An easy recipe for how to make cottage cheese at home, delicious and creamy!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword cottage cheese, how to, kitchen tips
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 1 hourhour15 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Servings 12servings
Calories 201kcal
Author Cultured Palate
Ingredients
1gallonwhole or skim milk - preferably raw
⅛teaspoonscalcium chloride diluted in ¼ c. water - if using store-bought milk
1packet mesophilic direct-set culture
heavy cream - a few tablespoons to moisten the cottage cheeseoptional
Cheese saltoptional
Instructions
Heat the milk to 72 F. Add calcium chloride now if using it.
Add the starter and stir thoroughly. Cover and allow the milk to ripen for 16 - 24 hours at room temperature.
After the curds have set, cut them into ¼ inch cubes and let rest for 15 minutes. I use a wire whisk to cut the curd and it gives smaller curd cottage cheese.
Put the pot on the stove and heat the curds to 100 F very slowly - this should take about 20 minutes. Stir gently once in a while to prevent the curds from matting.
Once the curds reach 100 F, keep them at 100 F for 10 minutes and stir occasionally.
Slowly increase the temperature of the curds to 112 F - this should take about 15 minutes. Hold the curds at this temperature for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes at 112 F, check the consistency of the curds. To do this, take a few curds between your fingers and squeeze them. They should feel firm - if not and they are still custard-like, the curds need to cook a little longer. Continue checking until they are firm.
Once the curds are firm, allow them to rest for 5 minutes - they will settle to the bottom of the pot.
Pour the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and tie the cloth into a ball. Allow the curds to drain for a few minutes and then dip the bag several times in cold water. This is to rinse any residual whey out of the cottage cheese that could cause it to sour.
Let the cheesecloth bag drain for several minutes and then dip again in ice water - place the bag in the colander and allow it to drain for 5 minutes.
Open the cheesecloth bag and break up any large curds. For a creamier texture, add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream.
Salt to taste.
Place the cottage cheese in an airtight container and refrigerate.
Enjoy!
Notes
Ways To Serve Homemade Cottage Cheese;
Serve with cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat
Serve with fresh fruit
Cottage cheese makes a great topping for baked potatoes (sweet and regular)