Adding cheese to any dish instantly gives it a creamier and more appetising taste. Fresh cheese is always more delectable than store bought cheese that is full of preservatives and chemicals. Most of us are apprehensive about making cheese at home because we think it's a painstaking task. But contrary to the popular opinion, making cheese at home is quite simple if you get hold of the process. In this article, we will teach you how to make different types of cheese at home without using any specific equipment and just using simple ingredients that are already available in everyone's homes.
* Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is one of the most popular varieties of cheese in India. It is used in making a lot of appetising dishes, especially in the northern part of India. This cheese is made by combining whole milk and some distilled white vinegar. For 3.5 litres of milk, you will need one cup of vinegar. Put your milk in a container and put it on medium heat until it starts boiling. Now after it has been bowled properly, add a cup of vinegar in the milk instead sometimes before your curd starts separating from the whey. Wait for about five minutes. Now line your colander with the cheesecloth and put the curd on the cheesecloth. The excess will drain through the calendar and you will be left with the cottage cheese. Drain it completely from any kind of excess water or moisture and let it sit for about two hours. Your cottage cheese is ready.
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* Mozzarella Cheese
You can also make mozzarella cheese from scratch at home by using some water, some liquid rennet, citric acid, salt and milk. To make mozzarella cheese, you have to combine ¼ cup of water and rennet in a bowl and mix it well. In another container take ½ cup of water along with citric acid. Mix it completely until it gets properly dissolved. Now take 3.5 L of milk in a separate container and heat it over medium heat. Pour your citric acid mixture into the milk. Keep eating the milk and state it very occasionally. Heat it for five minutes after it reaches 90 degrees. Now remove the mixture from the heat and add your rennet mixture in an eight-figure motion.
Stir the milk in a similar motion for at least 30 seconds. Let the mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes after which you can check its firmness with the help of a spoon. Cut this into small pieces and heat it again at 109° F for five minutes. You will see large curdles of cheese floating on the top. Using a strainer, you can strain on the cheese and let it cool down. Now heat your leftover whey for 5 minutes at 180 °F. Tear off your pieces of curd and let them dip in hot whey for 5 to 10 seconds. Not take out the curd and repeat this process until you get the desired mozzarella consistency and elasticity.
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* Feta Cheese
Feta cheese is also one of the most popular varieties of cheese. You can make this by using both cow and goat milk or even a mixture of these two as well. To make this cheese, you will need water, calcium, chloride, whole milk, cheese culture and liquid rennet. Take ¼ cup of water and ½ teaspoon of calcium chloride in a small bowl. Now mix this very well. In another cup take ¼ cup of water and ½ teaspoon of liquid rennet. 43.5 L of milk. Keep the milk until it reaches 86°F. Sprinkle your cheese culture on the surface of the milk. Allow it to dissolve and then cover the milk and let it heat at 86°F for one hour. After one hour pour the calcium chloride mixture into the milk. Add rennet mixture and then let it stand out at room temperature until you are milk sets into curd.
Cut the skirt into small 1-inch pieces and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Now stir this curd at 86°F until it starts sinking at the bottom of the pot. Scoop the whey liquid out of the pot. Take the curd out and put it in a cheesecloth and let it rest until it becomes firm. In another brine mix 8 cups of water, some sea salt, calcium, chloride, and white vinegar. Now submerge cheese in the brine and let it soak in the mixture. This process might take two days to 3 weeks depending on how well your cheese has been cooked.
* Chevre
Making chevre cheese at home is also a great idea as it is one of the easiest cheeses to make at home. To make this cheese, you have to use goat's milk. Heat this milk up to 86°F and sprinkle some culture. Now keep this mixture for 12 hours before hanging it up in a cheesecloth to drain the whey. After handing it up for 6 to 7 hours, you will see that you are left with a thick and stretchy cheese that is chèvre. This is quite easy to make. You can also add some flavouring ingredients like lemon peel, honey, pepper, or some herbs of your choice.
It is possible to make almost all types of cheese at home. The only thing is that you will need to devote a considerable amount of time but the good part is that you will get fresh cheese free of preservatives.