Instant Pot Ricotta and Farmer’s Cheese

[@helenrennie]

Answers to some of your questions: 1) Can you use lactose-free milk? Probably, but I haven't tried it. 2) If fermenting using the sous-vide method, do I use a zip lock bag? I'd use a pot set into a water bath, not a bag. 3) What if I don't have an instant pot or sous-vide set up? Find a warm place in your house (maybe near a radiator?). Be creative! 4) How does this recipe compare to Chef John's? Mine will taste fermented and tangy. Chef John's will taste milky and sweet. Mine is unsalted, so salt it to taste when using. 5) Can you use the whey for something? Yes, there are lots of ideas in the comments. 6) Do I need milk that's not ultra pasteurized? I've tried it with all different supermarket milk brands and they all worked. I think the presence of kefir will make any milk curdle. 7) Is this ricotta or farmer's cheese? The point is not what is it officially called, or whether it follows some traditional method, but how does it taste. Traditionally, ricotta was made completely differently from how it's made today. It was a bi-product of making mozzarella. So if we go down that route, all homemade ricotta isn't really ricotta (unless of course, you were making mozzarella ;) Many farmer's cheeses tend to be grainy and mine isn't. I love sweet and milky ricotta on its own, but I much prefer the cheese from this video in desserts traditionally made with ricotta (like cannoli filling). You are welcome to call it whatever you want as long as it's not "cottage cheese". I never understood that horrible product. It's like styrofoam swimming in semen. I was worried that if the only term I give for this cheese is farmer's cheese, people will confuse it with cottage cheese. So I wanted to throw out a concept of ricotta out there because this cheese has more similarities with ricotta than with cottage cheese.

[@Hullj]

Styrofoam. ROFLMAO! My sainted father would have adored you. He called wonder bread and it's ilk "whipped air and nylon".

[@Merlmabase]

Ha! I adore this channel, and frankly I adore Helen, so hearing her feelings about cottage cheese made my heart sink a little. I've loved it ever since I was a kid, but I can't argue with that description - I seem to have a thing for texturally adventurous foods

[@elizar.7037]

Just a note for future readers, if you don't make it to the last paragraph of this pinned comment you're missing out.

[@myrtle1234]

Styrofoam swimming in semen?

[@given2dream]

Best description of cottage cheese ever! 🤣🤣

[@mariasavrasova8635]

When my Mom makes tvorog, she always let the curdled milk come to a room temperature after heating, which takes a few hours, she never drains it immediately or while it's warm, because you will get significantly more tvorog this way. Thanks for your videos, Helen!

[@teenageenaballerina8350]

As an American, I didn't know I liked ricotta cheese until I went to Italy. I reluctantly tried some there and realized the stuff I had been eating at home was ... not quite right. Italian ricotta is soooooo delicious! So thank you for this recipe - I can't wait to try it!

[@Whistlewalk]

I don't know why I haven't learned to watch your shows earlier in the day - I tend to watch them as I slow down in the evening before bed, and end going to bed hungry most nights. Everything looks sooo good. And when I get the chance to make them, they ARE good! Thank you.

[@s.m.s.m.630]

Hi Helen. We’ve tried this method and the results are absolutely amazing! Way better than store bought: we live in Europe and can get decent Italian ricotta even in a regular supermarket, but this one is by far superior. The tang from fermenting it with kefir is mind blowing. We also made some ricotta pancakes and they were awesome! In fact we started the second batch already and can’t wait for other videos how to use it! Thanks for sharing and take care!

[@helenrennie]

so glad it came out well!

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@@helenrennie Hi Helen! I hope you get this message from me and have a moment to respond. :) I am with you on being anti-low fat anything. I buy either whole milk or oat milk (which is surprisingly super tasty!)... But here’s the thing: Because I am disabled, I am low income. Thus I have to go to my local food pantry for help with food security to save me money. Well, recently the food pantry gave me _THREE_ 1/2 gallon jugs of 2% reduced fat milk. Do you think that it will work okay to make this ricotta cheese, and/or to make yogurt with in my instant pot? Will it taste decent enough? Otherwise, I don’t know what to do with so much milk. It will go bad by the time I use it for other purposes, because everything else I eat with milk doesn’t use that much of it. If you don’t think it will work well for either ricotta cheese or yogurt, I am open to any suggestions that you have - perhaps it will work better for a different type of cheese? Please keep in mind that I am a vegetarian though with any of your suggestions you may give me. Cheers! P.S. If I make ricotta cheese, I would like to make Italian stuffed shells with it. 😋 Would you suggest your ricotta cheese recipe for that, or Chef John’s recipe that you wrote about in your pinned post? You had said that your recipe is good for making desserts like cannolis, so I’m wondering if I should be using Chef John’s recipe for a savory dish like stuffed shells.

