Cheese Curds, delicious chunks of fresh cheese with a rubbery texture. It can be perfect for a quick snack. You can also freeze the cheese curds for a few months, but it will lose its squeakiness and freshness after freezing.
As we all know, cheese curds are the essence of the poutine, and you can eat them raw if you love fresh cheese curd. It’s easy to get cheese curds in Australia; you can buy them online or nearby store. So I usually buy them, but sometimes I prefer making them at home.
The main ingredient for perfect cheese curds is raw milk. Don’t worry if you couldn’t find raw milk. You can use pasteurized milk ; It will be a bit challenging as it has undergone through a heat process. In such case calcium chloride can be a great help for making cheese curds..
Follow each steps of recipe to make a perfect cheese curds at your home.
Ingredients
Milk 2 gallons
Calcium Chloride ½ tablespoon
Culture ½ tablespoon
Rennet ½ tablespoon / 0.55 g
Direction
Step 1: Heat Milk
The process of making cheese curds starts with heating the milk. Use stainless steel pot to heat the milk to 90-96 F. Once the milk gets to the desired temperature, set the timer of1 hr and maintain the heat.
Step 2: Ripen the milk
In a small container, dissolve the calcium chloride and culture separately in filtered water. Now add into warm milk and stir gently to distribute evenly. Cook for 30 mins maintaining the heat and watch the milk being ripen.
Step 3: Add Rennet
Take a 1/2 tsp of Liquid Rennet or 0.55g of Renner tablets and dissolve in filtered water. Add the mixture into the milk and stir gently for 1 min. Keep cooking, after 20-30 mins the curds will start to form. Once the curd is formed properly you can test it with a butter knife. Try slicing the curd it will split.
Step 4: Cut the Curds
Cut the curd into pieces. It’s essential to cut the curds in uniform size so that it can drain evenly. Try cutting the curd surface into cubes.
Step 5: Cook the Curds
Slowly raise the heat to 105 F -110 F and cook for 1 hr 30 mins depending on how dry you like. Curds will continue to shrink as you keep cooking.
Step 6: Drain the Curds
Now it’s time to drain the curds. Transfer them to a cloth-lined colander to drain and hung for 15-20 minutes.
Step 7: Press the Curds
Place a small plate on top of curds and press with a weight of 8lbs. Within 2-3 hours you will have a beautify chunk of curds.
Step 8: Finishing
Cut the curds into the desired size and tossed with salt. Eat Them!
Quick Tips
Do
- Sterilize all equipment before cooking.
- Use a good quality thermometer.
- After the curd is formed, cut them evenly (it will drain evenly)
- Dissolve the culture and calcium chloride in water (it’ll help them dissolve properly).
- Press the curds properly to form a consolidated mass of curds.
Don’ts
- Use ultra-pasteurized milk.
- Increase the heat quickly while cooking milk.
About the Author:
Rosemary Kobe is a homemaker who loves to cook healthy food for her two little twin-toddlers. She is one of the greatest foodies in Australia experimenting with a lot of dishes at home and occasionally heads out in search of delicious food in Melbourne. If you know one – let her know in the comments below or mail here at [rosemariikobe@gmail.com].