Ricotta doesnt get enough airtime.
I challenge you to find a cheese with as much potential as ricotta.
Ricotta is also the easiest cheese to makeso simple that you might call it unfuckupable.
In fact, making ricotta boils down to capturing milk solidsan up-cycle more than a recipe.
Keep a spray bottle of vinegar and clean towels nearby.
Were looking for a sterile environment, because we do not want to contaminate your cheese.
Contaminating your cheese is bad.
double-check your thermometer is attached to the pot, then pour in your milk.
Turn the heat on medium-high, and begin stirring.
The goal temperature is 190F, but dont race there.
It should take at least 20 minutes to get to that temperature, stirring the whole time.
Once you hit it, turn off the heat, but dont move the pot.
The milk is going to curdle, which is what were looking for.
Youll now have curds (solids) and whey (liquid).
Watch the whey; were looking for it to turn yellow.
That sounds vague, but youll recognize it when it happens.
Once its yellow, add one more tablespoon of citric acid and stir it in.
Let the curds drain for 15 minutes to an hour.
Making ricotta really is that simple; it keeps in the fridge for a week or so.
Its hard to screw up because its ricotta, and ricotta is reliable.
Ladle your curds into your clean cheese mold.
Use your spoon to even them out.
Now put the follower on top, and set the cheese in your cheese press.
With this particular cheese, go for broke.
Load a 30-pound weight and let it sit for an hour, then crank it up to 50 pounds.
Thats how exact it is.
The room should be between 60F and 70F, no hotter, and should have some air circulating.
Flip the cheese daily with clean hands.
A note on hard cheeses and their mold
Cheese is made of mold.
Mold is not inherently bad.
In fact, we introduce mold to cheese on purposethats your culture.
But ricotta salata is not made with cultures, so mold isnt a great sign.
Black mold, blue mold, brown moldthose are bad.
Toss your cheese if you see them.
When you cut open your cheese, look at the holes.
They should be irregularly shaped, not perfectly round.
If there are perfectly round holes, thats bad.
Round holes represent yeast or coliform, and both are no good.
Dont think about it, just toss itcompromised cheese is not worth your health.
