The Food Lab: Fresh Ricotta in Five Minutes or Less
It's time for another round of The Food Lab. Got a suggestion for an upcoming topic? Email Kenji here, and he'll do his best to answer your queries in a future post. Become a fan of The Food Lab on Facebook for play-by-plays on future kitchen tests and recipe experiments. —The Mgmt.
Five-Minute Ricotta
Eager to jump straight into the cheesemaking action?
Get the recipe here »
Given that every single food blog has covered the subject at least twice, it's probably no surprise to all you internet-savvy food hounds out there that ricotta cheese is almost stupidly simple to make at home. Basic instructions: heat milk, add acid, drain, enjoy.*
*Before you nitpickers jump on me (which you undoubtedly will, despite this disclaimer), yes, true ricotta is made from leftover whey, not fresh milk. What we are really making here is a paneer or queso-fresco like cheese.
So how do you make something faster and easier when it was already pretty darn fast and easy to begin with? If you are the impatient type (and honestly, if you are intrigued by making fast and easy things faster and easier, then you probably fall into that category), skip to the bottom of the page for the reveal.
But! For those of you who aren't really into the whole brevity thing, and would like a little more detail about the processes involved in curdling milk, read on.
Why, you might ask, would anyone want to make ricotta at home?
This is why:
News Flash! Store-bought ricotta is almost invariably awful.
True ricotta is made by adding acid to heated whey. The combination of heat and acid causes milk proteins (mainly casein) to bind together, trapping in some moisture and fat, and forming soft white curds.
To make really high-quality ricotta, these curds are then carefully removed from the whey (too much mechanical action can turn them rubbery) and allowed to drain, decreasing their water content, and concentrating their flavor and richness. The result is mind-blowingly simple, yet decadent. Or at least it should be.
The reality is that pretty much all mass-market ricotta producers don't bother to take the time to drain their cheese properly. Instead, they load the stuff up with gums and stabilizers intended to keep the water (and thus their profits) from leaking out.
What you get is a gritty, gluey, rubbery paste that breaks as you heat it, turning your lovely cheesecake or lasagna gritty and watery. No thank you.
Homemade ricotta, on the other hand, poses some problems of its own. Despite the fact that the results are invariably better than the store-bought variety, I've had some truly outstanding batches, and some pretty-decent-but-not-great-enough-to-text-message-my-wife-to-come-home-early-for-dinner batches. There's a lot of mixed info out there about the best method to use, so I decided to test each variable, one by one, to separate the curds from the whey.
Cooking Temperature
Most ricotta recipes call for heating the milk to 180°F, the temperature at which it starts to simmer. But is it really necessary to heat it that high?
I tried heating pots of milk to various temperatures (every five degrees between 150°F and 190°F) before adding vinegar as a coagulant and observing the results. Guess what? Between 165°F and 185°F or so, there was no real noticeable differences in the amount of curd produced, nor the texture of the curd.
So where does this particular piece of culinary you-wishdom come from? My first instinct is that it's a carry-over and misapplication from the days when custards were made with un-pasteurized milk. Back then, milk had to be heated to 180°F in order to deactivate certain enzymes that can prevent a custard from setting.
These days, milk is pretty much always pasteurized (heated before packaging) so this step is unnecessary.
But wait a minute! Pasteurized milk is only raised to 161°F and works perfectly well in custards. So that whole 180°F for custards rule must also be a myth.
My best guess as to why many recipes arbitrarily pick 180°F? It's the point at which milk starts simmering: an easy temperature to gauge even without a thermometer. But seeing as we've all got one (you do all have an instant read thermometer, right?) We'll stick with the 165 to 185°F range, instead of aiming for that perfect 180°F.
The Milk and the Curds
I've read reports that UHT (ultra high-temperature) milk—milk that's been heated to 275°F in order to kill all bacteria and spores—does not work for making cheese.
Since pretty much all organic milk is UHT treated (due to the fact that it has to sit on supermarket shelves longer than standard milk), and even the crummiest corner store seems to sell organic milk these days, this one was simple to test.
This time, I'm in agreement: UHT milk does not work as well as regular pasteurized milk. It has a smaller yield, and the curds do not cling together properly. The results weren't terrible, and would do in a pinch, but given the option, I'd choose regular pasteurized milk (if you can get organic non-UHT milk, or even fresh, local milk, then you're in luck).
The Acid
This was the single most important variable both in terms of flavor and texture.
- Buttermilk has many advocates claiming it's the tastiest acid of choice. I had problems with it. In order to get the milk to curdle properly, I had to add buttermilk at nearly a 1:4 ratio, resulting in a cheese with a very distinct sour flavor. It wasn't bad per se, but the flavor certainly limited its applications: I couldn't imagine stuffing it into a ravioli, for instance. The curd structure was also ever-so-slightly overdeveloped, giving the ricotta a sticky texture.
- Distilled vinegar gave the cleanest flavor, with soft, tender curds. Since bottled vinegar is always diluted to 5% acetic acid, it is also the most consistent method. As long as your milk is fresh (older milk is more acidic than fresh milk, and thus requires less coagulant), you'll get identical results every time.
