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Each time when you make cheese, you end up with a lot of whey i.e., The nutritious liquid left over from curdled milk when the curds are removed. Whey contains the water-soluble proteins, vitamins, and minerals in the milk. And there are many things you can do with this leftover whey. You can use it in bread baking and soup stock, and even to cook pasta. You can even drink whey plain or sweetened. And in a pinch it can be used to ripen your cheese if you are out of culture (* You cannot use whey that has been used for Ricotta or  Paneer for this).

One of the really neat things about making cheese is that almost every time you make a hard cheese you can also make Ricotta. Ricotta is Italian, meaning  “to cook again”. It is a soft, smooth, fresh, unripened Italian cheese usually made from the whey of goat, cow or sheep milk.

Ricotta is made by using heat to precipitate - separate out the remaining albumin protein from the whey left over from making lactic acid/rennet precipitated cheeses. Usually recipes call for the use of an acid, such as vinegar in precipitating the curds. I have found, that in most cases, due to the fact that you ripen the milk as you make your hard cheese, the whey has enough acid on it’s own and does not need the extra vinegar. I also find that leaving the vinegar out creates a smoother cheese. If you use the vinegar, the cheese will tend to be slightly grainy. Ricotta is not a high yield cheese, but it is worth the effort. Many recipes call for the addition of some whole milk to increase the yield, but I find this effects the texture - makes it grainier and I do not recommend it. I prefer my Ricotta - smooth.

* Note: That you cannot make Ricotta from the whey left over from making an acid precipitated cheese such as Paneer/ Queso Blanco or whole milk Ricotta. Reason being, you have already precipitated out all the albumin protein the milk has to give using acid and heat and there is nothing left over in the remaining whey to make whey Ricotta.

You can use your homemade Ricotta in almost any recipe that calls for cottage cheese. It can be used instead of cream cheese to make cheesecake. You can also stir in some herbs and eat it on crackers.

Traditional Ricotta Recipe, using only left over Whey

Making Ricotta is very simple. Over direct heat, heat the hard cheese whey to 200°. By the time it has reached this temperature you will see very tiny white particles - the albumin protein,  floating in the whey. The heat and acid from the ripe whey has precipitated the protein. You can add a little vinegar at this point if you really think it necessary ( 1/4 Cup. per 2 gallons of whey), it is up to you as it would not affect the Ricotta.

Line a colander with very fine cheesecloth, called “butter muslin”. You must use a very fine cloth here, or your cheese will pass through the regular cloth. If you do not have fine cheesecloth, use a clean cotton cloth. Place the colander over a big pot so you can save the whey and carefully pour the whey into the colander. Be very careful because the liquid is hot. Tie the ends of the cheesecloth together and hang the ricotta to drain for a couple hours.

When it has drained, place the ricotta in a bowl and add salt to taste. You will find that the Ricotta made from the whey of different cheeses has different tastes and textures. In my opinion, Feta makes the strongest taste as the taste increases as it ages in the fridge. Whereas, Mozzarella makes the best. Your Ricotta will keep for a couple of weeks in the fridge. Enjoy!

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The following  are all your question about milk answered:

Milk is important for kids, but what about adults?

As I had mentioned earlier in my previous updates that Milk is important for your nutritional well-being, no matter how old you are and what lifestyle you lead. Milk as the richest source of calcium that can be readily absorbed, as well as other important nutrients, milk should always be considered as part of one’s daily diet across all ages. For toddlers and young children, milk is essential as it provides energy and nutrients for growth and development. During the teenage years kids need plenty of calcium as bones are developing quickly, while adults need calcium and dairy products for bone maintenance.

Can drinking milk give you more energy?

Not known to many, milk contains the same amount of energy as an energy drink. This is derived mostly from carbohydrate in the form of lactose. Besides providing energy for replenishment, the high protein content in milk contributes to the building and repair of muscles, therefore, improving muscle protein balance in active individuals.