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

s.m s.m: You said here that you made Helen’s ricotta recipe. Would you mind telling me if you think it will work well in Italian stuffed shells? I am a little confused by Helen’s pinned post, where she says that there is a flavor difference between her and Chef John’s ricotta recipe - she said that she uses her recipe in desserts like cannolis. Do you think that Chef John’s recipe be a better option for a savory dish like stuffed shells? Also, do you I think that is possible to make this ricotta cheese with 2% reduced fat milk and have it it not only work well, but taste decently too? I was given a bunch of 2% reduced fat milk from my local food pantry, and I am trying to find a use for it before it goes bad.

[@KimChi-iy7jd]

@@anti-ethniccleansing465 I can answer your question about the 2 % milk. Yes, you can use it to produce fresh cheese. Most probably you wont get out too much or as much as with 3,6 % or 4 % milk. In reality all cows produce different amount of fat percentage in their milk depending on their breed (milk breeds are obviously stronger milk producers) and very important their diet. Some farmers produce 4,6 % milk on average, due to their excellent pastures. The creameries/dairies always tinker with the percentage of fat in their product. Only normally filtered milk fresh from the farmer would be the "real" thing anyway. Hope that helps. 🙏🏼

[@Grimvant]

It is very rare that I contribute a comment, but I followed the recipe very closely and found that the excitement for this recipe was very well deserved. I haven't been very familiar with ricotta or farmers cheese by itself, but this was very special. I can imagine that it would be great as an ingredient in a recipe. I even saved the whey and added some honey to make a delicious drink which I consider similar to vanilla almond milk. I found the cheese could use a little seasoning, but it was easy to overdo. Being delicate with seasoning was important in my opinion. I enjoyed the cheese with some salt, pepper, and a touch of homemade chili powder. Thank you, Helen. Your clarity and thoroughness gave me confidence to try the recipe out and I am glad I did. Best wishes in all of our endeavors.

[@67buzzo]

Finally got to do this cheese, so I did the all process with an immersion circulator, placing the kefir/ milk mix in a pot basically floating in another bigger pot with circulator.First 9 hours at 90F and cranked up to 175F for another 3 hours is what it took to get there..I am a French chef, and to me it tasted totally like “Fromage blanc" , delicious, not so much like American farmer’s cheese I thought.Thank you.

[@helenrennie]

great idea to do the whole thing using sous-vide.

[@simon-515]

That's exactly how I do mine. Haven't bought any in a store for a year now.

[@annamariemangili4869]

I'm trying my hand at this today. Note my comment above. Not going too well. I should have read your comment before trying the sous vide method. I'm guessing I really messed up the curds by dumping the liquid into a pot for the oven.

[@JakeHawken]

I’m trying this approach today. A double batch too! Wish me luck, folks

[@JakeHawken]

Reporting back: it turned out great! Flavor and texture are both phenomenal

[@anndwenger7419]

Thank you for the recipe!!!! I am from Estonia and I grew up with farmers cheese and I love anything cooked with it .Now I will have forever supply available. I have become big fan of your youtube channel!

[@erinmalia96]

You rocked my world when you explained why you can't draw moisture out of American store-bought ricotta 🤯 now I finally understand why my cannolis failed

[@divadjm]

Once again Helen you have separated yourself from the rest. This is the “missing information” I’ve been looking for in my homemade ricotta...and I’ve made some pretty good fresh ricotta. Thanks for the effort.

[@leviyates4951]

It's difficult to find 4% fat milk in the United States. I used whole milk (3.25%) and gave it some extra time in the instantpot. When it came to draining the cheese, even with a fine mesh strainer I needed to line the bottom with coffee filters to prevent the curds from going through. I removed the filters after a couple hours and let it finish draining then. Cheese came out great, and I've made several batches already. All my friends and family have loved your syrniki recipe! Thank you Helen!

[@lachatelaine9055]

These are great instructions- thank you so much, Helen! I just finished a batch and it worked perfectly. It's slightly tart, creamy, with very small curds. I used a brand of kefir from the Russian grocery store and made a full gallon of milk with about 2 cups of kefir. It fermented in the Intsant Pot just as promised (I gave mine about 11 hrs). One tip: I use huge commercial size paper coffee filters to drain my yogurt and now tvorog, and they are really helpful. You place one in your colander and the drained yogurt or tvorog easily comes away from the paper when done. You just toss the paper filter-no washing cheesecloth or tea towels. Each massive filter can hold a ton-I can easily drain 1 1/2 gallons of yogurt at a time. You can find these commercial coffee filters on Amazon and EBay.

[@wnyray]

what size are your commercial coffee filters? They come in different sizes

[@lachatelaine9055]

@@wnyray I use Bunn brand 10 gallon filters. I think I found them on Amazon. One box is basically a lifetime supply!

[@squidben5780]

Nice to know you can do full gallon with 2 cups of kefir, here kefir is $6.99 cad lol

[@janosattilanyilas9680]

This is called túró in Hungarian and we love it. We use it in a lot of dishes.

[@jude6757]

A very timely video right before Pascha! Thank you Helen for sharing.

[@JJLearnsStuff]

Oh my goodness!! Amazing chef! And such clear and informative instructions. Thank you!!

