The Cheese Stands Alone

Remember? The farmer in the dell? "Hi ho the diary-o, the cheese stands alone..." Oh never mind.

Anyway, I've taken a little venture into cheese making in the last months. Nothing fancy, just a bit of paneer. Kroger always puts organic milk on manager's special for $2.09 a gallon, the only trick is the expiration date is usually that day. So here's what I've been doing:

1) Bring the gallon of milk to a boil over medium high heat. Stir to keep from scalding. Add a 1/4 cup of vinegar as soon as it boils. Stir.

2) Remove from heat. Wait 30 seconds or so for the curds and the greenish whey to separate (one look in the pot and you'll realize little Miss Muffet had odd tastes).

3) Line a colander with a fine cloth (I use muslin) and place over a large bowl or pot (I save the whey). Strain the hot curds mixture into the colander. Let cool until you can handle it safely.

4) Bundle up cloth and squeeze out excess moisture. Place bundle on a surface like a cutting board and put a heavy something on top (I use a pot full of water). This squeezes out the excess whey over the next few hours.

5) Unbundle and... tada! Homemade cheese. Use the paneer in Indian dishes or whatever you like. Put it in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a few months.

But wait! What about the whey, you say?

Well you can let that sit 12 to 24 hours in a pot. When you're ready, heat it on medium heat till it is just shy of a boil. You'll see fluffy curds rising to the top. Cover the pot, remove from heat, and let cool a little bit. Skim the curds off, straining as you did for the paneer if some sink to the bottom, and you have ricotta (pronounced ri-GOUGHT-ta, by the way). Like the paneer it can be kept in the fridge or frozen in a sealed container.

Not bad for a little over $2.