Is is true that milk makes you fat?

An average glass of whole milk contains around 10 grams of fats, and goat milk  does not contain agglutinin. As a result, the fat globules in goat milk do not cluster together, making them easier to digest. And if you consume 2 - 3 servings of milk and other dairy products everyday as recommended by nutritionists, there is no need to avoid milk in order to stay in shape. In fact, no particular food product can make one fat. Instead, it is the total calorie intake a day that counts, whereby, if you consume more calories than you burn, weight gain will result.

How can milk last without the addition of preservatives?

To improve its shelf life without preservatives, milk is heat treated in various processing techniques that also kill harmful bacteria. The result is different types of milk like UHT, Pasteurized, Sterilized or Powdered Milk that can be stored for longer periods if left unopened.

What is the difference between UHT, Pasteurized, Sterilized Milk and Milk Powder?

The difference is in the way that it is processed, yet delivering all the same goodness of milk. How you choose depends on your preference for convenience, taste or storage choices.

UHT (Ultra High Temperature) is a process that uses temperatures no lower than 135° C to kill all bacteria in milk. This allows an unopened pack to be kept for as long as 10 months.

Pasteurized milk is processed at temperature not lower than 73° C for at least 30 seconds, followed by rapid cooling at which temperature it is stored. In goat milk, after pasteurization, it kills the pathogenic bacteria - those that make you sick, the harmless lactic acid bacteria survives, but if the goat milk is not kept cold, they multiply rapidly and cause it to turn sour. So it has to be kept refrigerated at all times - even if left unopened and its shelf life is short - approximately 4 weeks.

On the other hand, Sterilized Milk is treated with temperature of more than 100° C, and since it is packaged in bottles, additional treatment is required to ensure the sterile condition of the product. If unopened, sterilized milk can be kept for 8 months at room temperature.

Powdered Milk is manufactured by evaporating milk to dryness so that it can sustain a longer shelf life than liquid milk. It does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content.

How do I choose between Whole milk, Low fat milk and Skimmed milk?

The fat in milk is necessary for the body to develop hormones, structural components of cells and act as a transporter for vitamins. And since an average glass of whole milk contains  around 10 grams of fats, there is no real need to opt for milk with lower fat content to stay in shape. But for those who wish to limit their fat intake, they can choose skimmed milk where nearly all the fat has been removed or low fat milk which has a fat content of 1 - 2%. Generally, whole milk contains at least 3.25% of milk fat.

There is an inherent belief that chilled milk in the morning causes phlegm, how true is this?

Many people confuse the temporary, slight thickening of saliva after drinking milk with mucus. In actual fact, there is no scientific research that shows milk produces mucus in the airways or the throat.

Now that you have all your question about milk answered, go ahead and spread the goodness of goat milk!

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Making Mozzarella is not that time consuming but it does take three stages which  can be completed in one day or could stretch over a three day period. If you start it one day, you should make sure to allow time to finish it the next day. If you forget to finish the cheese the next day, you can do it the next day after that but do not stretch any more days.

The following are detailed instructions on how to make Mozzarella Cheese.

However, I do not recommend that you try this as your first cheese attempt. Perhaps, start with something a little easier like Panir and work your way up to making this cheese.

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 1/2 gallons fresh goat milk (not homogenized) or raw, unpasteurized goat milk.
• 4 oz. Thermophillic culture (Lactobacillus helveticus)
• 1 1/4 tsp. citric acid per gallon of milk - (I use 4 tsp.)
• 1/4 tsp. calf lipase (mild “piccante”)
• 1/2 tsp. Liquid Rennet diluted in 1/2 Cup. cool water
• 1/2 C. Kosher salt

Pour the milk into a double boiler pot set up and add the citric acid. Warm the milk to 91°. Add the culture and lipase.

Stir well and let ripen, covered, for one hour.

Keeping the milk at 90° - 91° . Add the rennet and stir briskly for 15 seconds.

