Sarah
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About Sarah

My life revolves around the enjoyment and celebration of food -- preparing and sharing good food... and booze. Specifically locally grown, produced and foraged foods -- which have led to my uncontrollable addiction for making pies, cakes, homemade liquors and countless jams. I do most of my eating and drinking in magic Skagit V… more »


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    in making mozarrela cheese my recipe calls for one crushed diluted renner tablet but i only have liquid rennet do i have to still dilute the liquid re
    Cake_geek__2__small_small

    Yes, alwlays dilute your rennet, this ensures proper distribution in the milk. And be sure to use 5x the amount of water to rennet.

    Sarah answered in Cheese & Dairy 10 months ago
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  • Comment on adwb's answer…
    Cake_geek__2__small_small

    premade crust = flimsy pie tin. "Joy of Cooking" suggests brushing crust with egg white, but don't know if that'll work for graham cracker crust.

    Sarah commented about 1 year ago
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    why does my cheesecake crust get soggy?

    Sarah asked in Just Desserts about 1 year ago
    2 Answers by adwb , Svensken…
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    How do you make tasty cheddar cheese curds?
    Cake_geek__2__small_small

    When cooking curds for cheddar, be sure your temperature increases no more than 2 degrees every 5 minutes. Increasing heat at a faster rate will greatly effect flavor by making curds more acidic. You can also try heating to 98 degrees; you will still have a nice "squeaky" curd, but not rubbery. I suggest tossing the curd with salt as opposed to milling, and eat your curds fresh, no need to let them hang over night as this will produce a much drier final product (which may be why they didn't melt).

    Sarah answered in Rennet and Rillettes about 1 year ago
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    Why do I have phantom ricotta?
    Cake_geek__2__small_small

    Not all whey is best suited for ricotta. Your low yield tells me there may not have been enough solids remaining in the whey to produce more cheese. Next time incorporate some citric acid, vinegar or lemon juice to your whey. But a low yield is common for whey ricotta, so I don't even bother fooling with it, especially since whole milk ricotta is far superior in flavor and texture. As for using it rather than dumping it down the drain; whey is a common byproduct in many crackers, cereals and breads. It also makes good livestock feed if you know anyone who has pigs or chickens.

    Sarah answered in Rennet and Rillettes about 1 year ago
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    How do I make my own butter?
    Cake_geek__2__small_small

    You can try shaking milk in a jar until the cream becomes solid, but typically butter is made from cream, not milk, so ideally you should separate the cream from the milk. Homogenized milk will not separate. Cream separators range in price from about $125-$500. If you have farm fresh milk or raw milk, the cream will naturally separate from the milk and rise to the top and then you can scoop off the cream.

    Sarah answered in Rennet and Rillettes about 1 year ago
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  • Comment on Sarah's answer…
    Cake_geek__2__small_small

    check out this site and Ricki Carroll's book "Home Cheese Making" is an excellent recipe and information source. http://www.cheesemaking.com/

    Sarah commented about 1 year ago
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    Which cheeses are the easiest to make at home?
    Cake_geek__2__small_small

    Ricotta is by far the easiest to make at home, as is Queso Blanco; a cooking cheese that is delicious grilled or sauted. The better and fresher your milk, the better your cheese!

    Whole Milk Ricotta (far superior than whey ricotta):
    1 gallon fresh, whole milk
    1 tsp. citric acid
    1 tsp. cheese salt (or kosher)

    Combine milk, citric acid and salt, mix thoroughly.
    Heat milk to 185-195 degrees (do not boil!), stirring often to prevent scorching. When curds and whey separate, turn off heat and allow curds to settle, undisturbed for 10 minutes. Ladle curds into colander lined with butter muslin.

    You can let curds drain for 20-30 minutes... if you can wait that long. I usually eat the ricotta while it's warmmmmmmm.....

    store in refrigerator for 1-2 weeks

    Queso Blanco:
    1 gallon fresh, whole milk
    1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

    Heat milk to 185-190 degrees, stirring often. Slowly add vinegar, a little at a time, until the curds separate from the whey. If curds do not separate, increase tempurature to 200 degress. (Do not boil!)

    Pour curds and whey into a colander lined with butter muslin (finer and better than cheese cloth). Tie the corners of the muslin into a knot and hang to drain for several hours (I usually wait 6 hours). Remove from muslin and store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

    Sarah answered in Rennet and Rillettes about 1 year ago
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