[@snake_plant6719]

This is so pleasant to listen to

[@wnyray]

OMG!!! This is so tangy and delicious! I followed exactly and it turned out great!!! The only thing extra is I had a pint of unopened light cream a few days past date that I added. My Kifer was 3.25 milkfat. In the oven I was afraid it might cook too hot (my oven) so I did it at 300 and used a probe to keep tabs on the heat level. Took almost two hours. I wish I could post a pic of the process. THANK YOU!

[@madrinamakes8863]

I love the alchemy of cheesemaking at home. I have never made ricotta using kefir. I am excited to give it a try!

[@samuelgettman3101]

I use my oven to ferment my yogurt, just turn on the oven light and my yogurt ferments really quickly, in 6-8 hours. I like mine extra tangy so I ferment up to 12 hours.

[@D1776-o4s]

I’m so pleased you did this video, Love that your use metrics too,. So much easier to understand!

[@ilanaryz]

Thank you Helen. Interesting variation of making it in an instant pot. Have to give it a try. I make my own kefir(from kefir grains) and then my own farmers cheese(tvorog). But I usually heat the milk on the stove and pour kefir in while slowly stirring. This is the most popular way it's done in Lithuania, where I am from originally. Looks like Instant pot method produces smaller curd. Also, for everyone: keep the whey. Use it to make smoothies, pancakes, bread etc. Or just drink it cold. Especially, if you are using organic milk.

[@CatsInaCradle]

How would I use whey for making pancakes? Just replace the milk in the recipe with the whey? Thank you so much in advance for this information! 💖

[@ilanaryz]

@@CatsInaCradle correct. Replace whatever liquid you use.

[@listenupkids]

Боже мой! Спасибо вам за рецепт! С ума сойти, как вы выручаете!

[@danmatthews4803]

Followed the recipe. After 9 hours nothing had happened. I closed the Instant Pot and set it for another 9 hours and it came out just right. (Follow up) I’m making it again and decided to take temp of instant pot after two hours. My instant pot - set to 90 - was only achieving 78 degrees. I have had to turn setting up to a little over 100 degrees to actually achiever 90 degrees.

[@mroylenahan]

I just made it and I love it! It's very tangy like yogurt but I love the texture. By the way, I used my favorite brand of milk, Fairlife (it's ultra-filtered with higher protein, lower sugar, and no lactose). I was concerned that it wouldn't work, but it was just fine.

[@GadgetBoy]

I'll chime in with another "save the whey" for anyone reading. You can substitute it for water in just about any baking recipe to give you a really tender crumb.

[@sarabeth641]

Hot tip! thanks!

[@benvella1728]

Also good to know that whey contains a lot of lactose, so for those who are lactase deficient - heads up!

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@@benvella1728 Yep! My mom had bought me a big bag of whey protein powder to put in my smoothies. I don’t consider myself lactose intolerant at all, but apparently when it is so concentrated like that, it can definitely affect those who normally don’t have issues with dairy products. I used the full measuring scoop of the powder the first time I made a smoothie with it, and my body was not happy! Once I tried only filling up half the measuring cup, then I no longer had any problems.

[@samgentry2605]

I was sent to your channel by Adam Ragusea. So glad I came here.

[@stepitup080]

You deserve 1 million + followers !

[@nosaltiesandrooshere7488]

👍 Danke fürs Hochladen! 👍 Thanks for uploading! 👍 Very good and beautiful, thank you!

[@musiconions5562]

I love watching your channel. Not only do you make awesome dishes, but you break them down in a way that is easy to understand! It also helps that your voice is like ASMR to me :) --keep up the great videos!

[@katioconnor5295]

Dairy products are so overly expensive right now.... thankyou for this complete process 😊

[@sazji]

Great content and explanations! I want to try these syrniki... I hear you about making dairy products, BUT...try making yogurt sometime with this difference: Start with raw milk if you can, and don’t just scald it; actually boil it gently for 10-15 minutes before you let it cool and inoculate it. You’ll get an amazingly firm and delicious natural yogurt with a wonderful texture.

[@konstantintretyakov3951]

Thank you so much for this, really looking forward to the сырники video! I'm making farmer's cheese using the recipe you gave earlier (with buttermilk and heating it in the pot), and it turns out great!

[@beadmat3527]

I used two soup pots and monitored the temperatures all day which was far easier than anticipated. I kept the water between 100-110 which keep the milk/kefir btw 85-98 degrees without much adjustment.

[@helenrennie]

very resourceful -- so glad you found a good solution

[@turtledovedreamcatchers3863]

My instant pot just arrived today and I'm getting ready to try this ricotta recipe! I'll let you know how it goes! I did get the Kefir milk so I should be able to do exactly what you did, fingers crossed!

[@evka24]

Did you drain your own cheese before making syrniki? Thank you. Love your and your Chanel.