- Lemon juice also works very well, though I found that in some cases the amount I needed to use varied by about 25% give or take. Most likely this is due to varying pH levels from lemon to lemon. It gives the ricotta a very slight citrus tang that, while not as distinct as the buttermilk flavor, can be slightly off-putting in certain savory applications. On the other hand, it's wonderful for pancakes, blintzes, or feeding to your hard-working wife, drizzled with olive oil**, sprinkled with sea salt, garnished with lemon zest and pesto, off a demi-tasse spoon.
**the ricotta, not the wife
Bottom line? For the most universal ricotta, stick with vinegar. Use lemon juice when lemon flavor is appropriate, and avoid buttermilk unless you're really into it.
Drainage
In an ideal world, my kitchen would be stocked with butter muslin, or at the very least cheesecloth. Of course, in an ideal world, my kitchen sink have a "veal demi-glace" tap right next to the "hot" and the "cold." Being without either drainage aid, I tried two alternative methods side-by-side: draining in a super fine-mesh chinois, and draining in a strainer lined with two layers of paper towels.
When transferring the curds to the strainer, I discovered that despite the strong temptation to simply dump everything in, it's much more efficient to spoon the curds into the drainage device, trying to minimize the amount of liquid whey you add—the fine curds can gunk up the works, making it a very slow process for all the whey to completely drain.
While the chinois did work quite well, it's also a tool that costs around $90, and is beyond annoying to clean. Paper towels, on the other hand, worked perfectly, and are cheap. As for how long it should drain? Well that all depends on what you're going to do with it:
Drainage Length: Under five minutes.
Texture: Extremely moist and creamy (a cream-cheese-like consistency) with small, tender curds.
Best Uses: Immediate consumption, while still warm. For savory applications, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and serve. For dessert, drizzle warm ricotta with honey, and serve with fruit.
Drainage Length: 15 to 20 minutes.
Texture: Small, tender curds with a cottage cheese-like consistency. Moist and spreadable, but not runny.
Best Uses: Moist savory applications like lasagna or ravioli fillings and dips, or certain un-cooked pastry applications, like cannoli filling.
Drainage Length: At least two hours, or up to overnight (refrigerated).
Texture: Firm, dry, crumbly curds that can easily be molded into firm shapes.
Best Uses: Pastry, such as ricotta pancakes, ricotta gnocchi, or ricotta tortas.
The Problems
Now, despite the fact that homemade ricotta is about as difficult to make as, say, a boiled egg, there are still two serious issues imost pundits seem to gloss over:
Problem 1: First off, milk burnt onto the bottom of a saucepan is a bitch to clean. There are all sorts of tricks out there to help prevent this, but the fact of the matter is, unless you carefully stir and scrape the bottom with a spatula as the milk heats, you're going to get some degree of burnt milk protein coagulation on the bottom of your pot—a messy affair, to say the least. I rank stirring a slowly heating pot of milk for 20 minutes up there in excitement level with Gilmore Girls marathons and John Mayer concerts.
Problem 2: You think burnt milk on the inside of a pot is bad? How many of you have ever had to clean burnt milk all over your stovetop? Chances are, if you've ever heated milk in your life, this has happened to you. As milk heats, the proteins and fats on the top surface begin to coagulate, forming a sort of "raft" on the surface. Once it starts getting close to its boiling point, water vapor forms, getting trapped underneath this raft. As soon as enough pressure has built up, the raft goes the only way it can: up and over. This tipping point can occur in a matter of moments, and in fact, it has been independently proven by several renowned chefs and scientists that milk will only boil over when your back is turned.
The Solution
So knowing everything we've learned about ricotta, can we somehow find a method that avoids the chance of a messy spill, makes clean-up a snap, is completely idiot-proof, and a heck of a lot faster to boot? Yep. Just throw out the saucepan and thermometer, combine your ingredients in a glass container, microwave on high for a couple minutes, stir once, and drain. Ta da!
Since we already know that the ricotta has a wide range of tolerance in terms of temperature (anywhere from 165°F to 185°F will do), we don't need the thermometer—simple visual inspection will suffice in this case. Unlike a stovetop, which heats the milk only from the bottom, a microwave heats the milk evenly from all sides, preventing both burnt-on milk proteins, and the chance of a dangerous boil-over.
Finally, since milk is mostly water, and microwaves excel at efficiently heating water, your ricotta is ready in just about a third of the time that it would take on the stove-top.
There you have it: perfect, fresh, homemade ricotta, in five minutes or less. Now if only I could discover a way to get my lasagna to assemble itself, I'd be free to engage in more exciting enterprises like studying the effects of hydrocolloid gelation in the perfect chicken noodle soup.
What do you like to do with your fresh ricotta?
Continue here for the Five Minute Homemade Ricotta Recipe »
About the author: After graduating from MIT, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt spent many years as a chef, recipe developer, writer, and editor in Boston. He now lives in New York with his wife, where he runs a private chef business, KA Cuisine, and co-writes the blog GoodEater.org about sustainable food enjoyment.
