KITCHEN-CRAFTED COTTAGE CHEESE

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Use fresh cultured buttermilk to coagulate pasteurized skim milk (the buttermilk will also do wonders for raw skim milk). Use one-half cup of the culture per gallon of milk, stir in well and place the mixture in a warm place for 24 hours.

By BETTY BRINHART

PHOTOS BY J. F. MICHAJLUK

You can turn that surplus homestead milk—after the calf has been weaned and ole Bossie seems more productive than ever—into nutritious cottage cheese that's rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins and free from harmful additives or preservatives. If your milk comes from the supermarket in cardboard containers, you can perform the same trick in smaller quantities any time of the year. Either way, you'll produce cottage cheese right in your own kitchen with a minimum investment of time, effort and expense . . . and after you've whipped together two or three batches, you'll find it no more trouble than preparing a favorite dessert.

Cottage cheese, in reality, is nothing more than unripened cheese formed by the natural action of lactic acid (with or without the help of a milk curdling agent called rennet). Correctly made, this dairy product is highly digestible and—as might be expected—the home-produced variety has a tantalizingly mild-acid flavor that is far superior to the taste of commercial brands.

THE FOUR KEYS TO CHEESE MAKING

Four things are extremely important to the production of noteworthy cottage cheese: (1) clean utensils, (2) fresh skim milk of good quality, (3) fresh buttermilk and (4) proper techniques.

EQUIPMENT

You most likely have everything you need for making cottage cheese right in your own kitchen . . . and what you don't have you can improvise. Just bear in mind that the lactic acid (formed when milk sours) may be relatively mild, but is an acid nevertheless. It's best to make sure your cheese-making containers are stainless steel, enamelware, tinned or otherwise acid resistant.

You'll need a large double boiler (or one pot you can put on a rack inside a larger kettle), a good-sized strainer or food colander (cover the latter with two thicknesses of cheesecloth), an accurate thermometer (one of the special floating dairy models—available from a hardware store—is best, but any reliable household thermometer that reads from 35 to 170°F will do), a perforated stirring spoon or wooden ladle, a timer and a large kitchen knife.

SKIM MILK

If you're starting your cheese making with fresh, whole milk you'll first have to separate the liquid into cream and skim milk. A good, old-fashioned cream separator will accomplish that task in minutes and I envy you if you have one. I don't, so I store our cow's production in the refrigerator until the cream rises and I can carefully skim it off. This cream is then set aside and later added to the finished cheese.