Hello everybody, I've been lucking a little bit here, and decided to come out of the shadows.
I'm Pete, and I made my first batch of cheese yesterday. Turned out great. I followed this recipe: http://www.cheesemaking.com/howtomakemozzarellacheese.html#Anchor-How-47857 (http://www.cheesemaking.com/howtomakemozzarellacheese.html#Anchor-How-47857)
I used some milk from the local walmart, a brand that is made here locally. Pasturized and Homogenized. I used Makala Liquid Rennet and Citric acid powder. Everyting went well, but I did let the curd set for longer than the recipe called for. The result was delicious, a firm and fresh tasting pizza cheese.
It made decent pizza, though when it melted it didn't spread out. Still tasty though!
Since it went so well I tried to make ricotta, but the curds were quite small, and I didn't have a good way to drain such a small curd.
So, my plan is to learn more, make a bunch of fresh cheeses, and have fun!
Welcome to the forum. I'm formerly of Fall Creek, OR. Best bet on the ricotta is to cook until you're satisfied you've exhausted the whey, then pour the whole thing through a cheesecloth lined colander, at least to capture the max amount.
Welcome from Corvallis!
Welcome to the forum and happy cheesemaking!
For your ricotta with the mozzarella whey, just add milk to the whey and increase the volume. The acidity of that whey is so high that it will instantly affect all the milk that you mix into it. You can do 2x milk for every portion of whey you are using easily. It's called a "whole milk ricotta".
Welcome from Oakridge Oregon, Is Phogi a Duck name or a Beaver name? :)
Haha, It's a Cincinnati Bearcat name. Ducks and Beavers? Never heard of em
/end rib poke
Welcome,
I usually drain my ricotta in a finer 'cheesecloth'... ok so i raided the babies wraps and stole a few close weave ones, sterilised them in a pot on the stove and use that. Also i use normal cloths and just double or triple them over though i have found it doesnt drain as well.
Anyway all the best with your cheese making!