Cover and let set about 15 minutes, until the curd has “Set” or until you get a “clean break”. It takes less time to set than other cheese due to the high acidity. You can check for a clean break by sticking your knife, or thermometer, into the curd at an angle. Pull straight up out of the curd; if the curd breaks cleanly around the knife and whey runs into the crack that is made; you have a “clean break.” Once you see this for the first time, you will know just what I mean  (*Note:  Sometimes Mozzarella will set but doesn’t “break” quite the same as other cheeses, due to it’s desire to hold together and stretch, but you can definitely tell it is “set”).

Cut the curds into 1/4″ - 1/2″ pieces.

Cutting the curds can be the most confusing part, but just do not worry. Use a long knife held vertically and cut 1/4″- 1/2″ slices in the curds. Then turn the pot 90° and cut across in 1/4″- 1/2″ slices the other direction, making a kind of checkerboard pattern. Now hold the knife at a sideways 45° angle and retrace your cuts. Turn the pot 1/4 turn and retrace the cuts. Turn it again and cut and then one final turn and cut. By the last turn you probably would not be able to see the original cuts, but just do the best you can.

*Note:  Often times the Mozzarella curds can be a little trickier to cut than other cheeses. It will want to move around in the pot while you try to cut it. You may need to hold it steady with your ladle as you cut it. Just do your best; I know one will know if it is not cut “perfect”.

Do not stir yet.

Let the curds rest for 10 minutes. The curds are delicate right after you cut them and they need to “harden up” a little bit before you stir them.

After 10 minutes stir the curds gently with a slotted ladle.

Cut any large curds you missed when cutting the first time.

When dealing with Mozzarella, you will find it really wants to “knit” back together, especially if the ripening temperature got a little too high or you let the curds sit too long before stirring them. You may need to cut the curds apart with your knife and or ladle. Cut the curds by using the ladle and the side of the pot or by holding the curds on the ladle and cutting with the knife.

Keep the curds at 90° - 91°, covered, for an hour or so, stirring occasionally during the first half hour. I call this “cooking” the curds, even though you really are not cooking them per say.

“Cooking” at a higher temperature will result in a cheese with less moisture or drier cheese that is more rubbery and will yield less cheese per batch (*Note:  The higher the moisture of the cheese , it will yield more cheese out of the same amount of milk). You can experiment with this if you wish but just do not raise the temperature over 100° and raise the temperature slowly (not more than 2° every 5 minutes). Since this recipe works well for me so I do not experiment with it and just stick with holding the curds at 90° - 91°.

Stir once every 10 minutes of the first half hour of “cooking” for a total of three stirring sessions. After that, just let curd settle on the bottom of the pot where it will start to mat together.

Place a large colander lined with cheesecloth over a pot to catch the whey and pour the curds into the colander. If the cheese has become one lump, just reach in the pot and pull out the cheese and place it into the cheesecloth.

Tie up the ends of the cheesecloth and hang the curds to drain for 3 to 4 hours.

When the curd has drained for about 4 hours, remove it from the cheesecloth and “work” the curd OR, if you want to wait until the next day then place it in a gallon ziplock bag and place the bag in the fridge and “work” it the next day.

“Working”   the curd:

You can test the curd to see if it is ready to be worked. Cut off a small piece and put it in some hot water (170° ). Keep feeling it and see if it begins to melt. Once it starts to melt, take it out and see if you can stretch it. If it stretches with no problem, you can go to the next step. If it breaks when you try to pull it, you have not developed enough acidity and the curd needs to “age” in the fridge a bit longer, maybe even until the next day.

When the curd is ready to be “worked”, heat a large pot of water to 170° and add 1/2 cup Kosher salt. If you are working the curd the same day you made it then heat up the whey and use the hot whey instead of water; this makes the cheese even tastier and the curds “work” better as well.

Cut the curd ball in half. You are going to work only one half of the cheese at a time.

