cottage cheese semi failure

[Alice In TX/MO]

Last night I made the curd for Colby cheese, and it turned out WONDERFUL. The curds were clearly defined, wonderful texture.

Today, I tried to make large curd cottage cheese, and it is a mess. Tiny gritty curd.

The main difference in the recipes is pasturizing the milk for cottage cheese. I'm wondering if that's what messed things up.

Do you make cottage cheese? What is your procedure?

Thanks,
Rose, rookie cheesemaker

[CountryHaven]

I don't pasturize the milk at all. I don't know if my recipe is different from yours except for the pasturizing, but here is mine. It works great for me:

You need:
one large pot with lid
candy/milk thermometer
a whisk
cheese cloth, or a clean pillow case
a bowl
rennet
1 cup buttermilk
one gallon of milk
long knife

First pour the gallon of milk into the large pot and slowly bring to 90 degrees. While you’re doing that dislove 1/4 tsp liquid rennet, or 1/4 tablet of junket rennet in 1/4 cup cool water. Then pour in the buttermilk and the rennet mix into the milk and whisk thoroughly.

Cover the pot and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours (or overnight).

The milk is set when you take a spoon and cut a piece and it comes out holding it’s shape with nice crisp edges to the cut.

At that point take a long knife and cut the cheese diagonally, and then horizontally in roughly 1/2 inch sections.

Cover and let the curds sit for an additional 30 minutes.

Warm the milk to 115 degrees slowly and keep it between 115 and 120 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pour the cheese into the cheese cloth, or pillowcase. (If you want to save the whey — the discarded broth from the cheese–to make ricotta put a bowl under the cheese cloth and put the cloth in a strainer). Let the cheese drain for 30 minutes.

Dip the cheese (still in the cheese cloth or pillowcase) in warm water and drain 5 minutes.

Dip the cheese (still in cloth) in cold water to rinse and drain.

Put cheese in bowl and salt to taste while breaking up the curds.

Finished.

[Freeholder]

Originally Posted by CountryHaven

I don't pasturize the milk at all. I don't know if my recipe is different from yours except for the pasturizing, but here is mine. It works great for me:

You need:
one large pot with lid
candy/milk thermometer
a whisk
cheese cloth, or a clean pillow case
a bowl
rennet
1 cup buttermilk
one gallon of milk
long knife

First pour the gallon of milk into the large pot and slowly bring to 90 degrees. While you’re doing that dislove 1/4 tsp liquid rennet, or 1/4 tablet of junket rennet in 1/4 cup cool water. Then pour in the buttermilk and the rennet mix into the milk and whisk thoroughly.

Cover the pot and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours (or overnight).

The milk is set when you take a spoon and cut a piece and it comes out holding it’s shape with nice crisp edges to the cut.

At that point take a long knife and cut the cheese diagonally, and then horizontally in roughly 1/2 inch sections.

Cover and let the curds sit for an additional 30 minutes.

Warm the milk to 115 degrees slowly and keep it between 115 and 120 degrees for 30 minutes.

Pour the cheese into the cheese cloth, or pillowcase. (If you want to save the whey — the discarded broth from the cheese–to make ricotta put a bowl under the cheese cloth and put the cloth in a strainer). Let the cheese drain for 30 minutes.

Dip the cheese (still in the cheese cloth or pillowcase) in warm water and drain 5 minutes.

Dip the cheese (still in cloth) in cold water to rinse and drain.

Put cheese in bowl and salt to taste while breaking up the curds.

Finished.

Thank you for posting this. I have been having the same problem with cottage cheese. My chevre turns out just fine, but we can only use just so much chevre (even though I freeze some for winter use). We could eat a lot of cottage cheese if we had it!

Kathleen

[CountryHaven]

You're welcome. I love that recipe.