TheFrugalChicken.com

TheFrugalChicken.com

Table of Contents

3 Introduction 4 What to Have on Hand 5 Resource List 7 Ricotta 11 Queso Blanco 15 Mozzarella 19 Chevre 23 Feta

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M aking homemade

cheese is probably one of the easi-

est things you’ll do today. Really. All

it takes is milk (cow or goat, depend-

ing on the recipe) and a couple

special ingredients that are easy to

find and use.

If you follow FrugalChicken, you

know already I’m a huge fan of

cheese not just because it tastes

great, but because it’s one of those

small activities that helps you be-

come more independent.

These recipes don’t even take

that much time. For example, moz-

zarella you can make in about 30

minutes, once you have your ingre-

dients.

For all of the recipes, you can

use milk from the store, or raw milk

from your own farm or another local

farm. If you do use milk from the

store, try to use 2% or whole milk, and

steer clear of ultra-pasteurized milk

(you’ll know if it’s ultra-pasteurized if

there’s a “UP” on the label).

Be sure to have all your ingredi-

ents on hand before you start. It

makes everything so much smooth-

er, and you’ll have a better experi-

ence.

Homemade cheese is one of

those things that you can take to par-

ties, or bring to new neighbors as a

housewarming gift. It seems so much

more complicated than it is, and

you’ll be sure to impress.

If you have a family, you’ll be sat-

isfied to know that they’re eating nu-

tritious, whole foods made with your

own hands.

What can get better than that?

Introduction

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B efore you start, be sure to

have a few ingredients on hand. I

have to order these off Amazon, and

having them at my finger tips makes

the cheese creating process MUCH

easier.

They’re not expensive, but

they’re crucial to your success. So,

here’s what to snag before you start:

Rennet (either animal or vegeta-

ble. They both serve the same pur-

pose).

Calcium Chloride

Cheese molds (to shape your

cheeses, if desired. Not necessary,

though!)

Butter muslin (to drain your chees-

es)

A hook to hang your cheeses so

they can drain.

A bowl to catch the whey as it’s

draining.

A non-reactive pot (such as stain-

less steel)

A slotted spoon, or a cheese

spoon

The next page is a resource list,

that explains the purpose of each

item along with photos. There’s also

direct links to the items I personally

use when making all these cheeses.

They are affiliate links, so I earn a

small commission, at no extra cost to

you. If you do buy through them,

thanks in advance!

Happy cheese making!

What to have

on hand

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Before you start, here’s

where to by all the cheese-

making tools you’ll need. Don’t

let some of the names scare

you—they’re naturally-occurring

substances that have been used

safely for centuries.

These are the exact items I

use, and I’ve had a ton of suc-

cess using these tools, so I highly

recommend them!

Rennet (either animal or vege-

table. They both serve the

same purpose of helping the

curds separate from whey).

Calcium Chloride - helps the

curds firm together.

Cheese molds (to shape your

cheeses, if desired. Not neces-

sary, though!)

Butter muslin (to drain your

cheeses)

Resource List

Rennet

Calcium chloride

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Slotted spoon – Super useful to

stir rennet, calcium chloride,

cultures, etc into milk and also

to remove curds from whey

before draining.

Non-reactive pot—Definitely

want to make sure you use a

pot made of a non-reactive

substance like stainless steel.

Chevre culture—Use this to

make chevre!

Mesophilic culture—This is a

multi-purpose culture used to

make all sorts of cheeses In

this book, we use it to make

feta!

Citric Acid (you can also use

lemon juice, but if you want to

buy citric acid powder you

can.)

Resource List

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F resh ricotta really is

wonderful. It’s creamy, and not

anything like what you buy at

the store. And you don’t need

anything fancy, so it’s perfect for

a Sunday afternoon adventure.

To make ricotta, you have

a couple choices. You can use

fresh milk (either raw milk or

store-bought) or you can use

whey. When you make any

cheese, you’ll have whey lefto-

ver.

I don’t really recommend

making ricotta from whey, how-

ever. Although I’m sure there’s

people who will disagree with

me, I’ve never gotten good

yields using whey. You’re better

off drinking it, in my opinion. But,

if you want to use whey, there’s

no reason not to!

I’ll focus on using milk in this

recipe. It’s best if you use whole

milk, and be sure your milk isn’t

ultra-pasteurized. If it is, it won’t

work for any cheese recipe, be-

cause while the nasties have

been destroyed, so have all the

good bacterias in the milk.

