Ricotta is traditionally made from the whey left over after making your main rennet set cheese recipe.
You may find that at times that you get an extremely low yield from your Ricotta make, which makes it hardly seem worth the effort.
There are a few things that will influence the yield you get from your whey including the season the milk is produced in, the level of acidity, the temperature you heat the whey to and the type of cheese you made first.
To explain the last point further, Ricotta is created from the remaining protein in the whey and some cheese makes take out more protein than others, leaving differing amounts to curdle into Ricotta.
In my experience a Mozzarella make leaves the best whey for making Ricotta. Other cheeses like Parmesan and Romano are also good.
Those trying to figure out why their yields are low might begin researching and discover the differing opinions about whether to use your whey fresh or aged. This is a bit of a red herring.
It’s not so much about how old your whey is, it’s really to do with what the acidity level is after your make and leaving your whey for 24 hours or so will allow the acidity to increase.
I personally use mine fresh and have always got a pretty good yield which suggests the acidity level has been suitable but some cheeses will leave whey with lower acidity levels.
You can address this by adding more acid (vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid) which then lets you use the whey straight away. Be careful not to add too much though and end up with a Ricotta that’s too tangy. Use a pH meter or strips if in doubt.
The best way to figure out what gives you a good Ricotta is to take notes during your make and change what appears to negatively impact your end results until you get exactly what you are after.
If you can’t be bothered with that and just want a guaranteed outcome with your Ricotta, try this Rich Ricotta recipe using full milk and cream instead of whey. It’s not traditional but it will be sure to give you the Ricotta you are hoping for.
Do you have any tips or advice about how to get the perfect Ricotta? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!
Just a quick note. It’s all about personal taste but, I avoid making Ricotta from Whey if the Hard Cheese recipe calls for the use of Lipase. I find it imparts a bit of a weird taste that some won’t mind but others won’t like at all. Also, I use and apple cider vinegar for the curdling process as I find it not as sharp as just normal white vinegar. Once you start making ricotta the family just go nuts over it. And for a bit of heat and 1/4 cup of vinegar even small amount are worth it !!!
Cheers
Hi Mal. Thanks for visiting Curd-Nerd! Great advice regarding the vinegar choice and also the tip regarding the Lipase aftertaste. New cheese makers might not pick up on what the odd flavor is. I love that Ricotta is so easy to make and the home made stuff is so much more delicious than many store bought varieties!
Just wondering at what pH level you have had the most success with your ricotta.
Hi Blair
Thanks for you question.
I don’t ever check the pH level when making Ricotta (as I have never had any problem with it so just keep doing what I do) so did a bit of checking around for you.
The range that came back as recommended is between 5.8 and 6.1. There is a bit of play in this so I would start at perhaps 5.9.
Let me know how you go. I would be interested to hear if testing and working to the pH recommended helps to improve your results.
I love making ricotta cheese. I do it in a glass bowl in the microwave. No worries of scorching that way like on the stove. 165 to 170 and I use regular whole milk freshest possible and add just a bit of cream or half and half what ever i have in frig. I like lemon juice more than vinegar but thats a personal taste. Its so addicting!