[@GadgetBoy]

My first batch is draining right now, and I'm thrilled! I've tried following instructions online before, but I could always tell I'd failed when I drained the curd (too sour). This barely smells at all, a bit buttery, but that's it. A co-worker of mine used to bring syrniki for lunch, ended up starting to being enough to share, cause I got hooked.

[@garywallenphd885]

Interesting take on this product. Not having an instant pot I make mine on the stovetop in about an hour using whole milk, heavy cream, and apple cider vinegar.

[@subplantant]

So a non-fermented version?

[@garywallenphd885]

@@subplantant yes

[@eliasaltenberg]

Could you use yogurt or raw vinegar to culture the milk instead of kefir?

[@nataliegordon5239]

I use organic Greek yogurt and it works great

[@sheilasanderson9681]

I tried this, loved it. I make a batch every week. Thank you.

[@alenadondurey3900]

Hi, love your Chanel! It’s super helpful :) Could you please tell me how many g of farmers cheese you get from the 2l milk, 1/2 l kefir combo? Also can you make it in larger quantities in the pot, or will it not work as well?

[@fabaomarcao]

I love your posts. I love Judy Rogers ... I worked with her when she came to NYC to redo a restaurant in NYC. Most of what I know is from her, in addition, she always valued the experience of the untrained officially.

[@astudent8885]

I love making my own yogurt to avoid the added sugar, I have to give this cheese a try. It looks so amazing!

[@newportdragon19mufc]

Hi! I'd love do know how you make your yoghurt at home! I have a yoghurt maker my dad got be but there are no instructions as how to use it so I've avoided trying. Thank you!

[@astudent8885]

@@newportdragon19mufc I don't even use a yogurt maker lol; I bring a pot of milk to a boil then turn off the heat and let it cool on the stove until it's few degrees above 37C (around 40C, when it feels warm but not too hot), add in a few spoons of store bought yogurt (the thick ones), pour the milk into a large thermos cup and leave it overnight. It's all very simple xD

[@newportdragon19mufc]

@@astudent8885 Haha I thought not! Just wanted to put that out there incase anyone had any idea. I'd like to put it to good use. Do you leave it out or in the fridge? Thanks!

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

@@astudent8885 Have you ever made it with reduced fat milk? I got a bunch of 2% reduced fat milk from my local food pantry, and call I would love to make either this ricotta cheese with it or yogurt, but I’m worried that it either won’t work well because it isn’t whole milk, or that it won’t taste very good. Do you have an opinion on that?

[@Pammellam]

@@newportdragon19mufc Is your yogurt maker electric? I use one that’s just a Styrofoam container with a jar inside. It keeps my milk and yogurt starter perfectly warm and works just fine. But you need to heat your milk first and then to cool it. This is the process: I heat the milk to 83°C that is 181°F. 180 is OK. Then let the milk cool naturally until it gets to be about 45 to 47°C. That is about 115°F. Use your common sense and you can go a little bit under or a little bit above these measurements but just a little bit. You will need a thermometer. Once your milk has cooled down to about 46°C or about 115°F you can put it into the yogurt maker. To give you an idea, once my milk reaches 83°C or about 180°F, I take the pan off the stove top, then it only takes about 25 minutes for it to cool naturally down to about 46°C which is about 115°F. Why is it necessary to heat the milk and then to cool it? Heating the milk until it gets to just below the boiling stage to about 180°F or about 83°C changes the texture of the protein in the milk and makes it easier for the yogurt bacillus to do it’s work. But 180°F is too hot for the yogurt bacillus, it needs to be cooled to about 115°F or 46°C. Put your milk that is now at about 115°F into the jar of the yogurt maker and then add some yogurt bacillus. Some people buy the bacillus in powdered form, I just use some yogurt that I made the day before. If you don’t have any yogurt that you have made just buy some plain unsweetened yogurt with no fruit or gums or stabilizers in it and put a tablespoon or two of that in your warm milk. That will act as a starter. The yogurt bacillus does not like to be stirred up. When you add one or 2 tablespoons of yogurt just drain them or dribble them on top of the warm milk. Flour You do not need to stir them up or shake them up throughout the whole container. I always keep a tablespoon or two out of the jar at the end when I’m making more yogurt. I clean my jar having saved that little extra bit of yogurt in a bowl. I haven’t bought yogurt for years because I always use a little bit of the yogurt that I made the week before in the next batch. It takes about 8 to 12 hours for the yogurt to form and thicken the entire batch. Some of those yogurt makers may go faster - I don’t know. Don’t stir up the newly made still warm yogurt. Don’t shake it, don’t do anything to it. Put it right in the refrigerator and leave it there for at least a half day until it gets completely cold. You never want to start eating the yogurt right out of the yogurt maker as it will be warm and still too fragile. It needs that time in the refrigerator to firm up. But do check your yogurt. If it is still like a liquid on top it will have to stay in the yogurt maker longer. You’ll get the idea after making it a couple of times. It is not the least bit difficult nor is it a special technique. Anyone can do it!