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90 Comments:
... AMAZING! :D
Seina at 8:44AM on 02/19/10
This is great, and I'm so keen to make my own ricotta now, but seriously, organic milk in the US is mostly UHT? I don't think I've ever seen UHT organic milk in my life.. Surely that just doesn't taste right - UHT milk always just seems weird and un-milky, and I can't imagine that it would make a good cheese...
jenenifer at 9:00AM on 02/19/10
Kenji, you rock.
Can anyone recommend a cheaper instant-read thermometer?
meeralee at 9:06AM on 02/19/10
@Kenji: I thought you were a cottage cheese lasagna fan? By the way, that ricotta cheese lasagna looks yummy.
Acid: Using vinegar is a good idea, but there seems to be more curds in the lemon ricotta. Aren't we striving for more curds? I agree that lemon can give a citrus tang. Maybe a vinegar/lemon combo would work better than any single acid.
Drainage: Couldn't you assemble a torchon of sorts to let gravity drain the ricotta like they do in those old-time Italian shoppes?
resolutejc at 9:07AM on 02/19/10
...so, wait. You can make ricotta from milk. And whey is left over. And from whey, you can make... ricotta? I guess the byproduct whey in this recipe must be different somehow from the whey that you can make ricotta from?
zeropixelcount at 9:07AM on 02/19/10
It's kind of weirding me out how every week Kenji's column is about some seemingly random food topic that has recently become of strong interest to me (except for the wings, I was always a little obsessed with those). I had never even considered making cheese at home, and then about a week and a half ago I started to wonder about it, did some research, and was planning on trying it this weekend. Thanks Kenji, now I don't have to make all the rookie mistakes! As the primary dishwasher, I also thank you for your microwave revelation :)
LizLemon at 9:08AM on 02/19/10
@zeropixelcount: You can make ricotta a second time using the leftover whey with less favorable results.
resolutejc at 9:16AM on 02/19/10
Silly question - but what % fat milk do you use? I'm guessing skim is a terrible choice, but don't think I'd do whole milk. 2% work?
cb1414 at 9:57AM on 02/19/10
Sorry, just saw the recipe, clearly it calls for whole milk. But I'm still wondering if the 2% would work, though obviously not as well. . .
cb1414 at 10:11AM on 02/19/10
You read my mind! I was just saying to my brother that I would try to make and bring fresh ricotta next time I came over for dinner. Sweet!
semarr at 10:19AM on 02/19/10
I came to the end of the article and my reaction was, "Wait. That's it? OMG that is Awesome."
aileen7007 at 10:32AM on 02/19/10
I've made ricotta for years on the stovetop using buttermilk but it is a bit of a pain, what with the stirring and the thermometer and all. This seems like it might be an answer to my prayers - quick, easy, tastes good, little mess. I'm with everyone else - what about lower fat milk?
mcwolfe at 10:45AM on 02/19/10
I love this whole article.
Just want to add that ricotta made from sheep's milk (if you can find a source) will an extra layer of flavor/complexity and it is worth seeking out. Ricotta made from regular milk will taste like, well, regular milk. Still good and definitely better than store bought.
ricewins at 10:47AM on 02/19/10
This is hilariously well-timed. I made ricotta on Wednesday night using a gallon of whole milk and a quart of buttermilk (which gave me about 4 cups of ricotta). I didn't notice any sour taste to the ricotta at all, and actually I really liked the mildness of it. Plus there's no added salt. I let it drain for about 20 minutes as I plan to use it for stuffed shells. I also dropped a container of it off to my nonna and it got her seal of approval, so even though your idea is interesting, I don't think I'll be changing my standard recipe or method any time soon. Very interesting article though.
Dyeat at 10:58AM on 02/19/10
Kenji, you just blew my mind... Some of the reasons why I have only made ricotta once were the ones you've blown away: awful cleanup, endless simmering. Let the weekly cheesemaking begin! (If only I had a reliable source of non-UHT organic milk...)
Marshmallow at 11:21AM on 02/19/10
@All
lower fat milk will work fine - the ricotta will just be lower fat. If you want to go the opposite route, it's also really tasty to stir some heavy cream into the finished curds before serving - you get a more cottage cheese-like product (without the bacterial tang, that is)
@Jenenifer
At least in NY and Boston, pretty much all the major brand organic milk is UHT. That's Stonyfield, Horizon, Organic Valley. Perhaps you're confusing regular UHT with UHT milk that also comes in the tetrapaks (like Parmalat)? The UHT milk comes in regular refrigerated cartons just like normal milk, but it says UHT pasteurized on the label instead of just plain pasteurized.
@zeropixelcount
The whey leftover is different. When making real ricotta, you start with whey that is leftover from making a rennet-based cheese. That whey still has plenty of protein left in it, as it has not been raised to a very high temperature, and rennet causes less coagulation than acid does. The whey is then heated with acid, and the remaining protein coagulates. Of course, the yield there will be much less than when starting with fresh milk, and the end product is lower in fat. I've never had success with trying to use home-made ricotta whey over again to make another batch of ricotta - once you've heated it with acid, it's pretty much all finished.
