I've been wanting to do this for a while now. I love ricotta, and have seen it made on cooking shows, so I know I can do it. I just ordered some jelly straining bags, since I figured that would be easier for me than using cheesecloth, plus they're reusable. I don't have the other ingredients yet, but will get them whenever I get some cash and get to the store. There are only a few ingredients, and although it would probably be cheaper to buy it already made, I want the experience of making it myself. Also, I want to try making a ricotta pie like my Mom used to make at Christmas, and for that, I need firmer ricotta than is sold in the stores here. I'm hopeful that eventually, after I make this a few times, I'll figure out how to best drain/squeeze the whey out so the end product will be firmer, and then will be able to make the ricotta pie.
Thanks @Sheldon Scott, hopefully it will come out really well. I use ricotta a lot, and it would be great to be able to make and use it in my baking and Italian dishes.
I have made yo-cheese before, and that is pretty simple, too. If you have a yogurt maker, then it is also really cheap. Once you make the yogurt, then you just put cheesecloth over a widemouth jar, so that most of it hangs inside the har, and spoon in the yogurt. (Practice on a small size piece first, so you get the idea how long to leave it. ) Once you have the yogurt dripping through the cheesecloth, you can just put it in the refrigerator and leave it overnight. The next morning, you should have a lump of white cheese, similar to cream cheese or ricotta, and some whey in the bottom of the jar. They whey can be added to gravy, or other recipes, or even feed it to your cats and dogs, since it is also healthy for them. Once you have tried this, you can make larger batches by using a gallon-sized jar and more yogurt.
Good luck with your cheese making project. I have seen both ricotta and mozarella cheeses made on cooking shows both on Food Network and Create, which is a PBS channel, and both look fairly easy. When I lived in Ethiopia I used to buy meats at a market run by a German family and they made their own ricotta and mozarella that was sold in the store and it was extremetly good. The mozarella was actually sold in a pouch that had skim milk in with the cheese to help keep it moist and fresh.
Good luck on your cheese recipe creation! I love cheese too! I'll be looking for some pumpkin cheese recipes soon.
I have no idea in making cheese much more ricotta. I only know cottage cheese that we used to buy in the province (when I was on vacation). The vendor said it is made from carabao's milk but he didn't say how they make it. Much better with the butter, I had seen how homemade butter was made using a wooden bucket. Although I was not able to see the entire procedure, I have an idea that butter comes from fresh milk.
@Joyce Mcgregor Mozzarella is another of my favorites, so I'll have to look for some recipes for that. My jelly bags arrived yesterday. I'll be going to the store in a few days, and hopefully I'll remember to pick up the ingredients for the ricotta. Homemade cheese sounds so amazing, I can't wait to try it. I'm envious. My mom has Create, and it's not on my PBS station for some reason. Hopefully when I cut the cord, I will be able to watch their programming via Hulu. @Yvonne Smith I have no idea how to make yogurt. Do you actually need a yogurt maker, or can you make it without one? I don't need a bunch of small appliances, since they cost money and take up room, but that's something I might be interested in trying out later on.
The cheese came out really delicious. I'll use a different pan next time. The bottom of this one is bumpy, and so some of the curds stuck in there and got a little more cooked than the others, hence the slightly darker colored pieces. It doesn't affect the taste, but if I were making it for others, I'd want it to be all one color. I wasn't sure what size pan to use, since the recipe didn't mention yield, and had to go with this at the last minute, rather than hunting around for the bigger, smooth bottomed pan. I think I'll made some rigatoni, sauce and ground beef later, and have it all together. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Next time I plan to make stuffed shells, manicotti or lasagna, I'm going to make my own ricotta again and use it in them. The consistency is firmer than store bought, so I think if I drained it a little more, and squeezed it out, it would probably be perfect for my mom's ricotta pie recipe.