Fresh Cheese, the Easy Way

Makes: About 1 pound

Time: 2 hours, mostly unattended

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The recipe — and all the variations — works with 1%, 2%, or whole milk, which makes the richest cheese. If you live near a farm and can get fresh whole milk, do it. That’s the best.

  1. Put the milk in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally to keep it from scorching, until the milk bubbles up the sides of the pot, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Line a fine-meshed strainer with 3 layers of cheesecloth or a piece of undyed cotton muslin. Place the colander in the sink, or over a deep bowl or pot if you want to keep the whey. Have a long piece of kitchen twine ready.
  3. Add the buttermilk to the boiling milk all at once and stir constantly until the mixture separates into curds and whey. It will look like cooked egg whites suspended in a slightly thick yellowish liquid. Remove from the heat and stir in a large pinch salt if you’re using it.
  4. Carefully pour the mixture into the cloth so that the curds collect and the whey drains through. Gather up the corners of the cloth and twist the top to start working the curds into a ball. Run the bundle under cold water until you can handle it. Keep twisting and squeezing out the whey until the bundle feels firm and dry. Don’t worry about handling it roughly; it can take it.
  5. Tie the string around the top to hold it tight, then tie the string around a long spoon or stick to suspend the cheese over the sink or a colander or strainer set over a bowl to drain. Let it rest, undisturbed, until cool and set, about 1½ hours. (If you save the whey, see “What to Do with All That Whey,” page 568.) Remove the string, open the cloth, and serve the cheese immediately or wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Fresh Cottage Cheese Drain as dry or as moist as you like: In Step 4, after you pour the curds and whey through the cheesecloth, simply leave the curds loose in the strainer until they’ve drained the amount of moisture you desire, anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. Don’t squeeze them dry. Scoop the curds into a container and store in the refrigerator.

Fresh Ricotta Unbelievable, especially with top-quality milk: Reduce the buttermilk to 2 cups and proceed with the recipe through Step 3. The mixture will look like thickened buttermilk. In Step 4, after you pour it through the cheesecloth, simply leave the ricotta in the strainer until it reaches the texture you like, anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. Then scoop the ricotta into a container and store in the refrigerator. To make the ricotta smooth, beat or whisk it after draining.

Brined Fresh Cheese Like a mild feta: After the cheese is set, mix a brine of 2 tablespoons salt and 2 cups water in a jar or plastic container. Submerge the cheese in the brine and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating.

4 Ways to Flavor Fresh Cheese

In Step 4 of the recipe for making fresh cheese, after pouring the curds and whey into the cloth-lined strainer, immediately stir any of the following ingredients into the curds and proceed with the recipe.

  1. Up to 1 tablespoon finely grated citrus zest of your choice
  2. Up to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs
  3. Up to ¼ cup minced nuts, like walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts
  4. Up to 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black or green peppercorns