So I've managed to not know/forget that we had a cooking thread, but Allison asked me to put my cheese making escapades up, so tada:
Please, if you are an experienced cheeser, know that I am not- this is my first time around, but it came out delicious so there. I made queso fresco, which is a mild white somewhat crumbly cheese that DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY FANCY RENNETTS OR ENZYMES. This is important, because getting that shit is kind of a pain in the butt.
Go out and buy a gallon of whole milk- the closer the dairy to where you live the better, because then it will be pasturized but not superduper pasturized (it wont make cheese if it is). I bought mine from Giant, and it's listed as coming from a town within my (not very big) state, so that's a safe bet.
You will also need a pretty big pot, white vinegar, and salt.
Pour the milk into the pot and bring it up to heat a little bit, then add 9 Tbsp of white vinegar.
Plan to spend about the next 45 min/hour hovering around the kitchen to watch it curdle and stir it now and then. If you have a thermometer, keep the mixture at about 80C- if not, get it warm but not boiling or anything.
The curds look pretty gross, but hey.
The curds will mat up on the surface, and the liquid below will get more and more clear- when it's mostly clear, you're done (it takes a while).
Set up a strainer in your sink, and line it with cheesecloth (or a thin clean dishtowel). Pour the hot cheesy moosh through, and let it drain by gravity for a while. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt (or more, if you're like me) around and stir it through the curds a bit.
After a bit, wrap the towel over it a bit, and place something heavy on top to press out more liquid. You can see how high-tech my equipment is! This is not hard!
Pull the whole mess out by the corners of your cloth/towel, and twist them up to press out even more liquid- this shit is still pretty hot, but mush it the best you can.
I tied my bundle of cheese to the sink for a while to drip, not sure if it's necessary but it doesn't hurt!
Grab a tall bowl and line it with a paper towel, then transfer your cheese ball into it- you can store it in the fridge like this, just pull the paper over to keep it from drying out! It tastes fantastic spread on some toast or a cracker:)