Ask a Prepper
  • DIY |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Contact
ask a prepper survival every day
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All Articles
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Survival Knowledge
  • How To’s
  • Store
  • About Claude Davis
  • Home
  • All Articles
  • Editor’s Pick
  • Survival Knowledge
  • How To’s
  • Store
  • About Claude Davis
No Result
View All Result
Menu
Ask a Prepper
Search
No Result
View All Result
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Home All Articles
homemade fresh chesse7

Grandma’s Homemade Fresh Cheese

Sarah Davis by Sarah Davis
August 25, 2016
16

Making cheese has been an art for nearly ten thousand years beginning in Europe, then spreading around the world. There’s hundreds of different kinds of cheese with a range of flavors, textures, and appearances. Since it’s been around for so long, one may think it’s a difficult task to make in a home kitchen. Fortunately, soft cheeses are remarkably easy to make with only three ingredients:

  • whole milk
  • vinegar
  • salt

So how do these three simple ingredients come together to make such a great tasting cheese? The secret is in the vinegar. Traditionally, many cheeses require the enzyme called rennet to break down the milk proteins and separate the curds from the whey. Vinegar will also curdle milk, but the result will be softer curds because vinegar isn’t quite as strong as rennet. Rennet will produce curds that are sturdy enough to make harder cheeses such as cheddar. If you want to expand your cheese making, rennet can be purchased online.

The result? An incredibly creamy and delicious ricotta-style cheese!

homemade fresh chesse

The steps to making this amazing-tasting cheese at home is very simple. Begin by bringing one gallon of whole milk to a simmer, about 195°F/90°C (try not to let it go to a full boil). Stir continuously so the bottom does not scorch.

homemade fresh chesse2

Meanwhile, place a strainer in a large bowl or in the sink and line it with cheese cloth.

homemade fresh chesse3

homemade fresh chesse4

homemade fresh chesse5

Once the milk reaches a low simmer, remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup of white vinegar. The mixture should begin to curdle and separate into curds and whey. Stir in about a half teaspoon of salt and let it stand for ten minutes.

homemade fresh chesse6

Next, strain out and discard the whey leaving only the white curds. Keep the cheese in the strainer with the cloth lining for about an hour to allow it to drain completely.

homemade fresh chesse7

Once the whey has drained, collect in the cheese cloth and give it a light squeeze. This should remove any excess moisture while also forming it into a loose ball. Store in plastic and enjoy, no aging is required! Fresh cheese can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week.

There are many variations to this recipe, and many recipes to use it in. If there’s no white vinegar on hand feel free to substitute with homemade apple cider vinegar or the juice of one lemon. Fresh cracked black pepper and additional salt may be added, or even fresh herbs, minced garlic or homemade pickled garlic. Spread on toast or bagels, or even enjoy as a dip on crackers for a simple appetizer.  Fresh cheese would also work well in place of ricotta cheese; make amazing lasagnas, baked ziti, stuffed shells, or even desserts like cannolis.

Mozzarella is another soft cheese that has a few extra steps and the addition of rennet, but is also easy to make from home. If you want to keep it simple, other cheeses that can be made using the vinegar method include cottage cheese and mascarpone. For mascarpone, heavy cream is used in place of milk. For cottage cheese: skim milk is used instead of whole milk, more vinegar is added, and the curds are mixed with half and half before serving.

There’s nothing more satisfying then knowing exactly what is in the food you’re eating. Cheese seems like that untouchable ingredient that has to be bought in the grocery store, when really it is as easy as adding vinegar to heated milk. The soft, creamy fresh cheese has so many uses that it’s well worth taking a little bit of extra time to make!

You may also like:

NASA black out

An Insanely Effective Way to Build a 5-year Food Stockpile (Video)

How to Keeps Eggs Fresh for Months with Mineral Oil

Survival Food – 59 Long-Term Survival Foods and Supplies at the Grocery Store

Making Butter at Home, Like Our Grandparents

Top 10 Foods to Grow for Survival
Tags: DIYFood Crisisreserve food
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
ShareTweetPin16

Comments 16

  1. Gregory says:
    6 years ago

    What would happen to the cheese from the above recipe if it was pressed (grape press), would the outside of the cheese harden enough to store in a root-cellar or spring house?

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
    • Pattie says:
      6 years ago

      I have pressed this exact recipe, and it creates a semi-hard cheese. Harder than cheddar, but not quite as hard as swiss. I prefer it pressed actually. I used goat milk.

      Did you like this comment?
      Reply
    • Harriet Morgan says:
      1 year ago

      I made cheese this way as a girl. Needed a refresher so I hit the search bar. Very informational!!!!

      Did you like this comment?
      Reply
  2. traderfran says:
    6 years ago

    When you write ‘whole milk’, do you mean the pasteurized whole milk from the local store …. or do you mean’ farm fresh, natural, unpasteurized from a local farmer’?

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
    • Chris G. says:
      6 years ago

      We used up the milk a day or two old, to make cheese. Not fresh. We also stole some cream for butter before making cheese. Goat cheese doesn’t separate as cleanly, but you can make it work. We used what we had on hand.

      Did you like this comment?
      Reply
      • destar says:
        6 years ago

        It sounds like you are using milk from a farm when you say ‘We also stole some cream for butter…’ Is this correct? I don’t see any way to get cream from pasteurized store milk, even if you used what they consider as whole milk. It is not what I remember getting delivered when I was a kid, that milk would often have the cream push the cardboard top off the glass bottles! Like traderfran asked, would store bought milk work for this? Thank you.

