KITCHEN-CRAFTED COTTAGE CHEESE
(Page 2 of 5)
September/October 1972
By Betty Brinhart
Your freshly pasteurized skim milk is ready to be turned into cottage cheese just as soon as, it cools to 75°F. If you must put off your cheese making until another day, however, keep the milk in refrigerated, covered containers (uncovered milk quickly absorbs odors) until the very moment you're ready to begin. Remember that superior cottage cheese cannot be made from milk of poor quality or from skim milk that has not been properly cared for.
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BUTTERMILK
A buttermilk culture is absolutely essential for transforming pasteurized skim milk into cottage cheese. The culture is of somewhat less importance when the cheese is made from raw skim milk (which contains enough bacteria to sour readily) but-even sowill hasten coagulation, prevent the formation of gas caused by other bacteria in the fluid and improve the flavor of the finished product. Use your own fresh, homemade buttermilk for cheese making or buy some of the fresh, cultured liquid from your local dairy.
THE TECHNIQUES OF CHEESE MAKING
There are only eight major steps in the production of cottage cheese and, if you follow them carefully, your very first batch should turn out just fine. Make certain you have all necessary pots and utensils close at hand and let's begin:
1. Coagulate your pasteurized skim milk by bringing its temperature up to 75°F and stirring one-half cup (4 ounces) of fresh cultured buttermilk into each gallon of the fluid. Cover the container with a clean, loose-fitting lid and hold the liquid at 75°F until it forms into a good, thick mass with a slight amount of whey on its surface. This should take about 24 hours.
Raw skim milk, as I've mentioned, will sour without the addition of a culture if warmed to 75°F for 24 hours but—due to the random bacteria it sometimes contains—will also occasionally disappoint you with off flavors and funny textures when left to work on its own. It's better to play it safe and start each gallon of the raw fluid with a half-cup of fresh buttermilk just as you start pasteurized skim milk.
2. When the coagulated milk is as thick as custard pudding, cut the curd into one-half to one-inch cubes by passing a large kitchen knife vertically through the thickened fluid crosswise and lengthwise all the way to the bottom of the pot.
Allow the cut curd to rest undisturbed for 15 minutes and then place the container into a larger vessel of water that has been heated to 115 or 120°F. This heating will shrink, firm and separate the curd from the whey and is very important. Excessive temperatures will cause the curds to mat and - for best consistency—the jelling cheese must be heated slowly and as uniformly as possible. You'll realize best results if you maintain the level of the warm water in the larger container slightly higher than the surface of the curd and whey in the inside pot.
3. The developing cheese should be stirred somewhat during this heating to prevent the curds from matting excessively and to help spread the warmth throughout the solidifying mass. This stirring should be done very gently, however, and kept at a minimum. Try not to break the curds. A good practice is to stir gently with a perforated spoon or wooden ladle for only one minute at a time at five-minute intervals throughout the heating process.
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