KITCHEN-CRAFTED COTTAGE CHEESE
(Page 3 of 5)
September/October 1972
By Betty Brinhart
4. Check the temperature of the mixture often. When it reaches 100°F, increase the heat under the container of water until a thermometer stuck in the jelling cheese registers 120°F. At that point the curds can be stirred more frequently while you hold their temperature at the higher level for 25 minutes or until the bits of cheese are too firm to break easily. The curd is not firm enough and still requires cooking if a chunk contains enough moisture to appear glossy inside when broken open with the fingers.
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5. When the curd has firmed sufficiently, pour it into a large colander (covered with two thicknesses of cheesecloth) or strainer and drain off the whey.
6. The cooling curds should be allowed to drain five minutes and then should be washed twice to remove the acid whey and leave the finished cheese firm, hard and mild in flavor. This washing will not increase the moisture content of the cheese at all so don't be afraid to really douse the curds. Wash them in twice their volume of water both times you cleanse them.
The first washing should cool the curds to about 80°F and remove any remaining sour whey if the ends of the cheesecloth are gathered . . . and colander and all is immersed into a deep pan of 70-80° water for approximately three minutes. If a strainer (instead of colander) is used, gently sink the container into the water until the curd is covered and work the cheese lightly with a spoon as it cools.
The partially-cooled curd is then immersed into a second wash water in the same manner. This bath should be 50°F or cooler (I use ice water) and the lower temperature will check the souring process and chill the cheese enough so that it may be immediately refrigerated or frozen.
7. Let the washed curd drain for half an hour, then place it in a bowl and add (if you so desire) one teaspoon of salt to each pound of cheese. If you expect to eat the cottage cheese within a week, keep it in the refrigerator (35°F is the best storage temperature) until it's needed.
You may also freeze your new cheese for long periods of time if you first compress and chill it and wrap it in aluminum foil. Do this by putting the drained (and salted, if you prefer) curds back into the cheesecloth and leaving just a little slack so it can spread out) tying the fabric shut around the ball of cheese. Then place something flat and heavy (such as a good-sized cutting board) on the bundle and press the cheese down into a hard, flat disk about one inch thick, depending on how much you've made. Leave the disk in the refrigerator or a very cold room overnight.
In the morning, gently remove the compressed cheese from the cloth and wrap it in heavy aluminum foil or place it in a round refrigerator container. You can then freeze it for future use or store it in the refrigerator to be eaten as desired.
I've kept cottage cheese disks in my freezer for as long as three months and—after thawing them for four hours at room temperature—found them just as moist and delicious as the day they were made. The slabs of cheese are very firm and, once thawed, can be sliced much like processed cheese. They can also be crumbled and mixed with cream to make creamed cottage cheese . . . or used in pies, cakes and other nutritious desserts.
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