How To Make Homemade Cottage Cheese

Not only does making your own cottage cheese save you money, but look at the number of unnecessary ingredients you eliminate.

Ingredients in store-bought cottage cheese (I used Horizon Organic brand as an example): Organic Pasteurized and Cultured Skim Milk, Organic Milk, Organic Cream, Organic Nonfat Milk, Salt, Tri-Calcium Phosphate, Locust Bean Gum, Carrageenan, Microbial Enzyme (Non-Animal, Rennetless)Live and Active Cultures: L. Acidophilus and B. Bifidus.

Ingredients in homemade raw milk cottage cheese: Milk.

Additives like xanthan gum and locust bean gum have been linked to gastro-intestinal and respiratory problems, while carrageenan is thought to cause ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis). If these studies are true, it's a good thing the store-bought cottage cheese contains active cultures (that are added to replace the natural ones killed during pasteurization) to help repair all of the damage it is doing.

How to make cottage cheese from raw milk

The process I use for making cottage cheese from raw milk is very similar to the process for making cream cheese, but instead of starting with yogurt, I simply leave the raw milk out on the counter for several days and allow the curds and whey to separate on their own. Remember, this will only work with raw milk, which contains the beneficial bacteria that is normally killed during the pasteurization process. Pasteurized milk spoils when it is not kept cool.

Here is what my milk looked like after 5 days on my kitchen counter:



Once you can see that your curds and whey have separated, simply strain it using cheesecloth or a dishtowel until you reach the desired consistency. If you strain it longer, you will get cream cheese.



Once you have reached the desired texture, simply salt to taste.



Save the whey to use for lacto-fermenting or to make some ricotta cheese.

How to make cottage cheese from pasteurized milk

I have never actually tried the following methods, but I was given the recipes by one of Adam's patients, who says she has the best luck with recipe 2. You would not want to try recipe 1 with raw milk, because the heat would kill all of the beneficial bacteria.

Recipe 1:
Boil one gallon of milk. Add 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar and stir. The milk will immediately curdle. After it cools, pour it through a colander and add cream until you reach your desired consistency. Salt to taste.


Recipe 2:
Heat 2 gallons of fresh milk until it is barely lukewarm (do not heat past 110 with raw milk). Add 1/4 tablet rennet (if using junket rennet add 1/2-whole) dissolved in 1/4 c. water. Let it stand until firm and then cut into small curds. Heat the curds until warm (100 - 106) for 5 minutes and be careful not to let them mat together. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Salt to taste and add a little fresh milk or cream.

-Jessica

How To Make Homemade Cream Cheese and Whey

Place a strainer over a bowl and lay a piece of cheesecloth or a clean dishtowel over the strainer. Take your homemade yogurt and pour it into the cheesecloth.



Cover the yogurt and after a few hours, tie the cloth to a spoon and hang over a glass container so you can see when it is done dripping.



When it is done dripping (it took mine 9-10 hours) you have cream cheese and whey. I strained approximately 2 cups of yogurt and got 1 1/4 cups of whey and about four ounces of cream cheese.





The cream cheese will last for one month in your fridge and the whey has a shelf life of six months refrigerated. I had my cream cheese with some jelly on toast for breakfast and it tasted different than store-bought cream cheese - slightly more sour - but it was still delicious.

Facts about whey:

Ever wonder what the gelatinous goo on the top of your yogurt is? Well, that is whey. Don't throw it down the sink - make sure to mix it back in with your yogurt, because it is really good for you.

Whey is a very high source of natural food sodium, which keeps your joints healthy and your ligaments elastic. It is also high in vitamin B12 and many minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, zinc, calcium and phosphorus.

Whey is also great for digestion because of the probiotics. Add one tablespoon to your water and drink three times per day.

If you add homemade whey to your jars of fruits and vegetables it provides lactobacilli, preventing the growth of harmful bacteria and increasing the shelf life.

Whey is a complete protein, containing all of your amino acids, which is why it has become increasingly popular among bodybuilders as a protein powder. To get one tablespoon of dried whey protein powder you would need 2 quarts of regular liquid whey.

Whey can be made into ricotta cheese by heating it, allowing it to ferment, and separating the curds.

-Jessica

Sources:

Fallon, Sally. Nourishing traditions the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats. Washington, DC: NewTrends Pub., 1999.

Jensen, Bernard. Food healing for man. Escondido, CA: B. Jensen, 1983.

"How to Make Ricotta Cheese: 9 steps (with pictures) - wikiHow." WikiHow - The How-to Manual That You Can Edit. 07 July 2009 .