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.
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Pour the milk into the pot and bring it up to heat a little bit, then add 9 Tbsp of white vinegar.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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:)