Making my own cheese!

[cappuccino]

I'm soo excited.

Was inspired the other night by watching the food network. First it was the souffle, then yogurt, then yogurt cheese.

I've made my own yogurt several times, but was really tempted to try straining the yogurt to make the yogurt cheese. I just tried it and it's yummy! It's a little tangier and lighter than cream cheese (or much like frommage blanc). The possiblities are endless when I eventually mix it up with spices.

Next up, Cottage cheese where I can control the sodium, not to mention milk source!

Anybody know what I should do with the whey drained from the yogurt? Save it, drink it as a pwo shake?

And the biggest question...I'm curious how to find the nutrition breakdown...

[RacerBill]

Great job!! I'm a Food Network junkie, too!

I make labneh (yogurt cheese) frequently and enjoy it with all sorts of stuff. Sometimes I mix in veggies (grated carrot, radish, cucumber, scallion, plus a little salt and pepper) for a cracker spread at a party. Other times I add fresh fruit and spread it on toast.

I'm not sure about the nutrition angle. I usually estimate it based on the yogurt carton and figure most of the eliminated weight is water, so what remains will have the same nutritional value, except compressed.

I confess I've never saved the drained whey. It tastes really nasty by itself!

Tell us all about the cottage cheese, too! What's your milk source? Do you have your own cows?

[Lost Dog]

I think I saw that show. The yogurt cheese looked good.

I made yogurt when I was a kid. It seemed like it took a lot longer than when that guy did it. We must have done something wrong...

Was it that show where the guy goes into all the science and technical reasons why food does what it does?

[cappuccino]

Yeah, it was the scientific guy. I found him quite amusing. And the whole reason I considered saving the whey is because he said it was full of protein.

I think i'll eat this first batch with fruit, but I also want to make a boursin cheese with it. Lots of garlic, dill, chives, pepper. mmmm

Yeah, I've got a couple of cows in my back yard. I meant I can pick skim, 1%, organic or not, etc.

Might experiment with the cottage cheese this weekend. Found a recipe - one just uses buttermilk for the starter, the other uses buttermilk + rennet. Gotta find some rennet (and those recipes too)

[cappuccino]

ok, getting excited again. This recipe might be my first one. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Queso Blanco Recipe
...
This is by far the easiest cheese to make. Called Queso Blanco in the Spanish speaking (it means "white cheese") world it is used throughout the world by different names. It can be eaten strait or mixed in with various dishes. Try it in your lasagna recipes instead of Ricotta or in addition to it. Yum!

INGREDIENTS
.
1 Gallon Whole Milk
1/4 Cup White Vinegar**
.

Heat milk to 180 F (82 C) stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn the milk.
While mixing with a whisk, slowly add the white vinegar. You will notice the milk begins to curdle.
Keep stirring for 10-15 minutes.
Line a colander with a fine cheesecloth.
Pour the curdled milk through the colander.
Allow the curds to cool for about 20 minutes.
Tie the four corners of the cheese cloth together and hang it to drain for about 5 - 7 hours (until it stops dripping).
The solidified cheese can be broken apart and salted to taste or kept unsalted.
** The juice of 3-5 lemons may also be used in substitute or addition to the vinegar. The resulting cheese will have a much more tangy flavor.

here's more recipes:

make your own cheese

[RacerBill]

Cool! I'll have to try this.

I think you guys are talking about Alton Brown's "Good Eats" on Food Network. He's become my idol. Have all his books, too... Yeah, I'm a nerd.

And usually you can find rennet tablets at a health food store. Maybe we can all make this a summer project and compare cheese notes!

[cappuccino]

Yeah, that sounds like fun.

We'll have a cheese making contest, with pics and all!

I need to look for the rennet tabs at our health food store.

[Lost Dog]

Originally posted by cappuccino:
Yeah, it was the scientific guy. I found him quite amusing. And the whole reason I considered saving the whey is because he said it was full of protein.

I think i'll eat this first batch with fruit, but I also want to make a boursin cheese with it. Lots of garlic, dill, chives, pepper. mmmm

Yeah, I've got a couple of cows in my back yard. I meant I can pick skim, 1%, organic or not, etc.

Might experiment with the cottage cheese this weekend. Found a recipe - one just uses buttermilk for the starter, the other uses buttermilk + rennet. Gotta find some rennet (and those recipes too)

If ya tip them cows, maybe you'll find yourself a goat or two behind 'em. Make some goat cheese.

Wow! Cows and a TV. Better'n Green Acres!

[cappuccino]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking too.

ahhh the possibilities.

I love goat cheese.

[RacerBill]

And sheep! Don't forget sheep's milk. There's Pecorino Romano and Roquefort.