Homemade Ricotta
Making homemade ricotta is one of the easiest and impressive things you can do in the kitchen! The taste of fresh ricotta is incredible, and making your own cheese will make you feel pretty cool--well worth it.Homemade ricotta is also much less expensive then grocery store brands and doesn't contain added preservatives. Once again, the benefits of going back-to-the-basics, and making food from scratch, is totally worth the small amount of time and effort needed to make it!One batch of the homemade ricotta recipe below is the perfect amount for a homemade lasagna. However, ricotta is not just a lasagna ingredient, sweet or savory, there are many tasty ways to serve up. Check out The Kitchn's "Top 5 Things to Do with Ricotta."
How to Make Homemade Ricotta
You'll need:
- 8 cups (2L) Organic Whole Milk (3.8% MF), Homo Milk will also work but whole milk has a slightly richer taste.
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 5 tbsp White Vinegar
- Cheese Cloth
- Slotted Spoon
- Large bowl
- Candy Thermometer
- Large Pot
First, combine the milk and salt in a large pot. On medium heat, and stirring often, heat the milk to 203° F (95° C).Once it's reached 203°, remove from heat, and stir in the vinegar in a figure of eight about 4 times. The vinegar will curdle the milk, and separate the curds from the whey. Let it stand for 30 min.Cover a large bowl with a double-lined cheese. Make sure the cheese cloth is large enough so you can tie up the corners. Scoop out the curds using a slotted spoon, and transfer to the cheese cloth.
Once you've scooped out all of the curds, gather the corners of the cheese cloth, and tie it somewhere to strain for another 30 min. I tie it to my kitchen faucet.
And that's it! You can keep the ricotta in the fridge for up to 4 days.