Look What I Made... Ricotta Cheese!

My sister and I loooove ricotta. My partner, who’s a chef, suggested that I have a crack at making it at home. He said it would be a piece of cake, but he would also say that the most complex recipe out of Larousse Gastronomique is easy. Before following my gut (literally), I decided to conduct a little information search to know what was really involved.

I looked at a few food blogs on the topic, such as Made by Lex, The Italian Dish and The Food Lab, as well as some cookbooks at home (which I love to collect) to get a bigger idea. I found that all the recipes were pretty similar; the ingredients and methods differed slightly but weren’t poles apart. In particular, I relied more on the blogs, which in this instance, were more interesting to read. As someone who loves to cook at home, blogs can be beneficial for both blogger and reader. For bloggers, informing and exchanging useful information with others about special interests has been identified by Hollenbaugh (2011) as some of the motivations behind maintaining personal blogs, which I felt was present in this situation (and I'm sure provide the blogger with a sense of fulfillment).

As the reader, my first attempt at making ricotta, thanks to the information gleaned beforehand, was a success! And as my partner predicted, unbelievably easy!



My first attempt at making ricotta at home! (1.) Using a thermometer to accurately (and slowly) heat the milk, whilst watching the curds come to the surface. (2.) Carefully lifting the almost raft-like curds out, where they went into (3.) a colander lined with muslin/cheesecloth. (4.) Suspending the wrapped ricotta to drain any leftover whey and to form its shape. 


References:

Hollenbaugh, E. E. (2011) Motives for Maintaining Personal Journal Blogs. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(1-2), 13- 20.