Henrietta23
Yard Farmer
Another failed attempt at ricotta with the left over whey from my mozzarella. Will I ever be ready for more advanced cheese????? Waaaaaaaaaaaaaah! But the mozz sure is yummy....
Intermediate Cheesemaking: Beyond chevre
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freemotion
Food Guru
Alright, H23, you have to tell us what you are getting if not ricotta. I can make ricotta until I want to scream but can't get mozzarella to stretch properly, which does make me scream.
Wildsky, be patient, hopefully we will get the computer back online in a week or so and I will post pictures of my press that I made for NOTHING. It works great. I made all my molds, too, without ever seeing one in real life. Just pictures online and in catalogs.
You can use weights, especially if you have some iron free weights. Of course I gave dh's away when he didn't use them for ten years and prefers to go to the gym. Then within a couple of months I was wanting them back!!! But you can make a press with scrap wood very simply.
Your press needs to put continuous pressure on the cheese as the whey drains out, so I don't know how the screw ones can possibly work unless they also have a spring. The weight presses will follow the cheese as it shrinks as whey drains out. The screw type mystify me.
ETA: Finally posted pics! http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10596
Wildsky, be patient, hopefully we will get the computer back online in a week or so and I will post pictures of my press that I made for NOTHING. It works great. I made all my molds, too, without ever seeing one in real life. Just pictures online and in catalogs.
You can use weights, especially if you have some iron free weights. Of course I gave dh's away when he didn't use them for ten years and prefers to go to the gym. Then within a couple of months I was wanting them back!!! But you can make a press with scrap wood very simply.
Your press needs to put continuous pressure on the cheese as the whey drains out, so I don't know how the screw ones can possibly work unless they also have a spring. The weight presses will follow the cheese as it shrinks as whey drains out. The screw type mystify me.
ETA: Finally posted pics! http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=10596
Wildsky
Femivore
My hubby has free weights, I asked if he had 5 and 10 pound ones, he rolled his eyes cause he knows what I was thinking!freemotion said:
My feta is going into the brine tonight. I hope its ready!
Yesterday it was smelling a very strong sour type smell, today the smell has subsided, and the cheese feels dry to the touch. I "think" its good to go - its been 3 days now in the tupperware after I cut and salted it.
Henrietta23
Yard Farmer
I'm getting maybe a tablespoon of really small curds. Everything else goes right through the muslin. 
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- #65
freemotion
Food Guru
Wildsky, you will need more weights, but only for a day, so your dh can relax. He will get his weights back. He should be resting for at least a day between workouts anyways.
H23, that doesn't make sense to me. How much milk are you starting with? It shouldn't go through the muslin. Hmm...puzzling. I can actually skim some of it with my skimmer before straining it.
H23, that doesn't make sense to me. How much milk are you starting with? It shouldn't go through the muslin. Hmm...puzzling. I can actually skim some of it with my skimmer before straining it.
Henrietta23
Yard Farmer
I'm not starting the riccota with any milk. It says to just use the whey. The mozzarella recipe I start with calls for a gallon of milk.freemotion said:Wildsky, you will need more weights, but only for a day, so your dh can relax. He will get his weights back. He should be resting for at least a day between workouts anyways.
H23, that doesn't make sense to me. How much milk are you starting with? It shouldn't go through the muslin. Hmm...puzzling. I can actually skim some of it with my skimmer before straining it.
Next time I really want ricotta I will use a recipe that starts with milk. I saw an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives last night. A chef made fresh ricotta using just milk and buttermilk mixed together. Unless I missed something which is entirely possible.
Wildsky
Femivore
The ricotta I made, a tiny amount was pretty bland tasting, I need to figure out the salt etc. to put in it.Henrietta23 said:I'm not starting the riccota with any milk. It says to just use the whey. The mozzarella recipe I start with calls for a gallon of milk.freemotion said:Wildsky, you will need more weights, but only for a day, so your dh can relax. He will get his weights back. He should be resting for at least a day between workouts anyways.
H23, that doesn't make sense to me. How much milk are you starting with? It shouldn't go through the muslin. Hmm...puzzling. I can actually skim some of it with my skimmer before straining it.
Next time I really want ricotta I will use a recipe that starts with milk. I saw an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives last night. A chef made fresh ricotta using just milk and buttermilk mixed together. Unless I missed something which is entirely possible.
I used whey from my feta and I had only used 6 pints of goats milk for the feta. Anyhoo - just the whey and I added a "glug" of vinegar right at 190-200 degrees. At first I thought nothing was happening and then suddenly the white bits appeared. I strained through two layers of cheese cloth, it took forever but I got a fair amount for the amount of whey I had.
Wildsky
Femivore
I don't even think he uses those little ones, I'll have to go check them for dust! He has bigger 25 pound weights he uses more often. I bet he wouldn't even miss the little ones!freemotion said:Wildsky, you will need more weights, but only for a day, so your dh can relax. He will get his weights back. He should be resting for at least a day between workouts anyways.
Can I safely guess, that the weights go ontop of a board of wood thats pressing on the lid of the mold?
Do you think that could be done without anything else fancy, just a board and a few weights or will it topple over?
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- #69
freemotion
Food Guru
Hen, I think you probably did it right, there just wasn't much left as far as solids go in that small amount of whey. I work with four gallons to get something like a cup of ricotta. I don't make those cheeses anymore because of my failure rate, but I will try again with the new book. Once the greedy kids leave me some to work with, that is.
WS, I'm not sure how your mold is made, but it sounds like that would work. I would pad up the counter with a couple of bath towels to protect it if the weights topple, unless you have a safe place to put it while it is being pressed where critters wouldn't get it during the hours in the press. Once you get it going, it should be ok. Depending on how your mold is made.....the lid is called a follower, as it follows the cheese as it gets smaller through pressing. So the weights would have to be set on there in such a way that the weights will be able to sink with the cheese as it shrinks. Am I making sense?
WS, I'm not sure how your mold is made, but it sounds like that would work. I would pad up the counter with a couple of bath towels to protect it if the weights topple, unless you have a safe place to put it while it is being pressed where critters wouldn't get it during the hours in the press. Once you get it going, it should be ok. Depending on how your mold is made.....the lid is called a follower, as it follows the cheese as it gets smaller through pressing. So the weights would have to be set on there in such a way that the weights will be able to sink with the cheese as it shrinks. Am I making sense?
Henrietta23
Yard Farmer
Guess I'll start saving up the whey when I make mozzarella. This time I shaped the mozz into sticks so DS could have string cheese. He took one bite and ran out to give Donki a hug. He missed his string cheese!
