Best Cheeses You Can Make at Home
Cheese is something that many people know and love. However, did you know that you don’t have to head to the store every time you’re running low on it? There are cheeses you can make in just a few hours, if you really wanted to!
It’s true, running to the store might be quicker, and in many cases, easier, but it might not always be worth it. In case you haven’t noticed, the price of cheese can be ludicrous, and you might come back from the shop feeling like you’ve lost more than a few quid.
The great thing is, you can make your own cheese in the comfort of your own home, provided you have the right ingredients and materials. It might sound scary, but we promise – it isn’t. From mozzarella and feta to mascarpone and even cheddar, the possibilities are endless.
Here, we’re going to go through some of the best cheeses you can make at home, and hopefully tempt you into making some!
Best Cheeses You Can Make at Home
Lucky for us, there are plenty of cheeses that you can make at home, and some of them are stupidly easy. In fact, you might kick yourself after looking at how much money you spend on cheese every month when you could cut the cost.
We will be dedicating articles to how you can make each one of these at home, so you will have all the information you need on this site.
1. Mozzarella
One of the world’s favourites, mozzarella only needs a few simple ingredients to make at home. Making this cheese doesn’t take a lot of work at all, and you are bound to be impressed with how it turns out every time.
There are a few different recipes that you can use to make mozzarella at home, but they all have the same basic ingredients. These include things like whole milk, rennet, and citric acid. Some recipes may call for yoghurt or salt, but this will be up to you.
2. Ricotta
Yet another ridiculously easy cheese to make at home, ricotta only required whole milk and lemon juice (or another kind of citric acid). We said you might kick yourself, remember?
Since ricotta is so frequently used in various forms of cooking, it’s always handy to know how to make it yourself. The bad part is – it is so much easier than you ever could have imagined.
3. Paneer
Paneer, for those who don’t know, is a delicious cheese that hails from the Punjab region in India. You can make this cheese with whole milk and citric acid. It’s incredibly easy to make, and is often used in curry dishes.
Depending on where you are in the world, paneer cheese may also be called cottage cheese. However, we will also be talking about cottage cheese individually because where we’re from, they are different things.
4. Cottage Cheese
As mentioned above, this can sometimes be called paneer, too. However, paneer is typically a more solid cheese that keeps its form, while cottage cheese is crumbly and soft. This cheese can be used for sweet and savoury dishes, and can have a place in any kitchen, making it a useful one to know how to make yourself!
5. Burrata
Burrata has a wonderfully creamy inside, with a more solid outside. This makes it different to the other options on this list, but it’s still so easy to make! You just need heavy cream, whole milk, rennet, and some other simple ingredients.
There are lots of varieties to try out, too. You can guarantee that this is a cheese that you are going to want to make over and over again.
6. Queso Fresco
This non-melting cheese is perfect for frying and grilling, and it’s so easy to make. Like many other cheeses, you are going to need whole milk, and some other ingredients like rennet or apple cider vinegar. This is one cheese that you won’t be able to get enough of.
7. Feta
Although traditional feta cheese is made using sheep and goat’s milk, you can use cow’s milk if you prefer. You will get a different flavour depending on the milk, so be sure to experiment a bit if you want to try new things.
Again, depending on the recipe, you might need things like calcium chloride, salt, or some kind of starter. However, most recipes you use will require a kind of animal’s milk (cow, sheep, goat, or even horse works). On top of that, you will need rennet, and maybe even apple cider vinegar.
8. Cheese Curds
Many people may not be familiar with cheese curds, but they are delicious and versatile. As is the base of most cheese recipes, whole milk and rennet are the basic ingredients. You may need white wine vinegar, or some added ingredients to get your desired results.
9. Mascarpone
If you can get heavy cream, you can easily make your own mascarpone at home, too! This might be one of the easiest options, as all you need is heavy cream and lemon juice.
For those who don’t know, heavy cream is simply the thickest part of the milk. Because of its high fat content, heavy cream will rise to the top of a bucket, bottle, or anything else you put it in. It gets skimmed off the top to be its own product.
If you have livestock like cows or goats, you will be able to get your own heavy cream when you milk them!
10. Quark
If you weren’t aware – quark is actually a type of cheese! This is a type of Eastern-European cheese that is once again a very versatile ingredient in cooking. It’s so easy to make at home, and can be made from buttermilk, but also whole milk mixed with rennet and cultures.
Which Cheese is Easiest to Make at Home?
All the cheeses we’ve mentioned above are super easy to make at home. However, among the easiest has to be mozzarella, cottage cheese, paneer, and queso fresco. These use a handful of simple ingredients, and many of them don’t take long to make at all.
You can start the cheese making process and have cheese the same day!
Basic Materials You Need to Make at Home
For the majority of cheese making endeavours at home, you are going to need some easy-to-get equipment. There are as follows:
- A large pot
- A good-quality thermometer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large bowls
- Skimmer and spoons with long handles
- Colanders
- Butter muslin or a cheesecloth
Final Thoughts
Who knew there were so many great cheeses that you can make at home? The thing is, this isn’t even a full list by any means! You can make cheddar cheese at home, as well as a dozen others, but many of these are more complicated.
We will still be covering these cheeses, this seems to be a good place to start if you are just starting out.
Stick around if you want to find out more about being self-sufficient and learn how to do more things yourself. It’s time we took the power back into our own hands, and remind ourselves of what we are capable of, don’t you think?