Cottage cheese

Pasteurization of Milk

To begin with, it is necessary to pasteurize the milk. This is done by heating the milk to 68 degrees and maintaining it at this temperature for 10 minutes.

Then, the milk needs to be cooled to 33 degrees for mesophilic cultures or to 36-38 degrees for thermophilic cultures, by placing the pot in cold water in a tub.

Adding the Culture

To determine the amount of culture needed for inoculation, weigh the packed vial and subtract the weight of the container as indicated on the packaging.

Divide the obtained number by the number of liters the vial is designed for, to determine the amount to add per liter of milk. Write down the calculated number on the vial.

For making cottage cheese, you will need 2-3 times more than the standard amount per liter of milk.

About 2-3 hours before adding the culture, take it out of the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature.

About 1-5 minutes before adding, open and place the required amount of culture on foil, returning the rest to the freezer.

After that, sprinkle the culture over the surface of the milk, wait for 2 minutes, and mix thoroughly.

Add calcium chloride at a rate of 1 gram per 10 liters of milk.

Cover the pot with a lid and place it in a warm place overnight, at least 6-8 hours. The optimal temperature is 30-35 degrees for mesophiles.

Formation of the Curd

To check the curd, lift one side of the pot; the milk should separate from the pot, having a thick buttermilk-like consistency. If cream forms on the surface, remove it, and then cut the curd: horizontally in the center, vertically, diagonally, and around the center.

Heating and Forming the Curd

After cutting, place the curd on heat.

While it heats, periodically rotate the pot left and right to make the curd inside the pot rotate.

Once bubbles appear, perform the twisting.

With the active appearance of bubbles, use a plate to flip the curd from the edge of the pot to the center.

Heating the curd is complete when it is sufficiently heated; gently transfer it with a ladle to a cheese cloth for whey drainage.

Final Steps

Suspend the cheese cloth with the curd for 1.5 hours to drain the whey. Then place the cheese cloth with the curd under a press, placing a weight of about half a kilogram on top, and wait another 2-3 hours for the final formation of the curd.