@Dyeat
The buttermilk ricotta was definitely not bad by any means. It's ust when tasted side-by-side with the other ones that its distinct flavor comes through. If you like that flavor though, then no reason not to continue making it!
Kenji
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 11:22AM on 02/19/10
@resolutejc
Sorry - about the cottage cheese question.
Yes, I'm a cottage cheese fan, precisely because store-bought ricotta is always so terrible. With homemade ricotta, on the other hand...
I can live with putting that in lasagna :)
Kenji
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 11:27AM on 02/19/10
Nice article. Recently, I have used the juice of a whole lemon for one gallon of milk added cold and slowly heated. I rinse the curd after straining to remove hints of citrus. For a super clean taste, pick-up some citric acid, drop tsp into a gallon of milk (a la Ricki Carroll). For straining, I got tired or paper towels and cheese cloth, and bought a bolt of unbleached muslin at the fabric store, it works great and it's reusable.
Cheers.
saucissonmac at 11:30AM on 02/19/10
lol, so as I was first reading through the headlines here on seriouseats, I read this title as "Risotto in Five Minutes" and was like impossible!
winternutt at 11:30AM on 02/19/10
@winternutt
"Risotto in Five Minutes"...
... is that a challenge I hear?
@saucissonmac
rinsing the curds and pressing them will give you a true paneer. Or if you want, you can rinse them, then add some heavy cream back to get them to whatever texture you like, without the lemony flavor.
I've also heard of people using handkerchiefs to strain. But really - who still owns a handkerchief these days?
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 11:36AM on 02/19/10
This is one of those 'why didn't I think of that?' moments. I've been trying my hand at homemade ricotta with buttermilk, which I quite like, but hate the clean-up involved. I can't believe I never thought to microwave. Brilliant!
jujyfruit at 12:03PM on 02/19/10
I have a couple of dozen flour sack towels and use them to strain everything. Just throw them in the washer when you are done. I found them at the American Chair Store online for a very reasonable price. The ones at amazon and WS were too expensive to buy in quantity for a frugal gal like me.
NOLA_Pam at 12:04PM on 02/19/10
@kenji, I have a couple of questions...
A recent article talked about making home made chevre.
Could that whey then be used to make ricotta? It does involve heating the goat milk, so I am assuming not.
As far as owning handkerchiefs, yes we own some.
However, would using a clean linen hand towel or clean linen kitchen towel work for draining?
Gator Pam at 12:04PM on 02/19/10
nice shoutout to the Big Lebowski, it's the movie I quote from the most;
thanks so much for your articles!
leighana at 12:23PM on 02/19/10
My head is exploding with ricotta-y goodness. I can't wait to try making it now.
Centelleo at 12:32PM on 02/19/10
That lasagna looks incredible. Any chance of sharing the recipe? I promise I'll make the ricotta for it!
christycreme at 12:35PM on 02/19/10
@Gator Pam
Actually, in Erin's recipe, you do heat the goat's milk. It's essentially the exact same process, and I don't see why the microwave method wouldn't work just as well with goat's milk. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!
I think a clean handtowel would work, but it might be difficult to get the cheese out of the fibers, as terrycloth has little bits that stick out. You'd lose some yield, and maybe get some cotton in your cheese.
@Chrstycreme
Wait until next week - the full recipe is coming (and yes, it's unfortunately just as complicated as most lasagnas - a project recipe).
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 12:39PM on 02/19/10
Holy Jeezuz, Kenji, that lasagna looks like perfection.
I made ricotta once. I think I used buttermilk, but I don't remember a sour taste. I mixed it up with some fresh veggies and filled it into hollowed-out zucchini. Baked it quickly. It was delish!
Kerosena at 12:56PM on 02/19/10
How about turning the curds in paneer? Do we just take the result, wrap it in paper towels, and put a heavy pot on top for a few hours to press it into a round?
I tried making paneer years ago, but I used lemon so it had that citrus tang, not nice.
peekpoke at 1:04PM on 02/19/10
@peekpoke
yep - rinse the curds in cold water first to get rid of excess tang. Then press overnight.
You can also make decent feta this way by storing it in brine afterwards.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 1:11PM on 02/19/10
A Full Project Lasagna sounds like a fine Saturday. I just love the bright green parsley, and how the whole thing looks like it weighs 20 pounds.
christycreme at 2:15PM on 02/19/10
Yes, organic milk is ultra-pasteurized. It says it on the carton if you look for it. Milk Thistle's organic milk is not, if you live in NY. I don't stress over organic milk. I just get my milk from the market, which is much tastier.
Saria at 2:30PM on 02/19/10
@Kenji ~ yes, I did see that the goat cheese recipe was heated, I was asking if the whey leftover from that could be made into a goat milk ricotta. But, I will assume it can not since it is heated, as I said above.