Cut the curd into approximately 1″ cubes.

Carefully dump the cubed curds into the hot water or whey.

Let the curd cubes heat for a moment and carefully stir with a slotted flat type ladle.

Squeeze the cubes with your fingertips to test. When the cubes feel soft throughout (not solid in the middle) they are ready for the next step.

Since the curds will continue to soften while you are moving them to the bowl, just let the largest ones still be a just little bit “solid” on the inside.

There is a line between not soft enough to “work” well, and too soft and runny, which you will learn with practice. The curds need to be soft enough, or they will not “work” and pull easily but too runny means failure. DO NOT let the curds heat too long, because if they get too hot and runny, there is no going back. Do not allow anything to distract your attention if you are working your curds.

Carefully remove them with the ladle to a large bowl. These curds are hot, so be careful. Take note that as you begin to work the curds, if you are rough with them, the cream will start to separate out

At first the curds may looks runny, do not worry, just keep going. Carefully take the curds in your hands and form them together into one mass. Gently fold one side over on the other to get it all to come together. Do not squeeze the curd or all the cream will come out and the finished cheese will be dry.

Work the curds gently at first, this will help it retain it’s cream. Keep a bowl of very cold water close by to stick your hands in when they get too hot from the curds. This cools them off and makes holding the hot curds easier.

Once you have got the curds come together so that you can pick it up, then just let the curd do the work for awhile:

Hold one side of the curd lump and let the other end begin to stretch under it’s own weight. When it stretches, fold up the bottom to the top and let it stretch again. As it begins to stretch you can start to help it along a little by pulling on it slightly. Keep stretching and folding. As you “work” the curds, they will stretch easier and easier. You will be able to pull the curds longer and longer. It becomes like pulling taffy (Except for the fact your hands are burning from the hot curd).

You will notice the nature of the curds changing. It will start to become shiny, smooth and elastic. When you get to this point,  you will know when you have about 10 to 15 good “pulls”

Place the cheese back in the water to warm them back for a moment.

Remove the cheese from the hot water and plop it into a mold.

Push the curd into the mold to even it up a bit. You do not have to get it perfect because the cheese is still very soft and it will even out as it rests and cools.

Repeat the “working of the curds” with the remaining curd.

Let the cheese cool at room temperature for a few  hours.

Place the cheese into the fridge overnight.

The next day, pop the cheese out of  the  mold and you are ready to make pizza.

Put the cheese in a ziplock bag and store it in the fridge. It is ready to use right away, but is much  better after a few days. Mozzarella  is one of  the  few cheeses that freezes  fairly well.

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As a complete food, milk is the sole food for infants and an important source of nutrients for children. However, when we hit adulthood, milk is often left out in our daily meals. More often then not, milk becomes an add-on to more adult beverages like tea or coffee. Contrary to what most people think, the fact is milk can play a role in contributing to your nutritional well-being, no matter how old you are and what lifestyle you subscribe to. To assume our bodies only required milk at the growing stages is wrong and this is a perception that needs to be addressed.

For Kids - Early childhood is a tremendous growth period across all areas of development. During this time, the body undergoes changes, both physically and mentally, Typically, the average child’s height doubles, and quadruplets in weight. To promote, encourage and sustain the growth, as well as to keep illnesses at bay, a growing child will required to be provided with all the essential nutrients.

Beyond just building a healthy body, it is also every parent’s concern whether their children are getting the right amount of nutrients to develop a healthy mind. Milk is an essential food source for toddlers, and young children, as it provides energy and nutrients for growth and brain development. Drinking milk at an early age also helps cultivate healthy habits as he or she will be more likely to continue drinking milk as teen and an adult.

For Teens - Boys and girls in this age group have high calcium needs that they cannot make up for later years in life. Calcium is a mineral that gives strength to our bones. It is also necessary for many of our body’s functions, including nerve, muscle and hormonal function. Unfortunately, peer pressure, the need to fit in and be popular amongst their peers often makes it ‘uncool’ to be seen sipping on a pack of milk.

