Ricotta vs. Paneer?

[AvB]

Hello!

I made ricotta last night from the leftover whey from Gouda (mixed with the water used to "wash" the curds) and added milk after reading that it will increase the yield. Unfortunately I didn't read the part where I was to add the milk after the whey had boiled, leaving me with chunky harder curds mixed in with my soft ricotta.

Explaining this to a friend, he said that boiling milk with vinegar is the way to make paneer. I am now wondering what the specific difference is between ricotta and paneer.

[linuxboy]

Panir is pressed after coagulation, like queso fresco, and ricotta is just left to drain. Panir also is usually cooked with lower acidity, and after pressing is sometimes soaked to make it taste a little sweeter. Other than that, they're about the same. Traditionally, panir is cooked to lower temps, about 175F, and ricotta to ~200F.

[AvB]

Thanks! I'll forward this to him. We were debating

[FRANCOIS]

Paneer is made from whole milk while ricotta is a whey product (sometimes with milk added).  Both can be pressed or left to drain.

[Alex]

AvB,

When you make Ricotta from Gouda whey, you should use only the original whey, not the whey after washing the curds. To increase the yield it is recommended to add up to 10% milk to the whey. To get "some" Ricotta use at least 4 liters of whey.
Heat the whey to 72-75 deg C, add the milk and stir well. From now on, don't touch the mixture. Continue heating up to 88-90 deg C and pour in about 1/2 cup of 5% vinegar for 4 liters whey + 400 ml milk. Wait 5-10 minutes and scoop out the curds formed.