I made homemade cheese today(pics)

[2lilboots]

I found a recipe for Quesa Blanca and I ran with it. Actually I combined 2 recipes to make what I ended up with. I used:

8 cups whole vitamin D milk, pasturized and homogenized (don't use ultra pasturized)
1/8 cup distilled vinegar
2 squirts lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt (no iodine)(you can add more, I just didn't want a heavy salt flavor in my cheese I get enough salt, it all depends upon your tastebuds, but it needs to have some salt because it will be sitting out for several hours before you put it in the fridge)
1 small jalopeno pepper seeded and diced fine
2 medium garlic cloves minced
Pepper (to taste)
Very fine cheesecloth or buttercloth or floursack towel(which is what I used and it works great)

I heated my milk in a stainless steel pot(no aluminum) til the temp got to 170 degrees F ( one chef said til the milk is about ready to foam, another chef said til 180-185 degrees F) I got it to 170 and it looked like it was going to foam and took it off the heat.

I added my vinegar and lime juice. Gave it a stir. The curds immediately began to form. I stirred just a little bit longer.

I then poured the curds and whey(the juice the curds are floating in) into my steamer pot that I had lined with my floursack towel.

I let it drain, squeezed it a good bit, then added my jalopeno, garlic, pepper, and salt and mixed well.

Then I twisted my floursack towel with the cheeseball in it and have it draining hanging in my steamer pot. Okay, it is supposed to drain for at least 4 hours.

Then you need to put it in a mold so here is the deal with the mold. Take a veggie can and open in, empty contents and have for supper. Clean it very well in soapy sudsy water and then cut the bottom off of it. Be careful because the edges will be sharp.

After your cheeseball has drained for 4 hours, take out of cheesecloth(floursack towel) and put into mold. Make sure mold is sitting in some type of strainer over a bowel to collect anymore whey that will drain out of your cheese. Weight the cheese down with a heavy bottle of somesort (make sure bottom is clean or put some type of wax paper over the cheese before you put the bottle on it. After 12 hours, remove cheese from mold and put in wax paper, put in fridge. Be sure to eat it before the expiration date that was on your milk bottle, jug, whatever.

So that is what I did after I made my lard goats milk soap today

 

[2lilboots]

The only can I could find in my cupboard that I was able to open the bottom and top of with a can opener was a Hunts spaghetti sauce can. I washed it out really well, but there is still a reddish pink stain where the can is welded together. I plan on lining the can with wax paper because I do not want to discolor my cheese. But with using a larger can, I can sit a smaller veggie can on top(inside) the bigger can as the weight to sit on top my cheese(of course the cheese will be covered with wax paper, and I have washed my veggie can as well)

So far this has been easy to do. I cannot wait to see and taste the final results. Now I am thinking I wonder how difficult it is to make cheese using rennet?

 

[Ruthie]

So you did go for it! I am excited to see your results. Be sure and report back about how you like it!

 

[2lilboots]

I removed my cheese from my can mold this morning. I ate some last night on some saltine crackers and it was yummy. Of course I ate some again this morning before I wrapped up my llittle cheese wheel in wax paper. I will add more salt the next time I make it. I did read that some of the salt added would end up running out while the cheese was draining and they were right. So I patted some more salt onto the outside of the cheese before I wrapped it up. It now is in the fridge for when I need cheese and crackers. Next batch I will try American Mozzerella, I have the citric acid, I just need to find junket rennet tablets.

 

[maiseycat]

Oh, that looks yummy. I *really* want to try doing that.

 

[petrolejka]

as a kid, we owned cows and goats and we made our own cheese and it was so yumm. But if it didnt have rennet it wasn't cheese. What you made was called something different, I guess english doesnt have a name for it like my language does.
SInce I moved to states, I've been always trying to find this kind of cheese at the grocery store with very little luck. When you buy it plain - with no additives, you mix it with sugar, raisins and egg yolk and then put the mixture in a yeast made dough and bake in the oven, sprinkle with sugar. It's soo good. I havent had those in years and now after reading your post I crave it.
And I am on a diet. roblem:

 

[melstan775]

"Hello delicious. I'm hungry and I'll be your date this evening."

I love cheese. So glad someone found this thread and posted on it. Awesome. *goes and gets cheese*

 

[2lilboots]

What I made was Quesa Blanca and maybe it is not technically "cheese", but it had the texture of cheese, and it tasted like cheese.

 

[melstan775]

What I made was Quesa Blanca and maybe it is not technically "cheese", but it had the texture of cheese, and it tasted like cheese.

If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck.... :lolno:

 

[CaliChan]

That is insanely cool. i deff want to do that now

 

[lizflowers42]

Very nice!

 

[petrolejka]

What I made was Quesa Blanca and maybe it is not technically "cheese", but it had the texture of cheese, and it tasted like cheese.

Oh I didn't mean it in a bad way. I was just thinking of my country and how it's there and stuff. I am pretty sure in the states it's cheese. I think it might be called farmers cheese? Just a plain one.
Either way it's cool and you reminded me of home AND of the fact that I can make my own instead of paying big bucks at the store

 

[Desert Karen]

I removed my cheese from my can mold this morning. I ate some last night on some saltine crackers and it was yummy. Of course I ate some again this morning before I wrapped up my llittle cheese wheel in wax paper. I will add more salt the next time I make it. I did read that some of the salt added would end up running out while the cheese was draining and they were right. So I patted some more salt onto the outside of the cheese before I wrapped it up. It now is in the fridge for when I need cheese and crackers. Next batch I will try American Mozzerella, I have the citric acid, I just need to find junket rennet tablets.

It might be to late to answer, but Wal Mart carries rennet tablets. I think it;s in the jello/pudding section.

 

[Desert Karen]

What I made was Quesa Blanca and maybe it is not technically "cheese", but it had the texture of cheese, and it tasted like cheese.

Queso Blanca, is "white cheese" (Spanish). We consider it a cheese here in California. Queso Fresco is "fresh cheese, and tastes very close to cottage cheese but less "wet".

 

[sstorelli]

So excited for you! My hubby just bought me a Mozzerella (sp?) and/or Ricotta DIY kit this past weekend! I am so excited to try it! This is going to be great!