[null, {"document_url": "http://monsterflower.blogspot.com/2008/07/cottage-cheese-making.html", "unformatted_src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-pqrQDrwPkE/SHx5UOujXlI/AAAAAAAABsg/mPoSu6LqJBY/s400/cottage-cheese.jpg", "src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_-pqrQDrwPkE/SHx5UOujXlI/AAAAAAAABsg/mPoSu6LqJBY/s400/cottage-cheese.jpg", "formatted_filename": "cottage cheese"}, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null, null]


Cottage Cheese Making Wombat said...

Just out of curiosity, did the homemade process come out to be cheaper than the store-bought? I ask because out here, I'd end up spending that $3.20 (if not $3.50) simply on the milk, so unless this makes a ton of cottage cheese, I don't imagine it'd be worth it. Unless the cheese were supremely better than that found in the store, anyway.

That said, I'm still going to try it ;) Do you think a higher fat content milk would result in a better cheese? I tend to buy 2%, but could probably pick up whole milk if it'd be significantly better. I'll have to try making it before your next attempt so that I can gloat if I get ricotta out of it too (which would definitely make it worthwhile, as ricotta's upwards of $5/pint) :)

July 18, 2008 at 1:37 AM Orchid64 said...

The homemade stuff cost about ¥200 yen for a somewhat greater amount than I can buy for ¥360. It's not better than store bought, but I think it would be if I bought milk that wasn't so badly treated with heat. Next time, I'm going to taste test the milk first and ask myself how it'd be in a concentrated form.

I think this would be incredibly good economically if the whey had produced ricotta (which is super expensive and sold in tiny portions).

I think using low fat milk would make low fat cottage cheese and that'd carry with with it all the accompanying changes in taste and texture. My cottage cheese was really quite fatty and I could easily do with some lower fat milk for the next batch.

I finished off the stuff I made yesterday with tomatoes and avocados mixed in it for lunch. It was indistinguishable from the commercial deal when mixed with these fruits.

By the way, I used 1 liter of milk to make my portion. That's about 1/4 of a gallon. I'm guessing you'd be spending about $4 for an entire gallon which could yield 4x the amount I made. I don't know what cottage cheese costs in the U.S., but I'm guessing it'd not be too bad.

As an idle thought, I'm thinking of making actual paneer with this at some point for some Indian dishes. I've seen recipes and given up on them because I couldn't get paneer. Now, I see it's easy to just make.

July 18, 2008 at 8:40 AM badmoodmike said...

Too bad that I can't ship you some farm-fresh milk. I doubt it would survive the trip even if fedexed. We have a place in Yellow Springs called Young's Jersey Dairy and they sell the finest full-fat unpasteurized milk I've ever had. I don't drink it often because it is so high-calorie...I only drink skim milk and water...but it is a nice treat every once and a while. They make some of the best ice cream in the universe with it.

Here are some current prices to compare from our local Kroger:
T-Bone Steak: $7.99/lb
Dozen XL Eggs, Grade A: 4 for $5
Breyer's Ice Cream, 56 oz.: $2.27
Cheerios, 18oz box: 2 for $5
24oz Cheese (Cheddar or Jack block): $5.39
Tropicana 64oz Orange Juice: $2.99
Liquid Tide Laundry Soap, 32 loads: $5.88
Center Cut Pork Chops: $2.99/lb
Baby Back Ribs: $3.99/lb
Ground Round $2.39/lb
Bacon, 1 lb: 2 for $5
Sockeye Salmon: $8.99/lb
Tyson Chicken Leg Quarters: $.99/lb
Yellowfin Tuna Steaks: $6.99/lb
Advil 135ct Liquigels: $10.99
Cucumbers: 10/$10
Lettuce: 10lb for $10
Organic Milk, 64oz: $2.99
Peaches/Plums/Nectarines: 3/$5
Cherries: $3.99/lb
Cantaloupe: 2/$4
Tomatoes: $1.99/lb
Zucchini/Yellow Squash: $.99/lb
Kroger Peanut Butter: 10/$10
Kroger Bottled Water, 6 pack 16.9oz: 10/$10
Coke/Pepsi/RC, 2 litre: 10/$10

Gasoline is at $3.97/gal and milk is $2.99/gal for 2% and skim.

July 19, 2008 at 10:46 AM 
First of all, I want to thank you for providing the price list, Mike. It's actually very useful and interesting to me. I'm out of touch with such things in the U.S. While things are still cheaper in the U.S., they're not quite as cheap as I thought. One of these days, I'd like to take your list and do an item by item comparison for prices in Japan. A few things of note right now though are that bacon is $8 a pound here at Costco and peaches are the items that are closest in price (though I believe we have much smaller peaches). They're 4 for $5 at their cheapest for smallish ones.

Ah, farm fresh milk...there's a concept I miss. It is too bad that it can't be send, but such are the sacrifices of life abroad!

Thanks so very much for your comment!

July 20, 2008 at 8:50 AM 1tess said...

I LOVE cottage cheese!!! I've made ricotta, but never cottage cheese. Maybe that comes first? I noticed when I made the ricotta, the whey continued to curdle quite a bit. hmmm????
Don't be so quick to toss the whey! It still has nutrients and some flavor! Use it for liquid in soups or stocks. Use it for baking.
Although I don't use shelf stable milk (I can even get non-ultra-pasturised milk!!), I think it might affect your efforts.
You might try adding a bit of yogurt to your recipe for more flavor rather than the vinegar. You could let it culture overnight or just add the yogurt as part of the milk. Use yogurt you like the taste of, though. Or if you can get labne or kefir with a taste you like....
There are online sources of cultures to innoculate your cheese. I've never tried them. But I had a sourdough starter years ago from one such place that was very nice. Sorry I can't remember which company it was from....

July 22, 2008 at 7:51 AM The Flower's Features Japan-related Sites