MAKING RICOTTA David B. Fankhauser, PhD Professor of Biology and Chemistry University of Cincinnati Clermont College Batavia OH 45103 22 Feb 1982, rvsd 24 Feb 92, 5 Aug 98, 24 Oct 98, 5 Dec 98 INTRODUCTION: Ricotta is Italian for "recooked" because it is made by "cooking" whey left over from making cheese which has been allowed to sour. The bacteria added to milk during the initial stage of making cheese will continue to make lactic acid which lowers the pH of the whey. The chemistry of ricotta is interesting. The solubility of protein remaining in the whey after making cheese becomes unstable when the whey becomes acid. Heating this acidified whey causes the protein to "denature"and it precipitates out as a fine curd. This small-grained curd is then filtered out by pouring through a fine cloth.

EQUIPMENT:

1) Non-reactive pot, either stainless steel or enameled (I have a wonderful 5 gallon stainless steel pot with a thick aluminum pad bonded to the bottom to disperse the heat. It is made by Vollrath, and was, I recall, quite expensive ($50-60 ten or fifteen years ago). If you use a thin enameled pot, you should either heat it over boiling water, or stir nearly continuously.

2) Wooden spoon (with square end helps to keep curd off the bottom)

3) Thermometer (0-110 C) to monitor temperature of whey while heating

4) Receiving pot the same volume or greater as cooking pot (plastic bucket will do)

5) Large strainer to suspend over receiving pot

6) Fine cloth (I use a clean non-terry cloth dish towel)

PROTOCOL:

1) Save the whey from making cheese in a non-reactive pot. Cover and let sit over night at room temperature to develop sufficient acidity.

2) Heat the acidified whey with stirring over as high a heat as will not cause sticking or burning until it is near boiling (95 C). Remove from heat. (It should have become distinctly cloudy with tiny white curds.)

3) Allow the "cooked" whey to cool undisturbed until just warm to the touch. The curds should look like clouds, and the whey clear and yellowish green (riboflavin in the whey gives it this color.)

4) Set up a receiving pot with a large strainer and a fine clean dish towel on top. Pour as much of the whey through the cloth as you can without disturbing the curds. It will filter MUCH faster if you do this carefully.

5) Scoop/pour out the curds into the cloth. Because the curds are very fine, they can stop up the cloth easily. This was the reason that you tried to pour off the whey in the previous step.

6) As soon as enough of the whey passes through to pick up the corners of the cloth, suspend the cloth like a bag over the drainage pot (or sink) to allow the last of the whey to drain out. It may take several hours.

7) Scrap the ricotta off the cloth into a container, cover and store in the refrigerator. Use it soon after making. Alternatively, I believe that it will freeze very well.

Five gallons of whey will make about two pounds of ricotta (a quart)

It makes delicious lasagna, ravioli stuffing, cheese-stuffed shells and blintzes.

Return to Fankhauser's Cheese Page
or

Go to David Fankhauser's Main Page

Send Email to: FANKHADB@UC.EDU

This page has been accessed Counter

times since 26 July 2000.