How to Make and Freeze Homemade Ricotta Cheese

A lot of people are fond of Ricotta cheese. From cannoli to lasagne, this is one of the key delicious ingredients in most Italian dishes and other delicious recipes too. As we all know, it can be quite expensive – but it’s a healthy food (and it’s delicious) so you probably cannot afford not to buy it. Do you know that you can make ricotta cheese in your kitchen? Yes, you can. With just a few simple ingredients and a short amount of time, you can make a fresher, lighter ricotta cheese than you would get in any store.

How to Make Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Here are some useful tips and steps to help you make simple homemade ricotta cheese in your own kitchen and save money.

This is so simple that you need only three ingredients and 30 minutes and you are done!

The 3 ingredients you need to make the Ricotta Cheese:

Salt
Lemon Juice
Milk

Equipment:

Saucepan
Cheesecloth
Fine-mesh strainer

Here is the simple procedure you need to follow to make your own homemade Ricotta cheese:

In your saucepan, place the milk, lemon juice and salt.
Set the stove to medium high heat and place the mixture to heat.
Allow the mixture to boil and when it is hot enough, lower the heat and let it simmer.
While it’s simmering, stir the mixture to prevent it from scorching on the bottom. Keep stirring until a creamy curd starts to form from the mixture.
When the curd is separated from the liquid, this means that your Ricotta Cheese is done.
Place cheesecloth of about 5 layers or more on a strainer, then start straining the curd from the Ricotta Cheese. Be mindful that the infiltration process would be better if you use more layers of cheesecloth.
Wait for a period of time to make sure that your Ricotta Cheese has been properly strained. You should never press down on the curd while straining the mixture (doing this will harden up the cheese and you don’t want that).
When it is completely drained, you now have your homemade Ricotta Cheese, which is ready to use. You can use it in your cooking, serve it as it is or store it in the freezer.

How to Freeze Ricotta Cheese

Now you have your Ricotta cheese and you are wondering if storing it in the freezer is a good ways to store it

A few people sometimes wonder if Ricotta cheese can be frozen, especially in situations where you have more than you need or have leftover Ricotta you intend to save. It’s only natural that you would inquire about how to preserve it. Well, yes, you can freeze your Ricotta cheese. Although you can freeze it for a period of time (3 months), it is unfortunately not the best way to preserve it because the taste may change after such extended period of freezing. Although you can still use it after thawing, it can be watery and soggy when compared to its original state before you froze it.

However, there is a way you can still salvage the situation. You can blend the cheese to make its components come together, then drain it.

Sometimes, freezing Ricotta cheese is not the best option, but if you decide to freeze you Ricotta cheese, you should complete the following checklist:

Seal the cheese tightly in a plastic container or bag and put it the freezer.
If you intend to freeze the cheese for a long time, seal the cheese in a package, then place in a freezer bag too.
When you want to thaw it, you can do this in a cooked dish or by placing it in the fridge.

Featured photo credit: Anita Peeples via unsplash.com

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