Homemade Ricotta Cheese From Whey

Total Time: 17 mins Preparation Time: 2 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 1 gallon whey, actually the whey left from a 1-2 gallon cheesemaking session
• 1 pinch salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives (optional)

Recipe

• 1 this recipe is so simple that it was difficult to get it published here as there is a requirement of a minimum of 3 ingredients.
• 2 there is no requirement for the chives or even the salt, but i was required to have 3 ingredients. all you really need is how ever much whey you have left over from your cheesemaking session.
• 3 in a stainless steel pot, heat the whey until it reaches 200 degrees. do not stir. you'll notice a film that will start forming on the top of the whey. this is your ricotta starting to form.
• 4 when your whey reaches 200 degrees, take it off the heat. you'll know when you have reached this temperature as bubbles will have formed around the edges. using a slotted spoon or ladle, scoop the layer of thickened ricotta that formed on top of the whey into a cheesecloth-lined colander over a bowl. continue scooping the ricotta until all that's left is the clear whey.
• 5 grab all 4 corners of the cheesecloth and tie into a ball. place a string around the top of the cheesecloth/ricotta bundle and hang to drain over a bowl.
• 6 for moist ricotta, hang for 2 hours.
• 7 for more dry ricotta, hang for 8 hours.
• 8 remove ricotta from cheesecloth and store in a mason jar or plastic tub. it's now ready to be used in recipes or add salt & herbs and it becomes a wonderful cheese spread.
• 9 enjoy!