Ricotta

from my favorite cookbook

prep time

30 seconds

cook time 30 min, plus extra for draining

serves

2 to 3

What you’ll need

1 gallon Whole milk 5

2 tsp citric acid

1 cup watercheese oil

Non-reactive pot Butter Muslin Colander for draining Bowl to collect whey

Ricotta

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1. Place your gallon of whole

milk in a non-reactive pot.

2. Combine 2 tsp of citric acid

with 1 cup of water.

You can use lemon juice as cit-

ric acid, or use powdered citric

acid.

3. Add half of the citric acid

mixture to the milk, and stir for 5-

10 seconds.

4. Warm your milk over medium

heat, slowly.

5. When your milk reaches 165—

175 degrees, keep an eye on it.

You’ll soon see cheese curds

forming in your milk—they’ll look

like thin specks,

6. If you don’t see curds form-

ing, add more citric acid in 1 ta-

blespoon increments until they

form.

7. Stir slowly to avoid breaking

up the small flakes of curd that

have formed.

8. Continue heating to about 195

degrees, then remove from the

heat.

Let the curds rest for 10-15 min.

You’ll begin to see the curds

Directions

A good look at ricotta curds.

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forming. You can try to push

them together or you can allow

the pot to cool, and the curds

to sink towards the bottom over-

night.

9. Drain the curds in a colander

lined with butter muslin. It won’t

take very long.

10. When the curds are separat-

ed from the whey, use a spoon

to scoop the curds into a bowl.

11. Your ricotta is now done,

and you can use it fresh, or put

it in the fridge to rest and solidify

further.

Use within 10 days.

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Q ueso blanco is

Spanish for “white

cheese”.

Originating in Latin Ameri-

ca, its traditionally made from

cow milk, It’s probably the

easiest cheese to make, and

the best part is you already

have all the ingredients in your

pantry: whole milk and vinegar.

For this recipe, you can use

either distilled white vinegar, or

apple cider vinegar, If you use

apple cider vinegar (which is

what I use), I suggest using

homemade vinegar.

Why? Because the taste of

homemade apple cider vinegar

completely smokes store bought

vinegar. Use it and your cheese

will be amazing.

Homemade queso blanco

is buttery and mild with a soft

texture. Use it like you would

any soft cheese. It’s great for

any meal, including breakfast

(use it in place of cottage

cheese, for example).

If you want to take your

queso blanco to the next level,

you can press it until almost all

the whey is out - then it be-

comes queso seco. Mix your

cow milk with goat milk before

adding the vinegar, and

you’ve made queso fresco.

Queso Blanco

from my favorite cookbook

prep time

30 sec

cook time 30 min, plus extra for draining

serves

3

things you need

1 gallon Whole cow milk crumbs

5 tbsp. Apple cider vinegared parmesan cheese a virgin olive oil

Non reactive pot (such as stainless steel) of tomato sauce

Butter muslin dried basil

Colander garlic minced

Bowl (to catch whey) shredded mozzarella cheese

Queso Blanco

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1. Pour your gallon of milk into your

non-reactive pot, and heat it to 190

degrees, stirring constantly to pre-

vent scorching.

2. Once the milk has reached 190

degrees, remove it from the stove.

3. Add 3 tablespoons of vinegar

slowly, stirring gently to mix thorough-

ly, and encourage separation be-

tween the curds and the whey.

4. Soon, you’ll see the curds begin to

separate from the whey. Continue to

stir gently so you don’t break up the

curds.

5. If it doesn’t look like the curds are

really separating from the whey, add

more vinegar, one tablespoon at a

time.

Directions

You can see the curds separating here.

Homemade apple cider vinegar—very easy to make!

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Be careful, though, because adding

too much vinegar will make your

queso blanco have a funky taste.

6. Line a colander with butter mus-

lin and ladle the curds into it.

7. Tie the corners into a knot, and sus-

pend the cheese over a bowl to drain

for a few hours, or until the queso blan-

co has reached the consistency you

prefer.

8. I hang the bag over the faucet in

the kitchen, or on a hook dedicated

for that purpose.

9. Pour the drained cheese into a

bowl. You can eat immediately, or

store in the refrigerator up to 10 days.

Queso blanco, best enjoyed in your garden!

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I f you’ve never tasted

fresh, homemade mozzarella,

you’re in for a treat. How cool

would it be to have a caprese

salad with homegrown herbs

and veggies, topped with fresh,

homemade mozzarella?

It seems intimidating and

time consuming to make, but

really, it’s so simple you can do

it in an hour.

