How to Make Cottage Cheese at Home
As time has gone on, life has gotten exponentially more expensive. Inflation has caused many food items to go up in price. So enjoying simple foods like cheese or bread has become quite a pricey endeavour.
But did you know that you can make a lot of these store-bought foods at home? Cheese, bread, and most other foods can actually be made at home. In this case, I am going to go over how you can make cottage cheese at home. It is far easier than you might think!
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in and get started!
What Are You Going to Need?
There are inevitably going to be a few things that you need to make a delicious batch of cottage cheese.
There are a few pieces of equipment that will make your life easier while you are making cottage cheese. I have listed everything below:
- Stainless Steel Pot
- Cooking Thermometer
- Knife
- Large Spoon
- Large Colander
- Butter Muslin Cloth
I have listed the ingredients you will need down below:
- Whole Milk – One gallon of milk is needed for this cheese recipe.
- Vinegar – This recipe calls for ¾ of a cup of vinegar.
- Salt – One teaspoon of salt is required to make cottage cheese.
- Heavy Cream – About a half of a cup is needed for this recipe.
With just these three ingredients you should be well on your way to making your own delicious cottage cheese!
Step-By-Step Instructions on How to Make Cottage Cheese
At this point you should have everything you need to get started with your cottage cheese. Now all you need to do is follow the instructions we have laid out below:
Step 1 – Heat Whole Milk
Pour your whole milk into a pot and allow it to slowly heat up to about seventy-nine degrees Celsius. Make sure to continuously stir so that the milk does not get scorched on the button.
Step 2 – Add Vinegar and Stir for Ten to Fifteen Seconds
Take your pot off the heat once it has reached the appropriate temperature. Add your vinegar to the pot and stir your mixture for between ten and fifteen seconds. After a little stirring, you should cover your pot and set it aside so that it can rest for about thirty minutes.
Step 3 – Line Your Colander with a Butter Muslin Cloth
Before you can strain your whey, you should line your colander with a butter muslin cloth. Next, put your colander over a big pot so that you can catch and separate the whey.
Step 4 – Drain the Curds from the Whey
Pour your solids into the colander and let the whey drain into the pot. We recommend that you allow your curds and whey to separate for a minimum of thirty minutes. You can leave it for longer if you like.
Step 5 – Dip the Curds in Cool Water
Tie the ends of your butter muslin cloth together so that there is a nice tight ball. This ball should then be dipped into cold water so that the curds can become chilled. Once the curds have evenly chilled, squeeze out the excess liquid before moving on to the next step.
Step 6 – Break Up the Curds and Add Salt
Pour your curds into a large clean bowl and break it up. When all your curds are appropriately small, add some salt and stir it into the curds.
Step 7 – Add Heavy Cream
If you want to add a bit of additional creaminess to your cottage cheese, you can always add some heavy cream. This is not a necessary step, but it can help make your cheese creamier.
Step 8 – Refrigerate
With that, all that is left is to refrigerate your cheese and cover it. Your cheese should be good to use for a few days. But the sooner you use it the better.
A Few Great Cottage Cheese Recipes
For those of you that might need a recipe to follow with a bit more detail, this section is going to be perfect for you. I have found three recipes which I thought were the best, make sure to check them out below to learn more:
- Housewife How To – This is a fantastical yet simple recipe that just about anyone should be about to follow and make tasty cottage cheese.
- Side Chef – If you want to make cottage cheese at home and need a different recipe, this is a fantastic option.
- All Recipes – This is a quick and easy cottage cheese recipe that you should be able to make without any trouble.
There are many great cottage recipes online, if you want to find something a bit different, you are sure to find something that will suit you. But the three recipes I have listed above are really amazing.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully you have enjoyed reading this article and learning about how you can make cottage cheese at home. It really is super easy to do. Just make sure that you have all the right ingredients and the equipment. With those two things, you should be able to whip up a decent and delicious batch of this famous cheese.
With all of that said, if you have enjoyed reading this article, and learning about making this tasty cheese you should absolutely check out our website. We have a wide range of fantastic homesteading and self-sufficiency articles available for you to peruse. From how to make feta cheese to how to make homemade butter.
Thanks for reading!