Ricotta Cheese
Remember those fun science experiments you used to do in chemistry class as a kid? My favourites always involved a Bunsen burner and flames that turned colours. Perhaps I am just a giant nerd (no need to comment here), but I always thought that chemistry class was cool. Teachers let you use materials that sounded toxic, you were allowed to play with fire and dry ice. Far more interesting than solving a math equation.
There is also something noble and fascinating about using the scientific method to try and explain the world around us. Which was why I was particularly excited to receive J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s cookbook for Christmas this year. For those of you not familiar with him, he is a regular contributor at Serious Eats, and approaches cooking from a scientific perspective. He debunks long-held myths of the kitchen [Did you know that searing meat does not “lock in” the juices?] His entire approach to the kitchen is unique: he questions not just how you are cooking, but why. He encourages you not to blindly follow a recipe, don’t even blindly follow what he is saying. Test and test again. Treat cooking like an experiment.
And maybe we don’t need to take everything so seriously, this is just dinner after all, but reading his book was fun and made me long for my days of lab coats, goggles, and Bunsen burners.
His recipe for Ricotta cheese especially caught my eye. I have been dying to try my hand at cheese for years now [note the nerd comment up above], but I hadn’t gone so far as to actually purchase my own rennet. This recipe uses nothing more than milk and vinegar, takes 10 minutes from start to finish and cooks entirely in the microwave. It sounded too good to be true. It sounded like cheese made in the microwave would be disgusting. It was amazing! I have made it several times now! I have declared I will never buy ricotta cheese again!
A few notes. Buy some cheesecloth. Really. You can find it everywhere- grocery store, Homesense, Winners, hardware store….and it is useful for more than just cheese. Think of it as the finest mesh strainer that you can throw out if it gets too many seeds or gunk in it. Lopez-Alt claims that you can use food safe paper towels instead. I’m not sure what those are. They would probably be harder to find than cheesecloth.
This recipe works best with regular pasteurized whole milk. Avoid the ultra-pasteurized milk, which will be difficult to separate into curds and whey.
How you intend to use your cheese will determine how long you let it sit for. Obviously, the longer your cheese sits and drains, the thicker it will be. If you are using this as a spread on toasted crostini or to eat by the spoonful, I would leave it only a few minutes. If you intend on baking a cheesecake, you want to leave it for at least 15-20 minutes, to make sure it is nice and thick. Feel free to play around and get the consistency you prefer.
Ricotta Cheese
J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, The Food Lab
Makes 1 cup of cheese
4 cups whole milk (see note)
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
Line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth or two layers of food-safe paper towels, set over the sink. Combine the milk, salt, and vinegar in a microwave-safe 2-quart liquid measuring cup and microwave on high until lightly bubbling around the edges, 4-6 minutes. The milk should register about 165F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from the microwave and stir gently for 5 seconds. The milk should separate into solid white curds and translucent liquid whey. If not, microwave for 30 seconds longer and stir again. If necessary repeat until fully separated.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds to the prepared colander, and allow to drain until the desired texture is reached (See note).
Leftover ricotta can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.