I must admit, I did consider adapting Erin's recipe to this method to make chevre... :)
Gator Pam at 3:15PM on 02/19/10
As a Food Science major, this is the kind of stuff i absolutely LIVE for! Can't wait to whip up some ricotta in the dorm kitchen for dessert.. :E Thanks Kenji! I look forward to that lasagna as well :]
phishfood21 at 5:19PM on 02/19/10
"Texture: Extremely moist and creamy (a cream-cheese-like consistency)"
I like this, esp. the ez microwave version! My curiosity is piqued regarding making cream cheese. I already have a graham cracker recipe that I like. I think it would be awesome to make cheesecake 100% from scratch!
RossS at 11:18AM on 02/20/10
Oh, Kenji, just wanted to say thanks. Your columns are awesome.
Go Beavers!
Aya Tanaka at 11:52AM on 02/20/10
I tried the microwave ricotta, but the curds came out so small that I didn't even realize they were there until they settled a few minutes later! Think of sugar, only smaller. So I tried this on the stove instead, and it came out really tasty!
I ended up using a gallon of milk because I wanted to see how much ricotta it would make. At the end, I was left with about 3 cups of ricotta, which isn't bad at all. Here in western NY, milk is $1.69 a gallon, and I figure that's cheaper and tastier than store bought ricotta.
Ok, one last comment. I had a breeze draining the ricotta. I used an old trick I learned when making apple jelly; instead of cheese cloth or paper towels, use a cheap, thin dish towel. If you have a towel that's not terry cloth, that's perfect. But if you use terry cloth, drain on the smooth side, not the rough side. I spooned what I could onto a strainer lined with a dish towel, then put a sieve over a big pot and poured the rest of the curds and whey into the sieve. That works beautifully! It didn't get all the small, fine curds, but it got most of it. Then when I was done, I poured the rest of the whey through another dish cloth and got every last curd.
I ran a small test run using paper towels as well as coffee filters, but neither worked very well at all. But the dish cloth worked perfectly. I bet cheese cloth would have worked fairly well, too, but I couldn't find it anywhere in my house! I know it's here somewhere...
Jewelsie at 3:20PM on 02/20/10
@Jewelsie
That's odd about it working on the stove but not microwave. Perhaps your microwave is a lower power model and it just needed an extra minute or two? I can't think of a good scientific reason why the microwave wouldn't work - after all, hot milk is hot milk, right?
Anyhow, if the stove worked for you, then that's all that counts.
Thanks for the good info about the towels. Were they hard to clean afterwards?
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 3:33PM on 02/20/10
Hey, what's wrong with a Gilmore Girl marathon? Sounds like fun to me.
RJ
rj100 at 5:04PM on 02/20/10
Thanks so much for this recipe! I love ricotta cheese. My favorite use is to spread it on a sesame bagel and top with a drizzle of honey. Yum. I never knew it was so easy to make at home, so I will most definitely be trying this.
By the way, your lasagna looks amazing.
sandn8r9 at 5:36PM on 02/20/10
THANK YOU, I have tried making ricotta at home twice...both times results were terrible, you've unraveled the mystery! Can't wait to try, thank you!!!
girlcook.com at 12:37AM on 02/21/10
I made this using 1/2 gallon of 1% milk, and got about 7.5 oz (by weight) of cheese. I wanted to make a lasagna, and needed a pound, so I mixed 1 qt skim milk and 1 qt half-and-half to make a second round. Interestingly, the higher fat content in the second batch resulted in smaller, softer curds. Total yield of both batches combined: 18 ounces (by weight). Long story short, you need about a gallon of milk to make about a pound of cheese.
DrGaellon at 4:22PM on 02/21/10
@dr. Gaellon:
Yep, volume-wise, it's about 1/4 yield, though it can vary by the type of milk you use. Was the half and half ultrapasteurized? That might also contribute to the smaller curd size, if it was.
Also, take a look at the lasagna recipe that just went up on the site: here. It works great with homemade ricotta.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 4:27PM on 02/21/10
This is beautiful. Made some early this afternoon and let it drain several hours to use as queso-fresco to garnish enchiladas for dinner. Perfect way to use up extra whole milk.
jwalz at 7:57PM on 02/21/10
I made the ricotta in the Paleys Place cook book, which was lemon based and very simple, so I could make their ricotta donuts with chocoalte drizzle. I highly recommend it.
lelhindi at 1:24AM on 02/22/10
ha, indeed there are a 101 blogs out there that have written about ricotta-making, but this is one of my favorite entries so far!
tofunator at 7:41AM on 02/22/10
@Kenji
I think my problem is that the turning coupler of my microwave broke off a few months ago (I tried putting something in there that was too big to turn; oops), so maybe the milk wasn't getting evenly heated. At any rate, I'll try it again in the microwave just to be sure.
As for the towel, it's not hard at all to clean. Just make sure you rinse it a little after getting the cheese out of it so you don't have too many big chunks of cheese in your washer.
