How to make cheese at home easily

Learn how to make cheese at home quickly and with little effort. Get the best milk you can find, lemons, and you can start making your all-natural fresh cheese.

Fresh homemade cheese

Delicious and versatile, this white cheese recipe is the simplest way of cheese making at home. To give you a rough idea, the consistency you get reminds you of cottage cheese, Indian chenna/panir, Italian fresh ricotta or Catalan brossat.

The beauty of it is that to learn how to make cheese at home you don't need any special equipment or ingredients. So, here's how to make cheese...

Equipment for making cheese at home

• A large pan
• A colander
• A wooden spoon
• A cheese cloth or muslin cloth
• A bit of kitchen twine or string
• A large bowl to put the colander in – optional

Ingredients for this cheese making recipe

Yields about 3/4 pound of fresh homemade cheese

• 1/2 gallon (2 l) whole milk – use organic milk if possible
• 4 to 5 tablespoons lemon juice – freshly pressed

How to make cheese instructions

1. Pour the milk in a large pan that allows room for boiling. Heat it to a rolling boil over medium heat. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.


2. Meanwhile, squeeze the lemon juice.


3. When the milk boils, remove it from he heat. Immediately but slowly add the lemon juice to the milk.


4. While you add the lemon juice, gently move the wooden spoon through the hot milk in one direction. After some seconds, you should see the milk splitting into lumps of curd and watery whey. These curds are your homemade cheese.


5. Cover the pan and set aside for 2 hours. This allows the curds to settle properly. If you are in a hurry reduce the time to 30 minutes.


6. When the curds have settled, line a colander with a cheese cloth or muslin. If your cheese cloth looks very thin, cover the colander with two or more layers.


7. Place the colander in the sink, or a large bowl if you intend to collect the whey. Slowly pour the curdled milk into the colander.


8. When all the liquid is drained off, gather the corners of the cheesecloth together to form a bag. Tie this sack containing the cheese curds with a kitchen twine or any other piece of string.


9. Hang the bag with the cheese curds over the sink or a bowl to let any remaining liquid whey to drip off. A kitchen cabinet knob is generally suitable to suspend the bag with the fresh homemade cheese.


10. Leave for 3 hours, and your homemade cheese is ready for eating or refrigerating. It keeps well and appetizing in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

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