During the teenage years, particularly from ages 11 to 15, your child’s bones are developing quickly and are storing calcium. Nearly half of all bones are formed during these years. It is therefore important that your teen gets plenty of calcium in his or her diet to prevent brittle bones later in life. Children and teenagers between the ages of 10 and 18 should aim for 1,000 milligrams per day, which is about 3 servings of goat milk or other high-calcium food. This amount is almost twice as much as the amount required by younger children.

For Adult - In our adult years, calcium and dairy products play major roles in bone maintenance and may help with the prevention of chronic diseases. According to an extensive five year study on over 1,500 young adults, researchers reported that the subjects actually reduced their intake of calcium and dairy products as they enter their twenties. Since peak bone mass is not achieved until the third decade of life, it is crucial that young adults continue to consume adequate amounts of calcium, protein and vitamin D found in dairy products to support health and prevent osteoporosis later in life.

For individuals with a hectic lifestyle and irregular meals, goat milk can be a good supplement for sustenance. The fact is milk is a wholesome food, providing energy and all the essential nutrients. After a tiresome and exhausting day at work, drinking a warm glass of goat milk before sleep can help you relax and soothe your nerves.

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Meyenberg Goat Milk Products Valley Goat Cheddar - Aged, 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 5)

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Making Saint Maure is trying something really fun, getting moldy. Once you try this moldy Chevre, you may never go back to plain Chevre again. You will need molds like in plastic containers with holes in the bottom, to make this cheese.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 gallon of fresh goat milk or raw, unpasteurized goat milk
• 1 oz. mesophilic culture
• liquid rennet
• 1/8 tsp. of white mold powder (Penicillium Candidum).

Special supplies:

• 5 Chevre molds
• draining mats

Remember to sterilize all your equipment before you begin.

In a stainless steel pot, warm the milk to 72°.

Add the culture, white mold powder and stir well. Now you need to add 1/5 of a drop of rennet. Or measure out 5 Tablespoons of water into a small cup. Add to the water 1 drop of liquid rennet and stir well. Now measure out 1 Tablespoon of the rennet dilution (this one Tablespoon contains 1/5 of a drop of rennet) and add it to the milk. Stir well.

Cover the milk and place the pot somewhere that it can sit undisturbed and will stay about 72° for about 18 hours. But, you can let it go for 24 hours. What you do is place the pot in the cold oven until the next day.

When the milk has coagulated, you are ready to mold the cheese.

To make moldy cheeses:

Pour off any whey that has separated from the curd. Place your molds on a rack over a large baking pan. A lot of whey will drain from your cheese, and you will need a large pan to catch it. Carefully ladle the curds into the molds. Let the curds drain for two days at room temperature.

After the cheese has drained you can carefully unmold them into your hand. Sprinkle all the sides of the cheese with a little Kosher salt. When you unmold the cheeses, they may already have started to develop their fuzz.

For this aging, you will need some draining mats. For smaller weave in the mat, you can use a plastic craft “canvas” and it is available at Wal-Mart. If you want a larger hole in your drying rack, use “egg crate”. It comes in a large sheet intended for use in suspended ceilings and is available at home improvement stores. You can use these two “mats” separately and in combination to dry and age cheeses.

To age your Chevre, place them on a drying mat cut smaller than a large gallon size ziplock freezer bag. Slip the mat with the cheeses into a gallon ziplock bag, blow up the bag and seal it. Now you have a little aging “cave”. Let the cheeses age on the counter for a few more days and then move them into your cheese aging fridge. Here they continue to fuzz up for a few weeks. You can eat your little fuzzies at any time, but try to let them age a couple weeks to develop a good covering of mold.

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Meyenberg Goat Milk Products Valley Goat Cheddar - Aged, 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 5)