Cheese

Recipes for making cheeses from raw milk with your own hands, unfortunately, have been partially lost.

After all, many housewives, especially in rural areas, used to make cottage cheese, sour cream, fermented baked milk, butter, and cheese from milk from their own cows.

Then, when all this appeared on store shelves, such skills became unnecessary, but they were passed on from the older generation to the younger.

They have also been preserved in the form of recipes in some cookbooks.

Fortunately, today there is a great Internet that helps people exchange information. And now it’s no longer a problem to find how to make, for example, kefir cheese at home. There are a number of recipes that use different methods and use certain additives to obtain the desired product.

The advantage of making cheese yourself is obvious. Firstly, you know what kind of raw materials are used there, how harmless the ingredients are. Secondly, you can regulate the taste and other qualities of the cheeses yourself. For example, only the housewife decides what saltiness to make the cheese. The same goes for fat content. The downside is that it takes some effort to make the product, but it’s not at all difficult.

Basic principles of making kefir-based cheese at home

To make cheese from kefir, the liquid fermented milk product must curdle and the protein separate from the whey. This is achieved in different ways. By heating, by introducing additional acids, or using natural processes. Also, the cheese product can be subjected to heat treatment - at the initial or final stage; in the latter case, baking soda is added for melting.

To separate the milk protein from the whey, use a colander covered with gauze or cloth. In addition, a press is also used to better remove the liquid from the product.

You can use any kefir for cheese, but it is better not completely fresh - it is low acidic and not peroxidized. A three-day option would be optimal.

According to some recipes, the finished cheese is kept in brine for several days, but more often this is avoided; salt is added directly to the mixture before cooking.

Kefir cheese is prepared at home with the addition of other dairy products - cream, sour cream, whey, butter and milk itself, as well as salt, acids, baking soda, spices, herbs.

Classic recipe for soft homemade cheese

How to make cheese from milk and kefir? Surely every housewife has asked this question at least once. We suggest starting with a classic recipe, which is easy to follow and does not require large financial expenditures.

Attention! When making cheese, use low-fat dairy products.

Compound:

• 400 ml with a low percentage of milk fat content;
• 500 ml low-fat kefir;
• egg;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Pour kefir into the container, then add the egg, mix the mass until the structure is homogeneous.

2. Boil the milk and, stirring, add the egg-kefir mixture and salt.
3. Boil again, continuously stirring the mass, and turn off the stove.
4. Leave the milk mixture for ten minutes.

5. Now we need a colander and a deep container that matches its diameter.
6. We place a colander on the container and cover it with gauze, which we first roll in several layers.
7. Pour the kefir-milk mass and wait for the whey to drain.

8. After about an hour, only the cheese mass will remain on the gauze.
9. Wrap the resulting mass in gauze and cover with a press overnight.

10. In the morning we will unwrap the gauze. We should get cheese like this.
    Read also:  How to cook ham at home?
11. We cut it up and we can enjoy a delicious breakfast.

A simple recipe for kefir cheese at home

For this recipe you only need kefir. And a little salt if you want salty cheese. If it's sweet, add sugar. Cottage cheese is made using the same recipe, but special rules must be followed to obtain cheese. Below are details about the preparation. The cheese comes out similar to Adyghe or feta.

• Two liters of kefir

• A teaspoon of salt – or more, to taste

Pour the kefir into a container - preferably a saucepan.

Add salt, stir, taste – is there enough salt? It's better not to overdo it.

Place kefir on low heat and heat until boiling.

There is no need to stir at this time.

When boiling begins, protein flakes will appear. It's time to turn it off.

By this time, a colander with two layers of gauze in it should be ready.

Pour kefir into a colander, placing the container under the whey.

Strain out the liquid, pressing down with a spoon or spatula. Then we twist the gauze.

We place the bun of future cheese directly in gauze in a shallow container and press it down with a press - for example, with a jar of water. The liquid should drain.

The next morning the cheese is ready. It's great for Greek salad, pie toppings and herbs.

Homemade cheese made from milk, kefir and eggs - a quick recipe

Sometimes I take a piece of hard cheese from the supermarket and it sits for a long time, drying out in the refrigerator. It feels kind of rubbery, completely tasteless, I’m generally silent about chemistry. But as soon as I put a pile of homemade cheese on milk, kefir and eggs to cool, it disappears before my eyes. Those who bypass the recipe for egg cheese because they are afraid that it will taste like eggs - that’s in vain, they are not felt at all. Its texture and taste are reminiscent of Adyghe, so it’s suitable for salads and baking, for example, instead of suluguni in Adjarian khachapuri. The curd mass can be compacted into silicone molds to give it an interesting look.