[@RobbieVoy]

Hi Helen. I can't wait to use this for making your pancakes. However, using kefir to culture the milk then straining the result is making quark or kefir cheese. You are making somewhat of a blended cheese since by heating the mixture to nearly boiling would generate some ricotta curds from the whey. Still the majority of your cheese is quark.

[@moldovanca]

I would love to make this but we don’t have kefir where I live; can it be replaced with something?

[@lindagardener855]

Helen said you she prefers kefir but you can use buttermilk, but you might need to strain through cheesecloth.

[@ImToIndecisiveForThis]

I haven't made it yet, but I'm working on convincing my mom to make cheese with me. I'm really excited to try making a entirely new recipe with a whole new territory to me! Your video was amazing when it came to explaining what to do, and from what I'm seeing in the comments, it's consistent :)))

[@Mt28657]

I usually make my cheese with a combo of whole milk, a bit of heavy cream and a 50/50 vinegar and lemon juice combo to curdle it. I've been happy with those results, but looking forward to trying this method next time to see which I prefer flavor-wise. Thanks!

[@Mt28657]

Made this today, definitely way more tangy/yoghurty. Thanks again.

[@AbsurdHeroine]

I'm getting something wrong... my cheese is too watery and goes straight through the sieve! The only difference is that I have a Zavor instead of an Instant Pot. Have you seen this before? Do you know what do I need to adjust?

[@mariiam.3841]

Hi Helen! I live in a country where we don’t have access to kefir. Do you think kefir cultures will work in this recipe? Thank you!

[@daenas]

I used to make Greek yogurt in the IP all the time..even bought of those yogurt strainers/containers, and it would come out great but my 86yr old mother never cared for it since it wasn't sweet (she's got a huge sweet tooth) but I liked it and even used it as a sour cream replacement. I also make cottage cheese once and it came out great as well. SAVE THE WHEY! Freeze it in ice cube trays as it can be used as a starter the next time or used in bread recipes or a variety of other wonderful dishes.

[@patronsaintofnow9765]

Same, here - one incredible find, is that, if left to 'proof' in the IP for 24 hr yogurt setting, you will have a super probiotic that beats anything you can purchase in the drug store. I use skim or 2% milk regularly with great results.

[@MissLizaMay]

Came out way too tangy. Any advice on how to turn that down a notch?

[@da041]

Followed the recipe exactly....turned out great...syrniki...here I come...🍽

[@helenrennie]

great job :)

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

You said here that you made Helen’s ricotta recipe. Would you mind telling me if you think it will work well in Italian stuffed shells? I am a little confused by Helen’s pinned post, where she says that there is a flavor difference between her and Chef John’s ricotta recipe - she said that she uses her recipe in desserts like cannolis. Do you think that Chef John’s recipe be a better option for a savory dish like stuffed shells? Also, do you I think that is possible to make this ricotta cheese with 2% reduced fat milk and have it it not only work well, but taste decently too? I was given a bunch of 2% reduced fat milk from my local food pantry, and I am trying to find a use for it before it goes bad.

[@katrinacherkasskikh7756]

Hi Helen, have you tried doubling this recipe (would a gallon fit into the instant pot and the whole process done as recommended work just fine)? Also, how much of tvorog does this recipe yield (with the measurements you’re showing here)?

[@lineringuette-brake1389]

Hello! Would this recipe yield a product similar to Faisselle Cheese? I had that in France recently (YUM!) Can that be made in the instant pot? Thank you. We watch your videos all the time :)

[@rachelbezile6299]

Helen, I followed your recipe exactly, however I did put the milk mixture in the oven after 8 hours at 350 for one hour. After, I realized that milk boils at 212 degrees and thought for sure it would be ruined as the milk was boiling when I took it out of the oven. I stained it overnight and the result was a creamy delicious cheese. Did you mean turn your oven to 350, then turn it off, then let the milk sit in the warm oven for 50 to 60 minutes? My cheese turned ouy, but I am sure it should not have boiled.

[@wolfethered7776]

The only dairy product I make at home is a dish we call mamia, haven't really seen it outside my region. Basically consists on sheep milk that we bring to a boil and then pour in some ramekins with a couple of drops of rennet, let it cool down completely in the fridge and eat on its own or with a touch of honey and some walnuts!

[@Passionforfoodrecipes]

This cheesy joke o-CURD to me while watching.. But it wasn't very *cultured.*

[@lindagardener855]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@mugwump7049]

Ba-dum tsss!

[@Merlmabase]

Love this episode! Might just be the reason I finally get over my aversion to fermenting dairy. I'm surprised to hear how much of an effect the pectin in the kefir has on the final product, considering how little is added.

[@patronsaintofnow9765]

I regularly make yogurt in my IP with great results, and, if left to 'ferment' for 24 hrs, the lactose breaks down & is removed, resulting in a lactose free 'super' probiotic. In one cup of 24-hour yogurt there are 708 billion beneficial bacteria, 50 times as much Probiotics as one gets from pill form. I was spending $25 a month on a probiotic supplement before making my own EASILY this way. Can't recommend it enough.