Jewelsie at 7:59AM on 02/22/10
I know it's not entirely related to this post, but since it's been mentioned, I'm also wondering if there's a cheaper instand read ACCURATE thermometer out there. I've bought a few $10-$20 thermometers but they've been sooo inaccurate that it's impossible even to calibrate them properly. Any suggestions?
nerous at 9:45AM on 02/22/10
Great article, thanks!
A.Turner at 9:55AM on 02/22/10
LOVE your articles, Kenji and I will definitely be trying this. I think the 180 degrees on custards and eggs has to do with FDA regs and killing bad buggies. I know most recipes call for 160 degrees because that is the minimum temp required. Unfortunately, since eggs coaglate at around 150 degrees, this usually leads to scrambled eggs. I searched your site and didn't see an article related to this but would love to see one- maybe using pasturized eggs vs regular to various temps?? Also read in one of Heston Blumenthal's books that you could pretty much idiot proof a creme anglaise with a pinch of flour, which keeps the eggs from scrambling. Just a thought. Thanks for the great posts!!
christyluv at 10:39AM on 02/22/10
I have made ricotta and have always wondered about microwaving it...and now my suspicions are confirmed. BUT what I would like to see in your comparison is how Citric Acid (or Sour Salt in the Kosher section of your grocery store) compares against the vinegar? Because this is what I used for my ricotta on stovetop method. Which is the better curd and flavor?
tyronebcookin at 11:58AM on 02/22/10
I'd be interested in the citric acid angle as well. I was able to get some of that locally at a drug store but rennet (which I wanted for a mozzarella recipe I had) seems quite elusive. I'm excited to give this ricotta-making a shot. Commercial is indeed grainy, so much so that it turned me off ever using ricotta again! That may all change now.
EWhiskers at 12:29PM on 02/22/10
I make my ricotta with 2% milk and it's just fine. Sometimes I add a tablespoon or two of half & half to the finished (drained) product for a creamier consistency.
I love it for breakfast, spread on a toasted slice of left-over baguette, then returned to the broiler for a few minutes. Or for lunch or an appetizer, spread some pesto on the toast first, or top cheese with some rehydrated dried tomatoes.
foodwriter97426 at 2:00PM on 02/22/10
I,too, continue to lookover my shoulder before opening Serious Eats updates...and IT has happened again. iI recently taught a Cooking with Cheese class and, as we'd be needing ricotta, decided to make it. I used a gallon of whole milk, 1 C heavy cream, 1/2 C lemon juice and it was perfection. I rather liked the slight, fresh lemon indertone of the juice. Kenji, please keep up the good stuff. I miss food science and your articles help to keep me "plugged in".
pat Berry
pateberry at 4:05PM on 02/22/10
Kenji, your article couldnt come out at a better time. I was going to make ricottat, spinach, prosciutto stuffed pork tenderloin tomorrow and homemade ricotta would be perfect with this.
MagicOatmealCookies at 12:27PM on 02/23/10
I don't know where you shop, but I don't buy, for one minute, that all store bought ricotta cheese is horrible.....in Ct, there are GREAT store bought local ricotta.
Not as good as in Italy, but that is another story. But, the best ricotta is always best eaten fresh, NOT cooked in a dish.
gabagool at 2:59PM on 02/23/10
@ Kenji: I don't seem to be getting 1/2 C yield from 2C of milk. Is it possible I am not nuking it long enough to completely separate it?
JoeDeNivo at 5:36PM on 02/23/10
@Joe
yes, that's possible. The why should separate out as a clear, green or yellow-tinged liquid (not milky) if it's still a little milky, try upping the acid slightly, or nuking it for a further 30 seconds. Milk can vary with shelf life, so the same amount of acid might not produce identical results from batch to batch.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 5:48PM on 02/23/10
@meeralee
For inexpensive instant read thermometer check out harborfreight.com . You can get an instant read thermometer for less than $10 and if willing to spend a bit more you can get one of those cool infrared laser thermometer for $25.
PSFam at 1:49AM on 02/24/10
First time trying to make fresh ricotta. Results: so-so. Lacking a thermometer, I heated whole milk to the simmer point - tiny bubbles around edges. Added the recipe's recommended amount of vinegar. The curds and why separated, but not as nice small curds, more like larger chunks, and the consistency was more dry than creamy although I let it drain only about five minutes. Tastes nicer than store-bought, but clearly something didn't go as planned. Any trouble-shooting ideas for my next batch?
NeneAdams at 6:57AM on 02/24/10
That's super-freaking easy. I now have no excuses not to make it!
thelushers at 9:33AM on 02/24/10
It's funny. I have just learned how to make it (if the world learned can be applied to such a no-brainer) just a few weeks ago - and you know what's best - it's best made with the milk that has gone seriously bad. It's a great baby food. Next I want to try yogurt cheese. My mother-in-law told me it's just like cream cheese.
Back in the Old Country (Azerbaijan) they had this heavenly thing - I think it was a sheep milk ricotta but it was heavily salted and spiced with nigella seeds. You'd smear it over the local paper-thin flat bread, called lavash (which to you would be known from the Armenian immigrants, who share a lot of the same food) and wrap it up in a roll. I want to try making that.
