2 and then the 1/4 cup of white vinegar?

[cassoulady]

I use one half gallon of milk and 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 isp salt. then if its crumbly, i pour in a little cream if I want. for a savory preparation I add more salt as needed

The crumbly batch from this week was really nice on a salad so it never goes to waste

[smtucker]

What kind of vinegar have you been using? I generally use lemon juice, but inspired by your post, I came home with some High Lawn milk to make ricotta cheese, so this is a great opportunity to try a different method.

[cassoulady]

I just use regular distilled white vinegar. I have menat to try it with lemon juice but lemons always seem to get used quickly in my house but plain old vinegar is always in the pantry.

[smtucker]

Must be kismet.... I never have distilled white vinegar in the pantry and bought some last week on a whim. Will give this a try.

[cassoulady]

Well I had been taught that using vinegar in a spray bottle is like a spray startch.... so I have it for that reason though its been gathering dust for ages. Now I have a use for it and ricotta is more fun than ironing.

[walker]

Here's a great use for that white vinegar: run tap water until hot. cut off. pour about 1/2 cup or more baking soda down around drain area, then, pour about 1 cup or so of the vinegar down the drain, follow with hot water. It'll foam out when you add the vinegar and it's a non toxic way to clean your drains now and then. Kids love to see this little experiment.

[smtucker]

I actually have a vinegar for that. It is an industrial strength Heinz vinegar that I buy in 3 gallon jugs. But it is completely nasty to eat.... ugh. I made a potato salad with it once in a fit of panic. Can you guess what happened to those five pounds of potatoes?

I love to keep some [diluted of course] in a spray bottle for cleaning as well. Does a great job on windows.

[biondanonima]

The milk is always different and also the amount of time you drain it may be different, which will cause it to be wetter or drier. Also, just a degree or two difference in the temp of the milk can make a huge difference too. I accidentally boiled a batch the other day and the curd is SUPER dry and tough (not surprisingly). However, it still tastes pretty good so I'm finding uses for it - I blended it with some other cheeses last night as a filling for peppers and it was good.

[cassoulady]

How does ricotta making differ from cottage cheese making?

[scubadoo97]

Or making paneer for that matter.

[biondanonima]

The cottage cheese recipes I've seen call for the milk to be heated less (only to 120 degrees or so), which I believe results in a less firm set of the curd. You have to let it settle for a while afterwards, and add half and half to the curd to get the creamy cottage cheese texture. Here's a link with a couple of other methods:
http://extension.missouri.edu/publica...

[Mr Taster]

If I may nitpick for a moment, while clotting whole milk delivers delicious results, true ricotta (which in Italian means something akin to "twice cooked") is made from the leftover whey from a prior cheese making session. I think the whole milk clotting method is more akin to Indian paneer than true ricotta.

But no matter how you make ricotta (or ricotta style cheese), handle the curds and coagulation very gently. The rougher you handle them, the tougher the curds will be. Soft, tender curds are the hallmark of excellent ricotta.

Mr Taster

[scubadoo97]

It's okay to nitpick. No doubt homemade "ricotta" is not the same as the real deal and the method of making it is essentially the same as for paneer.

[walker]

I, also, recently tried to make ricotta. The recipe was by Mario Battali posted on the "What's on my Plate" blog.

It called for heating 2 quarts of whole milk and 1 pint of 1/2 and 1/2 and a pinch of kosher salt-- to a full boil-- remove from heat, add 1/4 cup of white vinegar or lemon juice.

I did it with vinegar. You drain it with cheesecloth. Do you think this recipe was copied wrong and I should have used a gallon of milk?

I like it ok but it's not as creamy as the fresh whole milk ricotta I can get from Italian grocery.

[biondanonima]

A quarter cup of acid to a gallon of milk is the typical ratio but I often need more than that for good coagulation and it doesn't have an adverse effect on the cheese. If you prefer a creamier texture for your ricotta, add heavy cream or half and half after it's drained until you get the consistency you desire.

[c oliver]

walker, that blog looks great! And I think most I've seen are a waste of time so that's some praise from me. I've saved it. Thanks.

[biondanonima]

I have made ricotta from leftover whey as well, but it takes SO much whey to get a reasonable yield of ricotta that it's not really a worthwhile endeavor for me as a home cheese maker. I would love to buy the authentic stuff, but I'm not sure where to find it, even in NYC.

[cassoulady]

it turned out great actually.

[biondanonima]

The vinegar stays in the whey, so no worries about your cheese being too tart. I make homemade ricotta frequently and I often find I have to add more vinegar than the 1/4c. per gallon of milk to make it coagulate properly (I think my vinegar might be old). It never affects the flavor.

[monavano]

How much vinegar did you use? It may not be that bad.
That said, you can counter the sour with agave or honey...even sugar. I don't know if after that the ricotta will work for a savory dish, however.
It may work out. Think about adding spices such as dried oregano also.

[cassoulady]

the recipe called for 1/4 c vinegar per gallon of milk so I used 1/4 c vinegar but with one half gallong milk

[monavano]

You might want to pick up store-bought ricotta to be safe ;-(

[ospreycove]

Whwn you strain and pour off the whey add water to dilute the vinegar.

[scubadoo97]

no brainer. Just rinse it off