1. Uses for Homemade Cheese and Cottage Cheese Because most homemade cheeses made from powdered skim milk have the unique quality of not melting, they are more versatile than commercial dairy products. The important thing to remember is that when heated at high temperaures, they become more firm, so avoid boiling unless you want a firm, meat-like texture or squeaky curds.'' a. SQUEAKY CURDS For fresh, squeaky cheese curds, drop rinsed and drained curds (any kind, any shape) into salted, boiling water or broth and simmer for a few minutes. Remove and eat plain, or season to taste. b. UNFLAVORED CHEESES: Soups, salads, sandwiches, taco filling, stir-fry, omelettes, patties, loaves, casseroles, lasagna, on freshly sliced tomatoes, or mixed with 1/2 commercial cottage or grated cheese. c. FLAVORED CHEESES: Chip dips, sandwich fillings, casserole toppings, jerky, mixed with parmesan to use on top of pizza and spaghette, seasoned with curry powder to use in cracked wheat and rice pilaf and as "cheese-burger." 2. INFORMATION ABOUT POWDERED MILK CHEESES Most homemade skim milk cheeses have the unique quality of not melting, just like tofu from soybeans or fluten from wheat. All these products are the isolated proteins of those foods and are an excellent high quality protein addition to stir fry, soups, patties and casseroles, tossed or molded salads or as sandwich spreads. Yogurt can be used to make sour cream and cream cheese and makes a good slicing and melting cheese, and as a curdling agent. Flavor-causing enzymes come from bacteria which produce acid and then release enzymes. That bacteria is found in commercial cheese making cultures, but since those cultures are expensive and have a very short shelf life, we eliminate the long culturing process and use an acid to curdle the milk while the milk is heating, then flavor the resulting cheese with buttermilk or other spices and herbs. For a different flavor or texture, or a cheese than can be aged for 1-2 months, use buttermilk, yogurt or acidophilus as cultures. The fastest cheeses are direct acid (meaning acid is added to the milk to eliminate the need to use cheese cultures which require hours of incubation time). These cheeses have a different taste and texture than commercial cheeses, but are very versatile. Because of this direct acid process, nearly all cheeses in this handout can be made in 15 minutes orless, most in only 8 minutes or less. 3. Cottage Cheese Recipe Oil can be added to these cheese recipes for a creamier texture. Use 2/3 cup oil for each gallon of milk or to enough dry powder to make a gallon. For example, the cottage cheese recipe calls for 2 cups water + 1-1/2 cups dry milk powder. Since 1-1/2 cups of non-instant milk powder would make 1/2 gallon of regular milk, add 1/3 cup oil. In an effort to eliminate having so much whey left over or discarded, all recipes for cheese here use a very concentrated milk mixture. Regular strength milk can be used, but amount of curdling agent and cheese obtained will be smaller. Whey can be used to replace water in nearly any recipe. It can also be used in place of water in the cheese recipes. The sweet whey changes the flavor of the finished cheese. Whey can be reused up to three times in making cottage cheese, resulting in a sweeter cheese with each use. The sweet cheese can be made into sweet dips and sauces for crackers and fruit salads. COTTAGE CHEESE RECIPE 2 c. boiling water 1-1/2 c. dry milk powder 3 T. white vinegar (or fresh lemon juice) Blend water and dry milk and pour into saucepan foam and all. Sprinkle curdling agent slowly around edges and gently stir over medium heat just until milk begins to curcle, separating into curds and whey. Remove from heat and let rest 1 minute. Pour into a strainer or colander, rinse with hot then cold water, then drain until no whey drips, about 1 minute. Makes about 1-1/2 C curds. Refrigerate if not used immediately. Whey can be used in place of water in breads and soups. If desired, moisten rinsed curds with a little buttermilk before serving.