Sofya at 10:25AM on 02/24/10
Or a failed yogurt! The one that didn't set because the temp wasn't right. If you just heat that up (should you ever have failed yogurt, which I don't, once I got it figured out), it separates (since it is close to buttermilk at that point anyway).
Sofya at 10:29AM on 02/24/10
@NurseAdams
The homemade stuff will always have slightly larger curds than store-bought, because the store-bought stuff is purposely broken down a bit before packaging.
I fyou want to get a texture a little closer to storebought, I've found a trick that works is to take the larger drier curds, put them in a bowl with a little heavy cream, and whisk them, adding cream until you get the desired consistency, and whisking until they break down to the desired texture. In the food processor also works
@Sofya
Could you possibly be talking about labne? I'm not sure if labne, which is a strained yogurt cheese, makes it as far north as Azerbaijan, but considering that it's popular with Armenians, and they've brought their lavash there, I'd guess that it does. I've seen it served with lavash, nigella seeds (or depending on where you get it, za'atar), and olive oil. If that's what you're talking about, a sheep's milk version sounds fantastic!
I could be wrong, but I believe that it's basically just strained yogurt with plenty of salt added to it, and you could probably make it by making a sheep's milk yogurt, draining it overnight, and salting it the next day.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 10:41AM on 02/24/10
I don't own a microwave and have heated milk for homemade yogurt a zillion times. What I found the most helpful in cleaning the pan is using cold water to rinse it. Hot water cooks the proteins on. Soak in some dish soap and cold water first and your pan will be much easier to clean.
Now to add whole milk to the grocery list...
littlebluehen at 2:03AM on 02/25/10
The way I learned to make Paneer was from my mom- boil milk- let cool and refrigerate if need be. Add citric acid (she put in a pinch) or vinegar( 1/4 tsp)- let it simmer. Once you see the curd coagulating- strain thru' either cheesecloth or a dishtowel- she would hang the dishtowel with the curds in it over the sink- wait till all the whey has drained( you could alternatively collect the whey in a pan for later use)- dump out the Cheese onto a platter/crucible/whatever- shape it into whatever you want- weigh it down with something heavy- uncover in about 3 hours n voila- either a thick block of Paneer or a nice one of Ricotta!
The boiling of the milk is key- it then doesnt stick and burn the pan once you start with the cheese making process.
Heeru at 11:32PM on 02/26/10
Great article! Always wanted to know how to make fresh ricotta - quick question. After cooling and refrigerating, how long will the ricotta generally last before going "bad" ?
Giusepina82 at 10:01AM on 02/27/10
Hey, so this'll seem kinda strange, but you could use a handheld electric mixer (with the two wisk attachments and such), prop it over the pan, and run that on low.
NommerMan at 9:09PM on 02/27/10
Living in Sicily for two months to avoid mud season in Vermont I spent a morning helping the cheese makers and learning how they do things. They do everything with a smile. I'll be posting about it on my blog http://www.carolegbert.com next week.
Last night I served fresh ricotta seasoned with grated semi-sweet chocolate, topped with a bit of honey and accompanied with my experimental macaroons made with egg white and almond paste from the market in Siracusa. Pretty nice even if the macaroons were to thin and a bit too chewy.
Carol Egbert at 9:22AM on 03/01/10
Homemade ricotta is definitely worth the effort of cleaning the pot--but now I'll have to try the microwave--five minutes and no potscrubbing! Do you use the whey for bread?
kateq at 9:37AM on 03/01/10
This writer deserves some kind of Pulitzer for THE MOST intriguing, bet written, delightful food article I've read in a long time. I WILL make my own ricotta because of him. Wonderful! I will do it because of expense of bought ricotta as well as wanting to experience home made.
Incidentally I chiefly use it as a diet dessert, I put it in a martini glass and sprinkle with Instant Espresso coffee (read once it's a favorite italian dessert). If you LOVE coffee, it's perfect easy diet dessert.
aurora90 at 9:38AM on 03/01/10
@winternut--
Your 5 minute risotto is almost possible with a pressure cooker--
Love the homemade ricotta lesson!
SusanW at 9:49AM on 03/01/10
I make mine in the crock-pot. Takes about 3 hours to come up to temp (165) on low, doesn't burn and you don't have to watch it, just throw the liner in the dishwasher.
harleymama at 12:57PM on 03/01/10
Yay, this is so useful. I've been wanting to make this myself, but I've never read a recipe that's this thorough...and inspiring. Thanks for the great pics.
MadameFromage at 4:34PM on 03/01/10
I thought I'd try raw milk. Thought there might be more mild solids.....Well 1/2 gal milk, 1/2 cup vinegar, 1 tsp salt.
Microwaved until temp reached 168-169 degrees,slightly mottled looking.
let it rest for10-15 min then scooped out curds....Barely had 1 cup of cheese.....
What I do wrong?
sabom50 at 12:17PM on 03/04/10
@sabom50
Didn't do anything wrong - depending on the milk, there can be more or less protein and fat present. I'm guessing that if you had raw milk, it came from some local cows. Since it's winter, they are probably just milking a little thinner than usual, so there's not quite as much protein or fat present in their milk (commercial homogenized milk has a fixed amount of fat and protein year round).