[@glennhalila8279]

While growing up my mother used farmers cheese to make her homemade lasagna. Sometimes she and my Aunt Paula would make homemade cheese Blintzes from scratch too. They normally used Farmers or Ricotta Cheese adding a tablespoon of Vanilla Extract. I will download this Video and try to make my own cheese. Both me and my Roommate have worked in Restaurants and have some experience in the kitchen. Neither of us have attempted to make our own cheese because of time constraints. However I'm Semi Retired and so is my Roommate due to Age and Health issues. Together hopefully we will follow your excellent advice. Thank you Helen I am Russian on my Mother's side. All of her Grandparents were born in Moscow, my Great Grandparents. You also introduced me to something new. Kefir is new to me. I live in Cincinnati. I will have to check out the availability of this product. I was wondering about Cheese Blintzes Recipe? I will check to see if you made a video about a specific Cheese recipe that you or Me can make from scratch for my favorite Blintzes.

[@irakopilow9223]

Growing up, the only time I saw farmer's cheese was during Passover. It has been decades since I have seen it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@nyuwumi]

I have the exaaaact same issue in the UK! Back home we have farmer's cheese everywhere and here you've never even heard of it. And while you can buy "Quark" it's still so much different from the original thing

[@mircomuntener4643]

So that was the farmer's cheese; is the ricotta in a separate video? Are we using ricotta and farmer's cheese interchangeably? Because ricotta is made from the whey wich was drained to make the farmer's cheese featured in this video..

[@shemtovo]

Ricotta is a cheese made from the whey water leftover from making "farmer's cheese". So the water you washed down the drain is actually the input for ricotta en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricotta

[@shemtovo]

it's in the name: ri=re cota=cooked --> 'double cooked'

[@Elektero]

exactly. Had to scroll too far down to find a correct information. Americans are going to believe everything they hear, as lon is presented in a polite way. She just made some weird cottage cheese and discarded the ricotta raw material

[@squidben5780]

Have you tried re cooking this whey with what result and yield ??

[@89janda]

Okay so the first time I made this exactly like the directions! It came out beautiful and delicious! I tried making it 5 other times and it didn't turn out. I'm not sure what I did different I followed the video like last time? Any help would be great.

[@susyt.v3827]

Thank you so much for the helpful, beautiful information!

[@jamesdavis2027]

Love you Helen but half my cheese went through my strainer using the same kefir as you, even after i double checked that it was at 170F :( I did leave it in the instant pot for 5 hours after the 9hr cycle, i wonder if that was my downfall. Or my mesh is just not fine enough (altho our strainers look quite similar)

[@marypascale3800]

What should I do now? I did it on yogurt in instant pot for the 9 hours and left it in there until next morning, put it in oven until 162 degrees and strained it it all came out no curds, what should I do now?

[@TRusheeRush]

Bold move posting this right after Chef John dropped his ricotta video. I'll make both and determine once and for all who is the real big cheese.

[@JohnBodoni]

I think there's no doubt that Chef John is far, far cheesier.

[@Mt28657]

@@JohnBodoni haha

[@chezmoi42]

Okay, do you have results to share with us? 😊

[@anti-ethniccleansing465]

Have you done this experiment yet TRusheeRush?? I would love to know what the outcome was.

[@xanthochromique]

Can’t wait to try. Have you tried using yogurt “boil” function instead of the oven? I think it brings the temp up to ~80°C.

[@pattismithurs9023]

180F (fyi)

[@marijkeschellenbach2680]

this is how I have been making my yogurt since the 1960s and love how it tastes

[@Raul28153]

The old school method for kifer or yogurt involves a shovel. I've seen this done. The old Yugoslavian woman dug up an ant nest. Robbed the eggs and poured her fresh goat's milk over the eggs in a cloth. the eggs are covered in the bacteria needed to get a safe fermentation.

[@hah3456]

Eggs from an ants nest!?

[@trikstari7687]

Thanks Helen. Now I can make fried ricotta cheese balls without it being a gooey nightmare to handle.

[@Hullj]

Excellent. My 1940's oven runs at 90-92 F with the pilot. Question: do I cover the pot or no? Question: think we could use a dollop of real yoghurt instead? No disrespect to kefir which isn't hard to say at all. What about lassi? Same thing? Request: how about a lesson on the differences, if any, between farmers, ricotta, kajmak, paneer, and queso fresco. Story: a man from India, now aged probably 75, told me that his grandmother brought whole, raw milk to temperature, used lemon to make the curds, wrapped it in a lot of muslin, and put it in the ground to draw off the moisture. We forget how new refrigeration and city water are! If we were that easy to kill we wouldn't still be here. (Half Slav, Half Scot. Of course I think that way.)

[@helenrennie]

Yes, cover the pot. You can use all sorts of things to ferment the milk. what's unique about kefir is that I didn't need the cheese cloth.