• Milk - 1 l
• Kefir – 500 ml
• Eggs - 5 pcs
• Salt - a pinch

Pour the milk into the pan and set to heat over medium heat. Add kefir to hot milk. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a hand whisk. While stirring constantly, pour the egg mixture into the saucepan in a thin stream. Bring to a boil to begin the process of curdling and separating the curd grains from the whey. Everything takes up to 10 minutes. At the end, add salt to taste.

Place the colander on a large bowl and cover it with clean material or gauze folded in three layers. When the cottage cheese separates well, fold it back and let it drain and cool. We tie the ends and hang them or place them under pressure. From the specified amount of ingredients, the cheese yield is 380-400 g.

Bon appetit and good mood!

Author of the publication

offline 24 minutes

Homemade kefir cottage cheese

In this recipe, cottage cheese is first prepared from kefir, and then cheese is made from it. This results in double heat treatment. The product is denser, shiny, does not crumble when cutting, at the last stage of cooking you can add additional ingredients - peppers, herbs, vegetables, mushrooms.

• Two liters of kefir, preferably with high fat content

• Spoon of butter

• A teaspoon of salt

• Half a teaspoon of baking soda

• A pinch of paprika and ground black pepper.

Place the kefir in a steam bath - for example, pour it into a saucepan, which is placed in a large saucepan with water.

You need to wait until clots begin to form from the kefir and the light water separates.

Throw the thickened kefir onto cheesecloth placed in a colander. Squeeze out excess liquid and let stand, draining, for half an hour.

The semi-finished cottage cheese product is ready. Now it needs to be turned into cheese.

Return the cottage cheese to the saucepan and add the remaining ingredients.

Everything needs to be mixed thoroughly and kneaded so that the pieces of cottage cheese are as small as possible. A fork, masher or blender will work here.

Again, place the pan in a water or steam bath, turn on the heat and wait until the cheese begins to melt.

Next, you need to constantly stir the product with a spoon or spatula so that the melting occurs evenly and all the pieces of cottage cheese dissolve.

You should get a homogeneous yellowish mass; this usually takes about 15 minutes.

Grease the cheese mold with butter - butter or vegetable oil.

Pour the melted mass into the mold, cool to room temperature and put in the refrigerator. After an hour or two you can try.

Almond cheese with sour cream without cooking

You can make homemade cheese without eggs not only from cottage cheese. Any dairy products will become the basis of cheese. How to make young homemade cheese from sour cream and milk in 10 minutes can be found here:

A little imagination and creativity will help you make an exquisite cheese treat from ordinary ingredients.

Ingredients:

• Almonds – 2 tbsp.
• Sour cream – 250 ml
• Olive oil – 2 tbsp. spoons
• Lemon juice – 2 teaspoons
• Pepper mixture – 2 teaspoons
• Salt - to taste

How to make almond cheese without cottage cheese

• Soak almond kernels in water for 12 hours. During this time, the nut should swell.
• Drain the water and remove the skins from the nuts. Pour sour cream over the white core.
• Add salt and blend everything with a blender until smooth.
• Fold the mixture into a napkin. Place in a colander set over the pan. Place a weight on top of the napkin and place the mass in the refrigerator for 12-14 hours.
• Add olive oil and lemon juice to the almond mixture squeezed out of the water.
• Use your hands to form a head of cheese, which you carefully prick with a fork in 3-4 places.
• Wrap the workpiece in a napkin and put it in the refrigerator again for 24 hours.
• Roll the cooled cheese in a mixture of peppers and cut into portions.

Delicate cream cheese with kefir and sour cream at home

This cheese is similar to cream cheese - it can be spread on bread, you can form not a sausage, but balls, each rolled in herbs, and added in this form to salads. Or add oil and leave to marinate. You can add crushed garlic to the greens if desired. It is also suitable for lavash-based snacks. The secret of tenderness is in sour cream, which is fermented with kefir.

• A liter of sour cream with a fat content of at least 20%

• A liter of kefir with a fat content of at least 2.5%

• One to two teaspoons of salt

• A bunch of greens – parsley, dill.

Mix sour cream and kefir, add salt, and puree with a blender to obtain a completely homogeneous mass.

Line the colander with a cotton or gauze napkin.

Pour the mixture, wrap the ends of the fabric, and place the press on top.

The cheese should sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours. In this case, the released liquid should drain.

After a day, form two thick sausages from the mass, roll them in chopped herbs, pressing tightly.

