The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 172

andformingsoft,whitecurds.Tomakehigh-qualityricotta,
these curds are then carefully removed from the whey (too
much mechanical action can turn them rubbery) and
allowed to drain, reducing their water content and
concentrating their flavor and richness.The result is mindblowinglysimpleyetdecadent.Oratleastitshouldbe.The
realityisthatprettymuchallmass-marketricottaproducers
don’tbothertotakethetimetodraintheircheeseproperly.
Instead, they load the stuff up with gums and stabilizers
intended to keep the water (and thus their profits) from
leakingout.
What you get is a gritty, gluey, rubbery paste. No thank
you. Homemade ricotta, though, when made right, is
creamy and tender with a mild, milky flavor and a slight
tang from the acid used to curdle it. In fact, I like ricotta
madeathomewithwholemilkbetterthanatraditionallowfatwhey-producedricotta.Howdoyoulikethat?
With homemade ricotta, the single most important
variable in terms of both flavor and texture is the acid you
addtothemix.
•Buttermilkhasmanyadvocates,whoclaimit’sthetastiest
acid of choice. I had problems with it. Inorder to get the
milktocurdleproperly,Ihadtoaddbuttermilkatnearlya
1:4 ratio, resulting in a final product with a very distinct
sour flavor. It wasn’t bad per se, but the flavor certainly
limited its applications: I couldn’t imagine stuffing it into
ravioli,forinstance.Andthecurdstructurewasalsoeverso-slightly overdeveloped, giving the ricotta a sticky
texture.


• Distilled vinegar gives the cleanest flavor, with soft,
tender curds. Since bottled vinegar is always diluted to 5
percent acetic acid, using it is also the most consistent

method.Aslongasyourmilkisfresh(oldermilkismore
acidic than fresh milk, and thus requires less coagulant),
you’llgetidenticalresultseverytime.
•Lemonjuicealsoworksverywell,thoughIfoundthatin
somecasestheamountIneededtousevariedbyabout25
percent,giveortake.MostlikelythisisduetovaryingpH
levelsfromlemontolemon.Lemonjuicegivesthericotta
a very slight citrus tang that, while not as distinct as the
buttermilk flavor, can be slightly off-putting in certain
savoryapplications.Ontheotherhand,it’swonderfulfor
pancakes and blintzes, or feeding to your hard-working
wife, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt,
warmoffaspoon.
Bottom line? For the most versatile ricotta, stick with
vinegar. Use lemon juice when a lemon flavor is
appropriate, and avoid buttermilk unless you’rereally into
it.
DrainingRicotta
To drain ricotta, place it in a fine-mesh strainer lined with
cheesecloth (or a high-quality food-safe paper towel) set
over a bowl. The final texture of ricotta can vary greatly
dependingonhowwellit’sdrained.

DRAINING

TEXTURE

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