🇵🇱   EN

---

How to make ricotta cheese at home. Simple ricotta recipe

 Ricotta

  Ricotta is a soft and delicate Italian cheese that is produced from whey left over from rennet coagulated cheeses. Unlike most of the cheeses, which are "built" from casein, ricotta's protein composition is mainly made up of albumin and globulin - the whey proteins left in the whey after the cheese-making process. 

    As mentioned earlier, ricotta is traditionally made from whey alone, but there are versions with added milk or even ricotta made from milk without whey - however, it so closely resembles Indian paneer cheese that in my opinion, it is no longer ricotta.

    One of the most important parameters determining whether ricotta cheese will turn out as it should is the pH of the whey. The pH should not be lower than 6.2, so it is recommended to make ricotta immediately after making cheese, when the whey is still sweet. Over time, the bacteria contained in the whey will start to consume lactic acid, gradually lowering the pH until the production of ricotta is no longer possible. A half-measure solution to the problem of overly acidic whey is to add an appropriate amount of milk to it, which not only affects the yield but also raises the pH. However, there are limits, and adding milk to raise the pH only makes sense if the whey's acidity has not fallen below 6.0 pH. 

Below you will find a simple and proven recipe for ricotta :)

 Ingredients for ricotta cheese: 

-6 liters of whey (as fresh as possible) 

-200 ml of milk (optional) 

-100 ml of apple cider vinegar or other vinegar

 Ricotta cheese recipe: 

• Heat the whey to about 90°C (minimum 80°C). It is worth stirring occasionally to ensure that the whey is heated evenly and that nothing sticks. 

• Add milk in the meantime. 

• At around 70°C, you may notice that the protein begins to separate slightly. This is not yet ricotta, but the effect of temperature on milk proteins and leftover cheese particles that remained in the whey after draining.

•  Turn off the heat at 90°C.

•  Slowly pour in the vinegar, while lightly stirring. Add vinegar until the whey becomes clear, and ricotta starts to separate in large quantities. If you have leftover vinegar, it's okay. The ideal amount of vinegar for ricotta depends on its exact acidity.

•  After all the ricotta has separated, leave the cheese for a few minutes to settle. I used to wait for 2 hours or longer, but after many attempts, I see no difference whether I wait 5 minutes or 2 hours. 

• Then transfer the ricotta cheese to a mold. If the ricotta is in small pieces, use a cheesecloth with smaller holes than the mold. 

• Leave it to drain for a few hours. 

• Store it in the fridge for a few days