We're Making Lasagna! Part 1: Ricotta

That's right my friends, we're making it OURSELVES.

Or at least I am. You could easily skip all of this post and just buy some at the store. But I already had an extra gallon of milk and a recipe I wanted to try, plus an afternoon/evening I wanted to waste.

SO WE MAKE.

Full disclaimer, I didn't realize I wanted to blog about this until I was like kinda already involved. So you don't get the full process, but really you missed me pouring an entire gallon of milk into a pot and measuring some vinegar. Nothing exciting. Also, this recipe is from "Make the Bread, Buy the Butter" by Jennifer Reese. It's good stuff.

First, pour your liquids (an entire gallon of milk and 3/4 cups of white vinegar) into a pot.

Moo juice

Not wine. 

Heat

Turn the heat on (I turned mine to 8), play a couple levels of Candy Crush, then when you turn around you'll be greeted with something that looks like THIS

Not even close to looking like milk anymore.

Next, set up your little draining rig for your curds and whey because that doesn't look pretty. Also, it's not "on the brink of a boil" yet, so just let it do it's thing.

I'm using my salad spinner so that I can save the whey. More on that later.

Next, figure out why your kitten is crying

CAN I HELP YOU!? NO!? FINE.

Once my pot got steamy and weirdly foamy, I figured it was done. Also, I was really bored and TBS was about to start playing Friends, so take it off the heat and set a timer for 20 minutes while it does more things you don't understand

Weirdly foamy and scary. MOVING ON.

Set your timer with technology/robots.

Now go watch TV and blog this. Conveniently, doing all of this will end EXACTLY when your timer goes off! Go you.

Go back to your kitchen and look into your pot.

Still inexplicably foamy.

Now ladle the solids into your beautiful draining rig, being careful to save the whey, because you're going to use that to make bread (yeah, you're sure as shit not going to throw away what feels like half a gallon of whey, USE THAT).

No whey! Haha, get it? Cheese pun!

Now put your collander-esque portion of the salad spinner in the sink to drain (because we have more than enough whey now).

Have a rest little cheese. You've earned it.

Okay since your pot is now weirdly coated in unidentifiable milk something, we should really soak it, right? Because we're RESPONSIBLE.

So gross. 

Okay, since it's doing it's thing, let's brochill, watch Friends, and eat a grapefruit. I didn't set a timer this time, so it's going to drain until this episode is over. Very scientific. 

Episode over, let's investigate MORE!

You look the same.

I added my own step of squeezing it out a bit more so that it didn't make my finished lasagne watery. So I did this!

Very gently squeeze it.

Wrap it up nice and tight so that it doesn't end up tasting like your fridge.

No fridge cheese today, sir!

Put it in a container and put that into the icebox (yes, I'm 90 years old) until you need it.

Soon.

Happy cheesemaking!