Before you start, make sure

you have citric acid on hand (I

use lemon juice, but you can

buy citric acid tablets at Ama-

zon ) and animal rennet (or

vegetable rennet).

As far as functionality goes,

there’s no difference between

the two.

Citric acid is the same stuff

that makes lemons mouth-

puckering sour – it’s complete-

ly natural, and not dangerous

in any way. (Confession: I use

lemon juice sometimes in this

recipe—it works great!)

Animal and vegetable ren-

net accomplish the same

thing: they allow the milk curds

to coagulate into cheese.

Don’t be intimidated by this –

it’s no more involved than

measuring out any other liquid.

If you want to take your

mozzarella to the next level,

you can marinate it!

Mozzarella

prep time

2 minutes

cook time 30 min, plus extra for draining

serves

3 to 4

What you’ll need

1 gallon

whole or 2% milk

(not ultra-pasteurized)

1/4 tsp Citric acid (from a lemon or powdered, for example)

1/4 tsp rennet

1/2 cup water

Non-reactive pot (stainless steel, for example) Butter muslin (for draining) Microwaveable bowl Thermometer

Mozzarella

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1. Pour your milk into a large

non-reactive pot.

2. Add your 1/4 teaspoon citric

acid.

3. Heat your milk to 90 degrees

stirring slowly.

4. Once it's reached 90, re-

move it from the heat, and

add 1/4 teaspoon rennet.

5. Stir slowly for 30 seconds or

so.

6. Let the milk mixture rest to let

the milk set. Sometimes it takes

5 minutes for it to coagulate,

sometimes it takes 1/2 hour.

You'll know it's done when the

milk has solid chunks in it (these

are the curds).

7. Cut the curds into chunks

(still in the pot) using a knife.

8. Return your pot to the stove,

and heat the curds to about

105 degrees.

9. Once the curds are heated

to 105, remove the pot from

the heat, and let rest so the

Directions

Milk that has coagulated into cheese curds The cheese curds have sunk to the bottom of the whey.

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curds separate even more

from the whey.

10. Line a bowl with the butter

muslin, and pour the curds and

whey into it.

11. Let the curds drain from a

hook until the whey stops drip-

ping.

12. Once the dripping stops,

place the curds into a micro-

waveable bowl and heat them

30 seconds at a time until

they’re 135 degrees.

This temperature is important

because it’s necessary for the

curds to gel together.

13. When the curds solidify,

stretch them, and form them in-

to balls (use gloves because

they'll be hot).

You can make on large ball,

several smaller ones, or tiny

ones for a salad or marinating.

You're done! You can either eat

your mozzarella fresh, or refriger-

ate and use for a week.

The curds are heated in the microwave, and have started to

solidify together.

Freshly formed mozzarella balls

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C hevre is another

gourmet cheese that seems

hard to make, but is actually

very simple once you have the

chevre culture.

Fresh chevre doesn’t taste

“goaty” at all as long as you’re

sure to use fresh milk from a reli-

able source (in other words,

goats on a nutritious diet).

You won’t need any rennet

for a simple chevre, just the cul-

ture, a non-reactive pot, and

butter muslin.

You don’t even need molds

for your cheese, although if you

want to use them, you can.

We’ll focus on making a

simple fresh chevre, similar to

Queso Blanco.

Once you get the hang of

this, you can try advanced

techniques, such as incorporat-

ing different bacterias and rip-

ening the cheese for a period of

time, but for now, we’ll stay sim-

ple.

You can use chevre the

same way you use other

cheese, or eat it straight on

crackers. For example, you can

put it on tacos, in place of ri-

cotta, or really anything you

can imagine.

I like to add fresh and

dried herbs to my chevre, such

as oregano, thyme, marjoram.

You can add anything you

want!

Chevre

prep time

30 min

cook time 30 min, plus extra for draining

serves

2 to 3

what you’ll need

1 gallon

fresh goat milk

1 packet chevre culture

Non-reactive pot (like stain-less steel)

Thermometer

Butter muslin

Colander

Bowl

Chevre

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1. Place your goat milk into a non

-reactive pot, and warm it to be-

tween 68—72 degrees.

2. You can warm it by placing the

pan of milk into another pan of

warm water (being careful to not

get any water in the milk), or you

can warm it on the stove.

Just be careful, because the milk

warms faster than you think. Alt-

hough your cheese will turn out

ok if you heat it higher than 72

degrees, it will be more rubbery

than if it was kept at the correct

temperature.

3. Once the milk is at the correct

temperature, remove the pot

from the heat.

4. Add the chevre culture, and stir

gently.

