Home cheese-making
Cottage cheese
BeginnerAbout Cottage cheese
A slow culture set, gently cooked and washed curds, dressed with cream.
- Hands-on
- 1 h 15 min
- Waiting
- 6 h
- Ageing
- None
- Yield
- About 600–800 g
Milk & ingredients
4 litres pasteurised skimmed or semi-skimmed milk (not UHT)
- 4 litres milk
- Mesophilic culture (pack dose)
- A few drops of rennet (about a quarter of a normal dose)
- Salt
- Cream to dress
Culture: Mesophilic
Coagulant: Mainly culture acid, with a little rennet
Equipment
- Pot
- Thermometer
- Long knife
- Muslin
- Bowl of cold water
Temperatures by stage
| Stage | Temperature |
|---|---|
| Set | 22–30 °C |
| Cook curds | Slowly up to about 46–52 °C |
Steps
- 1.Hands-onWarm milk to about 30 °C; add culture and the small rennet dose; stir and leave still.
- 2.WaitingLeave 4–6 hours (or longer at cooler room temperature) until set with a little whey on top.
- 3.WaitingCut into 1–2 cm cubes; rest 15 minutes.
- 4.Hands-onHeat very slowly to 46–52 °C over about an hour, stirring gently, until curds are firm.
- 5.Hands-onDrain; rinse curds in cold water to cool and firm them.
- 6.Hands-onSalt and dress with cream to taste.
Storage: Refrigerate; use within about 5 days.
Troubleshooting
- Mushy curds
- Heated too fast — raise the temperature slowly.
Cook with it
Sources
- Cheese Making Technology e-book — University of Guelph, Food Science
- Raw drinking milk — UK Food Standards Agency
Guidance changes: check the source for current wording. Original text; figures quoted from the sources where stated.