[@anak498]

I just found your channel and you are amazing! Thank you for the detailed recipes

[@hlhs42]

This is the first ricotta recipe I've seen that doesn't call for lemon or vinegar. I didn't like the lemon version, I'd like to try with the kefir, it sounds wonderful! I don't have an InstaPot or Sous-vide, what other options are there?

[@TashJansson]

I made this successfully inside an oven! Successfully, but not as hands-free as I would have liked: my oven didn't have temp marks for under 100ºC, so I had to improvise and manage a system for temp control with a meat termometer. I also had to check on it regularly bc I wasnt very comfortable running the oven for so many hours, even though it's practically the same temp you can safely proof dough in. It worked for me, but I feel like I got lucky, and this may in fact be more of a trrial and error kind of thing.

[@haroldhenderson2824]

Some crockpots have a dial control. Would have to test for stable temperature.

[@13c11a]

Wonderful explanation. Thank you.

[@RowlandGosling]

The things I never knew I wanted to know! This cheese will be great with my homemade lasagna!

[@tracydr01]

My instant pot doesn’t have a yogurt setting but I’ll use my soup vide or a plant seed starting heat pad for yogurt which I assume will work exactly the same for this.

[@squidben5780]

yes sous vide at 90f for 11 hours or ur liking. I have air fryer version so no yogurt settings.

[@royalbirb275]

is there any other method for keeping the cheese at 90f without using an instant pot? I'm mildly considering heating the oven to as low as it can go, stopping it, and then throwing the milk mixture in there uncovered with the light on.

[@morokiya55]

I can't get kefir, can I use buttermilk? Thank you for your video.

[@Arberin]

Can't wait for the Syrniki video. Good quality store bought Tvorog is so so hard to come by where I live so we've just had to settle for a really long time...

[@Malcar]

I really need to try this so I can make some home made vareniki, it has been years since I've had home made ones.

[@hlillyfee]

Hello Helen! Thank you for this video. I was looking at my instant pot and unfortunately I don't have the yoghurt function. Is there still a way to do it with it? The functions I have: Pressure cook, slow cook, sauté, steamed, sous vide, air fry, bake, broil, roast, dehydrate.

[@squidben5780]

Yes I have the same use the sous vide put it at 90 f and 10hours or 11 as u wish. put milk inside pan directly. You can check temps along the way just to see. mine at 90 was 105. Frist time doing cheese. Hope this helps. also after putting in oven, let it cool for couple hours before removing whey. Learned that from comments. Will see how it goes.

[@centrifugedestroyer2579]

I really want to try this. Unfortunatly I have neither an Instant pot nor a sous vide set up. I do work with precise equipment designed for the exact purpose, but I can't use it because of biosecurity regulations. That is pretty sad but I will try to treat it like a yeasted dough and keep it covered in my oven at a hand warm temperature.

[@RobinLeaFritche]

Can I do this with raw milk? The recipe I usually use for farmer's cheese requires me to boil it first. This is the first time I've seen a recipe that doesn't require at least scalding the milk. I live in Wisconsin and raw milk is illegal there, but I'm in California for a few days and it's legal so I got some to try making fresh cheese. I imagine that if this is a traditional recipe, not boiling it should be fine...?

[@epikurius5780]

#realcomment - Dear Helen (Елена?}- my first comment after watching a ton of your videos over the years. Thank you for your work - unique combination of solid science- and knowledge based information, paired with down-to-earth practicality. Complimenti. One question: When you say store-bought kefir, I suppose you mean the modern version, cultured only with bacteria, as opposed to the more traditional, that also has yeast from the kefir granules (and which also has a very low alcohol content)? The latter CAN also be store-bought of course, but only in Russian speciality supermarkets. Here in Germany, the modern one is always labeled ”Kefir Mild”, and the granuled is nowhere in normal stores to be seen. By the way: Since тво́рог often seems to be without rennet, it would be interesting to try making the сырники with Quark or Sahneschichtkäse - since, we have good such in Germany; have you tried this?

[@nipuniperera9918]

Can confirm this is delicious. I didn't do the last heating step, but it set (not as hard as this) and retained more whey. It was great for spreading on stuff with a little sugar. Also the whey makes a really delicious drink with a bit of salt and sugar.

[@kathylewis7543]

Can I use it in perogies? Thank you!

[@mutazila10]

I make my own kefir: Can I use it directly instead of using plain milk? I mean, can i use 2.5 liters of kefir (following this recipe), heat it to 70-82°C and then drain it? Maybe the flavor will be off?

[@drglove614]

Hi Helen, thank you for the recipe! Looking forward to trying it with your syrniki recipe. Do you have the instant pot sealed, or venting for the 9 hours?

[@pattismithurs9023]

I use my Instant Pot to our yogurt. We just put a dinner plate over it. You can put a paper towel under the plate if you'd like to collect the moisture that ends up on the bottom of the plate. There is quite a bit with the yogurt, likely the same with the cheese.

