Post by BigM on Apr 15, 2013 8:52:14 GMT -5
Homemade Cream Cheese
1 quart of cream or half & half
1 package (1/8 teaspoon) of Mesophilic starter culture
Fine cheesecloth (Find out how to improvise your own cheesecloth)
Sea salt to taste (optional)
Make sure you are using a glass container to hold your cream. Gently stir in the starter culture.
Loosely cover (not airtight!) and set it on your countertop to culture for 8 to 12 hours. (It may take more or less time, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.)
You’ll know it’s done when it has set up and somewhat resembles yogurt. (It might not be a perfectly even consistency, but that’s ok.)
Dump the thickened cream into the cheesecloth and allow it the whey to drip out for at least 12 hours (the longer it drips, the firmer your finished cheese will be).
You might have to get a little creative with your drip set-up. I don’t have any knobs on my cabinet doors, so I tie the ends of my improvised cheesecloth around a wooden spoon and allow it to drip into a pitcher.
Once it has reached the desired consistency, scrape it out of the cheesecloth and lightly salt it to taste. The salt is optional, but it will help it keep slightly longer. Store in an airtight container in your fridge– it will get firmer as it chills.
I usually get 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cream cheese out of 1 quart of cream. Yields will vary slightly.
To make yogurt cheese: Follow this exact same method, substituting the quart of cultured cream with a quart of yogurt (homemade or storebought) instead.
www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/10/how-to-make-cream-cheese.html
1 quart of cream or half & half
1 package (1/8 teaspoon) of Mesophilic starter culture
Fine cheesecloth (Find out how to improvise your own cheesecloth)
Sea salt to taste (optional)
Make sure you are using a glass container to hold your cream. Gently stir in the starter culture.
Loosely cover (not airtight!) and set it on your countertop to culture for 8 to 12 hours. (It may take more or less time, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.)
You’ll know it’s done when it has set up and somewhat resembles yogurt. (It might not be a perfectly even consistency, but that’s ok.)
Dump the thickened cream into the cheesecloth and allow it the whey to drip out for at least 12 hours (the longer it drips, the firmer your finished cheese will be).
You might have to get a little creative with your drip set-up. I don’t have any knobs on my cabinet doors, so I tie the ends of my improvised cheesecloth around a wooden spoon and allow it to drip into a pitcher.
Once it has reached the desired consistency, scrape it out of the cheesecloth and lightly salt it to taste. The salt is optional, but it will help it keep slightly longer. Store in an airtight container in your fridge– it will get firmer as it chills.
I usually get 1 1/2 to 2 cups of cream cheese out of 1 quart of cream. Yields will vary slightly.
To make yogurt cheese: Follow this exact same method, substituting the quart of cultured cream with a quart of yogurt (homemade or storebought) instead.
www.theprairiehomestead.com/2012/10/how-to-make-cream-cheese.html