Homemade Ricotta from Powdered Milk

So there are dozens of recipes for making ricotta and ricotta-like cheese, and they contain a huge array of ingredients—from the humble powdered milk and vinegar all the way up to copious amounts of fresh whole milk and heavy cream.  True ricotta (which according to everyone on the internet means recooked in Italian) is that cheese extracted from the whey that is produced when making other cheeses from ewe’s milk.  I know some preppers will be keeping sheep for milking, but I don’t know any personally.  Preppers I know will be trying to figure out the best ways to use powdered milk to make tasty food. 

Recipes utilizing powdered milk to make ricotta are far fewer.  But first, I thought it important to be able to make ricotta using fresh milk before moving on to the greater challenge of using powdered milk.  And there will be people with cows or access to fresh milk.  And if we’re lucky, maybe we don’t even need to be prepared for TEOTWAWKI.  Maybe we’ll only have minor disruptions to our lives, such that we’ll still have access to plenty of milk.  Maybe.

Invariably, most of the cheese recipes I run across yield a lot of cheese.  Cheese may be something of a luxury in our future lives, such that we don’t necessarily want to make a big batch.  So I’ve cut recipes down.  Feel free to double or quadruple them. 

Also, you’ll notice some similarities in the recipes, but also some inconsistencies.  I cannot for the life of me figure out why some directions say to gently scoop the curds out while others say to pour the curds and whey into the cheesecloth, and why one even says to scoop the curds out and then pour the whey in.  And then there is the issue of the range in temperature.  The recipes ranged from 175° to 200°F.  It seems anywhere between 180° and 195°F will be safe.

Ricotta Using Whole Milk

1 quart whole milk

¼ cup vinegar (or lemon juice)

In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk and vinegar.  Continue heating and stirring, but do not allow to boil.  Heat until the curds and whey begin to form and separate, about 180-200°F.  Pour the curds and whey through a cheesecloth-lined colander.

 

Ricotta using nonfat milk

1 quart nonfat milk

1 cup buttermilk

In a heavy saucepan over low heat, combine the milk and buttermilk.  Heat until the milk reaches 175°F. 

While the milk is heating, line a strainer with some cheesecloth.  After the ricotta forms on the surface of the milk (this may take some time—be patient!), remove it with a slotted spoon to the cheesecloth.  Let drain for 1 hour at room temperature and then transfer to the refrigerator to continue draining for a few more hours.

Store in an airtight container.  As ricotta is a fresh cheese without preservatives, it is best used within a few days.

Ricotta Using Powdered Milk

1 quart cool water

2 cups powdered milk

3 tablespoons vinegar (or lemon juice)

In a heavy bottom pan, combine the water and powdered milk and stir until the milk is completely dissolved.  Heat the milk over medium low heat to 180°F.  Thoroughly stir in vinegar.  Remove from heat, cover, and let cool completely.  A solid curd should have formed. 

Spoon the curds into a cheesecloth-covered colander.  Let drain completely.  Squeeze additional whey from the curds for a drier cheese, or skip the additional squeezing for a moister cheese.  Store in the refrigerator and eat within a few days.

Note.  You can also make this cheese in a crockpot.

Ricotta Using Whey Leftover from (Other) Cheese Making

You can also use the whey leftover from making cheeses other than ricotta to make ricotta.  However, the yield is really pretty low.  If fuel is precious, heating up a few quarts of whey to produce a few ounces of ricotta may be unwise.  But if that isn’t a consideration, it can surely be done.  The only required ingredient is the leftover whey.

Whey leftover from cheese making

Heat the whey in a large heavy bottomed pot to 200°F.  (If you do not have a thermometer, bubbles will have formed around the edges of the pan.)  Do not stir.  When it reaches 200°F, remove from heat.  Let cool undisturbed for a few hours.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the whey to a cheesecloth-lined colander.  Hang and let drain for 2-8 hours, depending on how moist (2 hours) or dry (8 hours) you would like your cheese.

Links to related posts:

Cottage Cheese  

Queso Fresco  

Neufchatel 

Basics of Dry Milk