Make your own cottage cheese

J loves cottage cheese, and he loves Alton Brown...and well - there you have it!

Continuing with the cooking experiments and the healthy diet attempts, we decided to make our own cottage cheese today. This may seem like a simple thing to those of you who regularly make things from scratch but for me it was a revelation! You mean you can actually make something that comes in a processed-packaged-carton-from-the-store? Wow! It went quite well too - I don't really like cottage cheese but this is the best cottage cheese I have ever tasted. It tastes fresh, healthy, and un-processed.


Here are the instructions (apologies to those who need to translate):
Yield = 2 cups
1 gallon pasteurized skim milk
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup half-and half-or heavy cream

1. Pour a gallon of skim milk into a large pot on the stove and heat over medium heat until the milk reaches a temperature of 120 degrees F. You will need a thermometer!
2. When it hits 120 degrees, remove the pot from heat and gently pour in the vinegar, stirring slowly for 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey. (This is the yucky looking stage in photo 2)
3. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes.
5. Gather up the edges of the towel and run the cheese under cold water for 3-5 minutes until it is completely cooled. Squeeze and move the mixture in your hands that entire time.
6. Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl.
7. Add the salt and stir to combine (I used a fork) and break up the curd into bite-sized pieces.
8. If ready to serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. If not, transfer to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half and half or heavy cream just prior to serving.