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Key takeaways
- Start with a fresh cheese like ricotta or paneer. Hard cheeses need aging time and more of a commitment.
- Ricotta and paneer need only things from a regular supermarket.
- Mozzarella is a good second step, and a kit is usually cheaper than buying everything separately.
Start with a fresh cheese
Start with fresh cheeses like ricotta and paneer. Hard cheeses need aging time and are more of a commitment for someone who has never made cheese. Ricotta is the simplest: heat milk, add an acid and drain it. Paneer is a small step up, made in a very similar way but pressed so it ends up firm. Neither needs specialty ingredients, and everything is at your supermarket.
What you need for ricotta and paneer
Ricotta and paneer are good first cheeses. You need whole milk, lemon juice or vinegar, salt, a colander and cheesecloth, and a thermometer helps. Paneer recipes often add yogurt.
What you need for mozzarella
Mozzarella is a good second step. You need:
- Whole or 2% milk, ideally not ultra-pasteurized, which often won't curdle properly
- Citric acid, a rennet tablet and kosher salt
- Distilled (or dechlorinated) water
- A non-reactive pot (stainless steel or copper, not aluminum or cast iron)
- A kitchen thermometer, cheesecloth and a large glass bowl
A kit, or ingredients one by one?
If you don't want to track down ingredients one by one, a mozzarella or mixed cheese-making kit is usually cheaper than buying everything separately, especially if you only end up making one cheese.
Mozzarella cheese making kit
A good first kit for the second cheese in this guide.
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