        Did you like this comment?
      • Chris G. says:
        6 years ago

        I assume “store bought milk” would also work. The “farm” milk we used was from our dairy goats, on our farm. We can’t afford to buy, store bought, cow milk, often. I miss our beautiful, gentle does.

        Did you like this comment?
      • destar says:
        6 years ago

        Thank you! I have no access to any type of farm milk.

        Did you like this comment?
  3. Chris G. says:
    6 years ago

    We’ve been making this type cheese for years. It presses nicely, and can be carefully sliced, grilled in a light oil with spices, and served atop pasta. When we were really broke and the boys we’re younger, we’d have this for supper at least once a week. It was one of my husbands favorites. I used apple cider vinegar n goat milk, though.

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  4. Chris G. says:
    6 years ago

    Gregory, you might try cheese wax, after you press most of the moisture out. We used a home made press, mostly pvc pipe, heavy can of vegs-inside the pipe (wrapped in wax paper) for the weight, and a shallow bowl. Line the pipe or press with cheesecloth before putting in the curds. O.k.?

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  5. Nancy says:
    6 years ago

    Looking forward to trying this

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  6. JINJER says:
    6 years ago

    MY GRANDMA USED TO MAKE WHAT SHE CALLED CREAM CHEESE FROM CLABBERED MILK, NOT STORE BOUGHT.SHE HUNG IT IN CHEESE CLOTH OVER NIGHT OVER A BOWL. SHE ATE IT WITH A LITTLE SUGAR AND CAN MILK. I HAD A VERY SMALL BITE BUT DIDN’T LIKE IT AT ALL.

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  7. Survivan Mom says:
    6 years ago

    Tried making this for the first time with store bought milk. Dang! I am pretty darn proud of myself. It turned out great!
    I did cut the recipe in half, just because I hate wasting money that we don’t have if something goes wrong or taste horrible. Well worth the time. Can’t wait for the rest of the family to taste it. 🙂

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  8. mscfarms says:
    6 years ago

    I have used store bought whole milk for this cheese and it turned out well.

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  9. Lennie says:
    6 years ago

    I’ll give this a try, thanks for posting.

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply
  10. c howard says:
    6 months ago

    you say skim milk for cottage cheese, could you use the milk left over from making butter from store bought heavy cream. I don’t think it is the same, but it certainly does not taste like store bought butter milk

    Did you like this comment?
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions Terms & Conditions.

FOLLOW US ON:

PREPPER RECOMMENDS

YOU WILL NOT SURVIVE AN EMP STRIKE WITHOUT THIS

IF YOU SEE THIS PLANT IN YOUR BACKYARD BURN IT IMMEDIATELY

ENGINEERS CALL THIS “THE SOLAR PANEL KILLER”

HOW TO MAKE A “YEAR-ROUND SELF SUSTAINING GREENHOUSE”

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOUR POUR HONEY OVER MEAT

HOW TO BUILD AN INVISIBLE ROOT CELLAR IN YOUR BACKYARD

Banner Generator

LATEST ARTICLES

The Survival Tree Every Prepper Should Know

7 Chicken Mistakes You Should Never Make

The At-Home Test That Can Tell You How Healthy Your Heart Is

10 Things That Will Be Extremely Valuable After An EMP

The Seedbank You Need To Build Before The Upcoming Food Shortage

5 Apps That Know Everything About You. How Many Are You Using?

How To Make Long-Lasting Tallow For Survival

10 Nuclear War Movies You Should Watch Before It’s Too Late

Looming Grain Shortage. Do This Before It’s Too Late

My Grandmother’s Favorite Poultice To Treat Infections

How To Get A Ham Radio License For When SHTF

15 Survival Items You Can Buy At Costco

How To Make An Iodine Rich Black Walnut Tincture

Long-Lasting Great Depression Casserole

How The Truck Driver Crisis Could Affect Preppers

The Backyard Plant That Has Similar Effects To Xanax

7 Things You Have On Your Property That Will Attract Intruders When SHTF

US Nuclear Target Map

Canning $5 Amish Stew

The Best Over The Counter Drugs You Should Hoard

The Ultimate DIY Bunker Kit

Why Is FEMA Tracking Down Preppers? This Is How They Prepare For A Food Crisis

No Grid Survival Projects: Book Review

Banner Bor

Banner TLW2

The Lost Ways Claude Davis

HOW TO

How To Get A Ham Radio License For When SHTF

How To Make An Iodine Rich Black Walnut Tincture

How To Preserve Foods In Honey

How to Build an Endless Hot Water System (Without Electricity)

How To Build An Electricity Free Fridge

How To Make A Long Lasting Pork Rillette (With Pictures)

How To Make The Long-Lasting Native American’s Wojapi Sauce

How To Make Pine Bark Bread

How To Make A Remedy Using Your Socks

How To Dig A Native American Dakota Fire Hole

Vote for ask a Prepper

YOU CAN ALSO FIND US ON:

Survial Websites Prepper

Copyright © 2022 Ask a Prepper

  • Home
  • All Articles
  • Ask a Prepper
  • About Claude Davis
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 Ask a Prepper

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.