[@simonolya]

Что делаю я. На 1 галлон молока я беру 1 стакан кефира. Использую cast iron pot, с толстыми стенками, точно как у вас на видео. Молоко заранее немного подогреваю. Оставляю все это на ночь и утром смесь выглядит как йогурт. Ставлю в духовку ровно на 55 минут при температуре 315. Потом сливаю. Причём, если выбрать микс шумовкой не пропуская всю сыворотку через смесь, то творог получается суше и плотнее. Было очень интересно посмотреть ваш способ. Чисто экономически мой немного лучше, но для американцев наверное ваш проще. Забавно, что делаю я его дома как и вы только ради сырников😂. ♥️👍

[@helenrennie]

Thank you so much for your recipe. I've been getting questions about how to reduce sourness. I was thinking that using less kefir might work. It looks like you are using 4 times less that I do and it still ferments and curdles just fine. I'll need to try that.

[@simonolya]

@@helenrennie Just make sure to use Buttermilk 2%. Some times with other kefir type it doesn't work well .

[@connormulcahy1325]

I have strawberry kefir would that be ok to use since I just need the bacteria? or would it give the cheese an odd flavor?

[@andreagreiff2558]

Made this and am so excited at how well it worked! That said, I have about 2.5 cups of uncurdled milky substance left thats different from the yellowish/clear whey. Is it possible to do something to treat this to make it curdle? I hate to waste it -especially since my whole batch of ricotta currently is quite small and I’d love more!

[@helenrennie]

If you heat it to a higher temperature, it will curdle more (though it will make the cheese a bit more grainy). I just strain the whole pot through a strainer curdled or not. some of it still looks completely creamy when I strain it. If you have a little left that you want to curdle more, you can even do it on the stove top watching it carefully, so that it doesn't boil.

[@andreagreiff2558]

Update, I made this a second time and let the whole mixture cool overnight coming out of the oven and then strained it over a much finer mesh cheese cloth. This method worked perfectly and I did not have so much uncurdled product!

[@GiselleMarieXIII]

Good question. Thank you for asking.

[@evka24]

Temperature for oven 180c fan oven or normal. Thank you

[@charliedarwin8481]

Was this a recipe for ricotta or for farmer’s cheese or are they the same thing?

[@helenrennie]

see the answer in the first pinned comment.

[@caitlinhanson8631]

It's a combination of both! Farmer's cheese is made by culturing milk like in the video, but it wouldn't be heated before being strained. Ricotta is made from whey (not all whey, it needs to be the kind you would get from a cheese like mozzarella) that has either been left to ferment for at least 24 hours, or has an acid added to it such as lemon juice, that is then heated to boiling or just under, and then strained after cooling for a few minutes.

[@debracoffman4218]

How can you make farmers cheese if you don't have an insta pot?

[@ronk8480]

I’m a bit late to the party, but hopefully can get an answer. I just made this in instapot with whole milk and kefir. After 10 hours on yoghurt setting, I opened the lid, and everything had separated. I had a huge ball of curd floating in a sea of whey. Mixture at 90°F. Not sure why it separated in the pot, but no need for the second step. Drained well and waiting to use it. Curious if anyone knows why it would have separated instead of being creamy like the video.

[@jetlaggedchef6806]

"Most ricotta you buy in American supermarkets has the texture of toothpaste". I just DIED! Hahahah. :) That's the same reason I started making my own yogurt after a trip to Turkey about 8 years ago.

[@janicemorin3485]

Making farmers cheese as I send this message, will let you know how it turns out. Used some of my leftover kiefer as buttermilk in biscuits. Worked great. Have to buy a quart, so need ideas to use leftover. Going to try it in ranch dressing and pancakes. Could I freeze leftover kiefer? How long will the farmers cheese stay fresh enough for perogi? Very informative videos. Visit Newton , MA occasionally. I see a class in my future.

[@helenrennie]

kefir and farmer's cheese are very hard to spoil. before people invented refrigeration, they used these fermented milk products to put milk to some good use and give it a long life. If you look at expiration date on kefir, it's usually months away. I've kept it in the fridge for a month and it was as good as new. I am guessing the same applies to farmer's cheese. I've never tried keeping it more than 2 weeks in the fridge, but as long as it looks fine (no mold), it should be fine. I haven't tried freezing kefir, but it's worth a shot.

[@KatWilton]

You don't mention whether it matters if the milk is ultra high pasteurized; I do know that for homemade cheeses (harder cheeses, anyway) the UHP milks will ***not*** form a curd. Of course, I'm blessed that I have my own raw milk, so I'm asking to the benefit of others ;-)

[@helenrennie]

I made this with many brands of normal supermarket milk and it worked just fine. the addition of kefir will make it curdle.

[@victorenecahill9013]

Helen sorry to inform you that whole milk now is only 3% fat. Now what about the recipe?

[@safahmie]

I read that making ricotta cheese from this method to use something tangy? I have no idea what that means nor do I understand if there's a taste or texture difference between these two. I've rewatched the opening a bunch and can't figure it out except you can buy one cheese and not the other. Help!!!!