Cheese making at home is great fun!
A range of delicious cheeses can be produced in your own kitchen using everyday ingredients and very little special equipment. Although there is a huge variety of cheese available to us now, even the simplest ones can be expensive to buy and, let's be honest, what could be nicer than knowing that you have made something yourself?
Your step by step guide
Lets make Ricotta
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A traditional ricotta is a low fat cheese made from the whey that remains after the curd is removed to make another cheese.
Ingredients
3 litres skimmed milk 150ml lemon juice
Equipment
large stainless steel pan
digital thermometer
30cm muslin square
scalded stainless steel colander
basket soft cheese mould
large bowl
baking tray
2 chopsticks, boiled for 3 minutes
Makes 300-400g, depending on how much you drain the cheese.
Step
one
Place the milk in a large pan set over a medium heat. Use a digital thermometer to monitor the temperature and, when it reaches approximately 90°C, remove the pan from the heat and tip in the lemon juice.
Step
two
Stir gently as the curds form then leave them to sit in their whey for 30 minutes.
Step
three
Place the muslin in the colander set over a large bowl and ladle the curds into the colander.
Step
four
Allow them to drain for 2-3 hours in a cool place then transfer the drained curds, still in their muslin, to a basket cheese mould set.
Step
five
Place on two chopsticks on a baking tray and leave for a further 4 hours. To store, transfer the cheese mould to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then enjoy!
Buy the book for more cheese making recipes
Making soft cheese is surprisingly easy and very rewarding. You only need a few inexpensive ingredients to create delicious feta, mozzarella and more that's so much fresher than shop bought. Our Soft Cheese book is full of simple recipes and tips to guide you through every step, put together with the help of Good Food columnist Gerard Baker.
Buy the book
