Buzz
Ricotta often flies under the radar. This versatile cheese works beautifully in both savory and sweet dishes, offering a delightful balance between smooth and silky with a satisfying texture. Can you think of another cheese with as much potential as ricotta?
Ricotta is one of the simplest cheeses to make—so easy that you could call it 'unfuckupable.' The process is more of an up-cycle than a recipe, as it involves capturing milk solids. Unlike other cheeses, you can make ricotta just by adding a coagulant to whey.
Starting with this cheese will be a game-changer, and instead of using whey, we’ll make it from whole milk because, let's face it, the world needs something good right now. As a savory bonus, we’ll push the envelope by making ricotta salata, a hard cheese perfect for grating after aging, giving you a special moment of pride as you present it to your friends.
Ricotta (adapted from a recipe by Gavin Webber)
Ingredients:
1 gallon of milk, not ultra-pasteurized (pasteurized, VAT-pasteurized, or raw works fine).
2 teaspoons of citric acid, dissolved in ¼ cup of distilled water.
1 teaspoon of non-iodized salt.
Equipment (see our buying guide for recommended tools):
6-quart or larger stockpot.
3-quart saucepan.
Stainless steel colander.
Cheesecloth.
Measuring spoons.
Thermometer.
Cheese press (if preparing ricotta salata).
One medium cheese mold with a follower (if preparing ricotta salata).
Prepare the workspace
When it comes to cheese, hygiene is key. Ensure that all your tools—the pot, countertop, utensils, measuring spoons, thermometer—along with the faucet and sink are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. You can use white vinegar or a sanitizing solution for this. Keep a spray bottle filled with vinegar and some fresh towels nearby for convenience.
Start by boiling water in a pot on the stove. Submerge your cheesecloth into the hot water for at least a minute. Use sanitized tongs to remove it, then carefully stretch the cloth over your colander.
Once you begin, avoid doing any dishwashing or other activities in the kitchen that may cause water droplets to contaminate your cheese. If you have fermenting ingredients, make sure they are covered or moved away to prevent them from interfering with your cheese. A sterile environment is crucial to ensure the purity of your cheese. Contamination is the last thing we want to happen to your cheese.
Warm the milk
Since we will be working with higher temperatures for this cheese, it’s best to use a double boiler to prevent burning the milk. Set up a sauté pan with a few inches of water, and place a pot of at least six quarts on top. Attach your thermometer to the pot, pour in the milk, then heat on medium-high while stirring regularly.
The target temperature is 190℉, but don’t rush it. Allow at least 20 minutes to reach that temperature, stirring constantly. Once you reach 190℉, turn off the heat, but leave the pot where it is.
Introduce a coagulant
Create a gentle swirl in the milk by stirring it, then pour in half of the citric acid solution. The milk will begin to curdle, which is exactly what we want. You’ll now see curds (solid bits) and whey (the liquid). Keep stirring and observe the whey; we want it to turn yellow. While it may sound unclear, you’ll recognize it when it happens. After a minute of stirring, gradually add the remaining citric acid, one tablespoon at a time, but only add enough to achieve that yellow color in the whey. Once it turns yellow, add one final tablespoon of citric acid and mix it in.
Scoop out the curds
Carefully transport the pot to your sink, and slowly pour its contents into a cheesecloth-lined colander. If gentle pouring isn’t possible, use a slotted spoon to transfer the delicate curds into the colander.
Allow the curds to drain for 15 minutes to an hour. You’ll know they’re ready when you squeeze one between your fingers and it leaves a creamy residue. Sprinkle some salt on the curds, stir, taste the cheese, and adjust the seasoning as desired.
And that’s all there is to it. You could sail away on a ship made of cannoli or create gnocchi so light they might just float you into space. Making ricotta is that easy, and it will last in the fridge for about a week.
Take it up a notch with ricotta salata
If you’re looking for more of a challenge and ready to try a hard cheese, ricotta salata is a great starting point. It’s difficult to mess up since it’s based on ricotta, which is a dependable cheese.
Spoon the curds into your clean cheese mold and smooth them out using your spoon. Place the follower on top, then position the cheese in your cheese press. The press has a weight gauge, and for most cheeses, you’d start with a lighter weight and gradually increase it. But for this cheese, go all in right away.
Place a 30-pound weight on the cheese and let it rest for an hour. Afterward, increase the weight to 50 pounds. I flip the cheese every two hours during the first five or six hours, or until bedtime. That’s the precise method for ricotta. After 12 hours of pressing, flip the cheese onto a bamboo mat and leave it to air dry for at least one day. The room temperature should range from 60℉ to 70℉, no warmer, with some airflow. Flip the cheese daily with clean hands.
The exterior of the cheese will begin to feel dry, and once it’s dry all around, move it to a Tupperware or vacuum-sealed bag. Store it in your cheese fridge for at least a month, then take it out, try a slice, and check its texture. If it shreds well, great! If not, continue aging until you achieve the shreddable texture and flavor you like.
A quick note on hard cheeses and the mold that can appear on them: Hard cheeses, such as aged varieties, are often exposed to molds intentionally as part of the cheese-making process. This is a natural step in developing their flavors. However, certain types of mold, such as black, blue, or brown mold, indicate spoilage, especially in cheeses like ricotta salata that aren't made with molds intentionally. When you spot this kind of mold, it's best to discard the cheese.
Cheese is fundamentally linked to mold, but not all mold is harmful. In fact, we purposely introduce beneficial mold cultures in certain cheeses to enhance their quality. However, ricotta salata is an exception, as it doesn’t rely on these beneficial molds. If you notice mold on it—black, blue, or brown—it's a sign that the cheese is compromised, and you should dispose of it.
When examining your cheese, focus on the holes. They should be irregularly shaped, indicative of the pressing process and the way the cheese fibers bond together. This natural formation of holes is known as ‘mechanical holes’. Perfectly round holes, on the other hand, point to yeast or coliform contamination—both of which are undesirable. If you see round holes, don’t hesitate—discard the cheese, as it may pose a health risk.
