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Cottage cheese is made from curds from cow’s milk. You can use any type of milk from non-fat to whole milk. The curds tend to be different sizes ranging from small to large and can be creamed, whipped, lactose-free, and sodium-free as well.
So why not give it a go at home.
Ingredients
2 litres milk
1/4 tsp mesophilic starter
1/4 tsp of Rennet diluted in 1/4 cup water
Equipment Needed:
Thermometer
Knife
Slotted Ladle
Cheesecloth
Large Colander
Method
Heat your milk up. When it reaches 22c you add your culture in and stir until combined.
You can do this by placing the milk in a pot or sink of very warm water. If you do this step on the stove, be sure to slowly heat the milk and stir to avoid burning.
Now add the diluted Rennet. You should put the ¼ tsp of Rennet into ¼ cup of water to dilute
Once the Rennet is added, allow this mixture to now sit for 4-6 hours with the temperature no lower than 20c
Cut the curd into 1 cm size cubes and rest for 10 minutes
Heat your curd by 2 degrees every 5 minutes until it reaches about 32c. Continuously stir the mixture to avoid any matting
then continue to increase the temperature 2 degrees every one minute until the curd reaches a temperature of 43c.
Maintain 43c and continue to stir the mixture gently every few minutes while the curds cook through.
Allow this mixture to cook for about 20 minutes or until curds are firm. Once firm, rest for 5 minutes
Transfer the curds into a colander that’s lined with cheesecloth.
Assemble the corners of the cheesecloth and tie it into a draining bag.
For sweeter cottage cheese, wash your curds by dipping the draining bag in and out of a bowl of cold water.
Allow the bag to drain for 5 minutes then rinse it in cold water and allow it to drain for another 5 minutes.
Transfer it into a bowl and break up any curds that have clumped into larger pieces
Add salt, fresh herbs, or even fresh fruit to add additional flavor.
The fresh cottage cheese should be kept in the fridge and will last about 1 week.
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