5. Let your milk mixture sit for 6-

12 hours. I start my cheese at

night, then let the chevre cul-

ture do its thing overnight.

The cheese curds will separate

from the whey during this time.

The longer your culture sits, the

more acidic (tangy) your

cheese will be.

6. Once there’s a good separa-

tion between curds and whey,

transfer your mixture to a colan-

der lined in butter muslin.

7. Tie up the ends of the muslin,

and hang the curds to let them

drain into a bowl. The longer

you let drain, the more solid

your cheese will be.

Directions

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Draining can take anywhere

from a few minutes, to a few

hours, depending on your de-

sired texture.

8. If you like, you can put your

chevre curds into molds to solid-

ify, or you can put them into a

bowl.

9. Eat immediately, or place in

the fridge to solidify further.

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I don’t think feta needs

much of an introduction here.

The cheese that’s ubiquitous in

Greek salads is, I’m sure, very

well known to you.

Just like all the cheeses in

this book, fresh feta is super

easy to make. You just need a

1/2 hour or so, then the curds

needs to rest overnight.

At the end, you’ll have

fresh feta to put in salads, on

sandwiches, or eat plain. Can

you imagine showing up at

your next party with fresh

made feta you whipped up

the night prior? Pretty cool,

huh?

For this recipe, the fresher

your goat milk is, the better.

You can use calcium chloride,

too, if your at all concerned

about the curds developing. In

fact, I use it myself, and recom-

mend it.

The tangy, slightly sharp

taste is definitely worth the

small effort it takes to produce

this cheese!

With this recipe, you’ll get

2—3 pounds of cheese.

Feta

from my favorite cookbook

prep time

30 sec

cook time

20 min, plus an extra 5 min to cool

serves

5-6

What you’ll need

1 gallon Goat milkcrumbs

1/2 tsp Liquid rennetano, divided salt and pepper to taste

1/8 tsp Calcium chloride drained extra virgin olive oil

Non-reactive pot (like stain-less steel)

Thermometer

Butter muslin

Colander

Bowl d mozzarella cheese

Feta

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1. Put your gallon of goat milk in-

to a non-reactive pot, and

warm to 86 degrees.

You can warm it by either plac-

ing your milk (in the pot or in

mason jars) in another pot of

hot water (being sure to keep

the water out of the milk). You

can also heat it on the stove

(this is what I do).

2. Be sure to pay attention, be-

cause the milk heats to 86 de-

grees quickly.

3. If you’re using calcium chlo-

ride (recommended), mix 1/8

teaspoon with 1/4 cup cool wa-

ter.

4. Add your calcium chloride

mixture to the milk.

5. Once the milk is 86 degrees,

remove it from the heat.

6. Add the mesophilic culture by

sprinkling it over the milk, and

using a slotted spoon to stir gen-

tly.

7. Let the milk to sit undisturbed

for an hour.

8. After the milk has sat, dilute 1/2

teaspoon of rennet in 1/4 cup

cool water.

9. Add the rennet mixture to the

milk, and stir with a slotted

Directions

Mesophilic culture—no mystery, just a packet!

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spoon in an up-and-down mo-

tion.

10. Put a piece of butter muslin

over the milk, and let the milk

mixture sit overnight to let the

culture work.

11. When the curds have sepa-

rated from the whey, use a knife

to cut the curd into cubes. Do

your best, the curds are soft,

and some will crumble. That’s

ok.

12. Line a large bowl with butter

muslin. Pour in the curds, or

spoon them gently, into the

bowl, and allow the whey to

drain until no more whey drips.

13. If you want to increase the

sharp taste of your feta, you

can age it in a brine solution.

The cubed curds.. Not all will cube very well, don’t worry

about it.

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About the Author

W hen I started Fru-

galChicken earlier this year, it

was to celebrate our home-

steading lifestyle and to share

my life with you.

I didn’t realize how popu-

lar the blog would become,

and I have you to thank for

that.

Thank you. I mean it. Thank

you.

I’m all about sustainable

living, farm-fresh food, and fru-

gal living (oh yeah, and chick-

ens) on our Southern home-

stead.

I’m a critically-acclaimed

writer, who has been featured

in popular news websites, and

on landmark blogs such

as BoostBlogTraffic.com in “27

Posts That’ll Light a Fire Under

Your Ass and Make You a Better

Writer.”

I grew up in western Mas-

sachusetts, and lived in Mary-

land for years before buying our

homestead.

Join me on Facebook, visit

me on Pinterest, and don’t forget

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gram!

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