How To Make Homemade Large Curd Cottage Cheese
Learn how to make homemade large curd cottage cheese by following these simple steps to get a creamy homemade cottage cheese with large, tender curds every time.
Equipment
- 1 large heavy pot with lid
- 1 Food Thermometer
- 1 slotted spoon
- 1 large colander
- 1 Cheese cloth or tea towel
- 1 Large bowl or pot
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 Airtight storage container
Ingredients
- 1 gallon pasteurized milk skim or whole
- ⅛ teaspoon calcium chloride
- ¼ cup water
- 1 package direct-set mesophilic starter or 4 ounces prepared mesophilic starter
- ¼ teaspoon liquid rennet or ¼ teaspoon rennet tablet dissolved in ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less per preference
- ½ cup cream or half and half optional
Instructions
- Add one gallon of whole milk to a heavy pot.
- Heat the milk to 72 degrees Fahrenheit over very low heat. Your are just trying to bring the milk to room temperature.
- While the milk is heating to 72 degrees Fahrenheit dilute ⅛ calcium chloride in ¼ cup water.
- Add ¼ cup diluted calcium chloride and mesophilic starter to the milk and stir well.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the diluted rennet mixture and gently stir.
- Cover the pot with a lid and let it set at 72 degrees Fahrenheitif your home is cold then plug in a crockpot full of water and set the pot near it) for 4-8 hours until the curds form.
- Cut the curds into ½ inch cubes and allow to set for 10 minutes.
- Place the pot on very low heat until the temperature reaches 80 degrees Fahrenheit, gently stirring the curds.
- Increase the heat very slightly and continue stirring until the temperature reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The slower you raise the heat, the more tender the cheese curds will be.
- Maintain the temperature at 110 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes until the curds are cooked through, stirring gently every few minutes.
- Turn off the heat and allow the curds to rest for 5 minutes.
- Place a large colander into a large bowl and line the colander with cheese cloth or a tea towel.
- Transfer the curds to the cloth lined colander using a large slotted spoon. Allow the whey to drain from the curds.
- Wrap the curds in the cloth and rinse the curds, still wrapped in the cloth, under cool running water.
- Place the curds back in the colander and allow the curds to dry for several minutes.
- Move the curds to a clean bowl and break up any matted pieces.
- Stir in the salt and cream or half and half per preference.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days, making sure to use the cottage cheese before the expiration date on the milk used to make the cottage cheese.
Notes
This large curd homemade cottage cheese recipe is adapted from the Home Cheesemaking book by Ricki Carroll.