John's Cheese #050 - Ricotta #2 From Whey Only, No Yield!?

[DeejayDebi]

That sounds interesting all you did was cook the whey?

[cmharris6002]

Yep, whey only!

This is the traditional way to do it. Just heat the whey from the Mozz to the point that the curds pop then remove from heat. The curds continue to form for a few minutes. They are lovely curds and can be removed from the whey with a skimmer or a ricotta basket, no need for muslin.

[DeejayDebi]

I will try that tomorow I just made another batch of cheese tonight and reserved 3 gallons of whey.

[cmharris6002]

Is it Mozz Debi?

[DeejayDebi]

Nope it was Manchego. Does this process only work for mozzarella? I've made riccotta from other types of cheese wheys before.

[cmharris6002]

Honestly I have only used this method with Mozzarella whey. I do not know if you will get the same results with whey from other cheeses the composition of the whey is going to be different.

[DeejayDebi]

Well maybe I will try it with only 1 gallon. I need 1 gallon for brining anyway.

[Sailor Con Queso]

The only reason to add in a little extra milk is to boost your yield. Otherwise any old whey will do. The bacteria and/or molds don't matter because 200-210F kills them anyway. Ricotta is one of the few cheeses that we make that has no bacterial activity. It freezes really well.

When foam starts really collecting on top of the hot whey, the curds are getting ready to pop.

[DeejayDebi]

I freeze a lot of riccotta. My faily love manicotti, stuffed shells, lassanga, canolis etc. You can never have to much riccotta in the house!