Store in the refrigerator, separating slices as needed.

Hard cheese made from milk and eggs with sour cream - a simple recipe

According to the traditional recipe, hrudka or sarga turo (hrudka, cirak, sirok, sirecz) consists only of eggs and milk, boiled until curdled and separated into cottage cheese and whey. It turns out sweetish; for a sour cheese taste, add sour milk (sour cream, kefir, yogurt).

The technique for making cheese from milk and eggs with sour cream is similar to making farm cheese. Sour cream plays the role of an enzyme here. Egg cheese can be completely varied - savory with salt, herbs, seasonings, paprika, pepper, nuts, figs or sweet dessert.

Ingredients

• Eggs or yolks only - 8 pcs.
• Whole cow's milk - 1 liter
• Sour cream from 15% - 1 cup.
• Salt - 1 tsp.
• Black peppercorns – 6 pcs.
• Spices, herbs, peppers, nuts - optional

Beat the eggs into a deep bowl and beat with a whisk until smooth. Pour in a liter of milk, a glass of sour cream, salt and pepper. Mix everything thoroughly. Then there are two options: steam or directly in a saucepan over low heat. According to the first option, the cheese comes out tender and soft, according to the second, it is more rubbery.

We build a water bath. Fill the bottom pan with about 2 cm of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat until the water simmers slightly. Place a container with eggs and milk on top so that it does not touch the boiling water.

Stir frequently with a wooden spatula until completely curdled. It takes approximately 20-30 minutes or until the liquid stops coming out. The whey can be poured into a bottle and used in baking bread or pancakes.

Line a colander with damp gauze folded in two to four layers. Pour the curd mass or spread it onto cheesecloth using a strainer. Let it drain for 10 minutes. Then we gather the edges of the gauze into a rope to squeeze out the egg cheese as much as possible.

We tie it with a rope into a neat bun and tie it to a wooden spoon. We hang the cottage cheese over the container for half an hour / hour. If you want a semicircular block, simply place a press on top (any weight, such as a jar of water). When the lump has cooled down and the whey has stopped dripping, put it in the refrigerator overnight, in a hanging position, so that it retains its round shape. The finished cheese is 300-400 grams.

It goes especially well in sandwiches and with sausages, green onions, and radishes for breakfast. This cheese is quite perishable and is best eaten within a day or two. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Tricks and tips for making kefir cheese at home

Kefir for making cheese at home should be as fat as possible, at least 2.5%. Also, if milk or sour cream is used, it should not be low-fat.

You can make sweet cheese by adding sugar or honey during formation.

If cheese is prepared by melting, it is better not to put the dishes on the fire, but to do it in a water or steam bath. In any case, you need to thoroughly mix the melting mass.

It is better not to store homemade cheese for too long, optimally - several days, a maximum of a week. Otherwise, it may become moldy or begin to peroxide. You also need to protect the cheese from drying out. If you want to store the product for a long time, you can marinate it or put it in brine.

Sweet cheese made from milk and eggs with raisins

An incomparable dessert cheese with raisins and dried apricots, shrouded in warm childhood memories. We always looked forward to the holiday to enjoy this curd pudding cheese. Melting-in-your-mouth sweet cheese with a delicate texture and vanilla notes is a must-have attribute of a Hungarian feast. It's almost like a cream, but firm. It takes about 10 minutes to cook, then a couple of hours in the refrigerator, and the best homemade cheese made from milk and eggs is on your table.

We will need:

• Milk - 1 l
• Eggs - 10 pcs
• Salt - 1/2 tsp.
• Granulated sugar - 4-5 tbsp.
• Raisins, dried apricots - 60-100 g
• Half a vanilla pod (extract or vanillin)
• Lemon zest - to taste

Heat the milk in a thick-bottomed saucepan along with the separated vanilla seeds, salt and sugar. Meanwhile, break the eggs and beat until light foam. If you want the cottage cheese to have white streaks, just stir the eggs with a fork.

When the milk boils, slowly pour in the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Turn the heat down to low and stir until the whey precipitates and the egg milk turns into cheese. Now is the time to add additives - raisins, dried apricots, citrus zest, figs, prunes, drip chocolate. The photo shows cheese made from milk and eggs with raisins and dried apricots.

Line a sieve with a clean kitchen towel and pour in the mixture. We pull the edges of the fabric together, twist them tightly and tie them into a knot. We hang it in a comfortable cool place for a couple of hours (5-6 will be enough). Then put it in the refrigerator for several hours to cool. When serving on a festive table, it is cut into slices on a cheese plate.