The only other thing I could think of is that your milk is too fresh, so it was very basic, and might require you to add a bit more acid than normal.
Was the why still slightly milky looking, or was it a watery yellowish blue? If it still looked a little milky, try adding some extra acid to it and see if you can get a few more proteins to coagulate.
Kenji
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 12:26PM on 03/04/10
Is it just me, or am i totally missing the ratio of vinegar to milk here?
help please guys! think I'm having a "special" moment.
codfish30 at 5:05PM on 03/04/10
@codfish30
Follow this link to the actual recipe, which gives the ratio.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 5:09PM on 03/04/10
OK, so how do you make true ricotta from leftoever whey?
Elyse Orecchio at 2:18PM on 03/09/10
@Elyse
Ricotta made from way is done the exact same way: heat, and add acid.
The whey must be leftover from a rennet-coagulated cheese though (i.e. you can't make more ricotta from the whey you just got from making ricotta).
Yield will be significantly smaller.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 2:20PM on 03/09/10
Thanks for responding, one more question--if you buy presumably good-quality ricotta from an Italian deli, is that likely to be the 'true' stuff from the rennet-coagulated cheese you mentioned or the kind we can make at home?
Elyse Orecchio at 2:25PM on 03/09/10
@Elyse. I'm sure it depends from deli to deli, but if they are also selling home-made mozarella, then there's a very high probability that the ricotta is made from the leftover whey from mozzarella making.
Any deli that's making its own cheese would be happy to talk to you about it, I'm sure. Just ask!
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 2:31PM on 03/09/10
Kenji -
For making the ricotta with vinegar, do you recommend an exact double, triple, etc. of the recipe? 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup milk no matter how much I am making or does the ratio shift at all when I am making a larger batch? How much would you recommend for an entire gallon of milk?
Thanks!
biabiaboiler at 12:12AM on 03/10/10
@biabiaboiler
The ratio is 1:16 (1 tablespoon per cup) no matter how much you do. Although depending on how old your milk is, it may vary a little bit. Start with slightly less than you need, then if it doesn't curdle after heating, add a little at a time until it does.
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt at 12:16AM on 03/10/10
Just a quick note regarding store bought ricotta. I usually buy Sorrento, a brand made in Buffalo,NY and available in my neighborhood just about everywhere. I buy mine in a BJ's Club store, and the ingredient list is milk, vinegar and salt. However, containers of Sorrento bought in grocery stores have the same list of ingredients that Kenji shows at the start of this thread. Apparently, either Sorrento makes their product using 2 different formulas, or they are mis-labeling one of them. Anyone have any insite or has anyone else noticed the difference. Hard to believe they make it differently for different outlets.
dmcavanagh at 6:28PM on 03/20/10
I will try this. the "real" ricotta looks incredible.
momtimestwo at 12:25PM on 03/21/10
I love me a Gilmore girls marathon ... but not so much standing over a simmering pot of milk
I tried reading through the comments to see if you answered this, but there was 1 million so I gave up. hope this isn't a repeat! Can you let me know exactly what brand / type of milk you used for this?
I tried once before with some fancy non-ultra pasteurized organic milk from whole foods, and it just didn't come out that well. Plus, it was expensive! Would love to try again ...
mookie at 3:55PM on 03/22/10
So, I read the recipe and made a double batch right away. I doubled everything, and the cheese came out too sour for my taste, so since I didn't have any need for the remaining milk, I made another double batch the next day, but tried only 3 TBSP of vinegar, and it came out beautifully. Also, for some reason, it came out a but rubbery the first day, and since I had curds at a lower temp, I heated the milk for 6 minutes, which got me up to around 150 degrees. The cheese came out perfectly. I also used another commenter's idea of using an old gold mesh coffee filter, which worked well for getting every last curd.
giuliana at 1:05PM on 03/28/10
I made the microwave fresh ricotta this past weekend with a 1/2 gallon of raw goat milk in two batches. The first batch turned out fine but took a long time without much yield. I decided it needed more acid, so I added more vinegar and the second batch turned out better. The whole 1/2 gallon yielded just about a cup of cheese though. I couldn't get the whey clear. Maybe I needed even more acid, but didn't want the cheese to taste sour. As it was, I made 1 cup of delectable fresh cheese.
molawed at 10:48AM on 07/19/10
Kenji,
I just made a lasagna for my husband last week! I came across a technique that says to use regular noodles, but soak them in hot water while you are making the remaining components. Since I made the sauce the night before, I soaked the noodles while grating cheese and making ricotta layer. Half an hour to an hour is all they need. The noodles were VERY al dente when assembling the lasagna. I made a tiny "test" lasagna that was baked right away, and the larger one to sit in the fridge overnight. Both were quite decent with the overnight one more chewy. I think the comparison of techniques (no-boil, boiled, soaked) would be an interesting experiment. ;o)
Sharp_House at 5:01PM on 07/20/10