Ricotta from Whey

1. Use whey directly from the cheese pot at the time of draining .. The fresher the better.
2. Heat without agitating to 160° F .. at this point 5-12% of fresh milk may be added to improve the richness and yield.
3. Continue heating to 170° F. Add 1/2 tsp. of salt per gallon of liquid and mix in quickly.
4. Continue heating without agitation to 185° F and hold at this temp until the ricotta rises.
   Note: In the past people heated to just below boiling (200F) but this is not necessary nor will it be a problem if your whey heats well into the 190's.
5. Mix 1/2 tsp. of citric acid per gallon of liquid. The citric acid should be dissolved in 1/2 cup water. Add quickly the pot and stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.
   Watch the curd forming small flakes and gradually larger curd masses.
   Add a bit more more citric acid solution if necessary.
   NOTE.. If too much acid is added, the curds will sink to the bottom and the cheese will not be sweet. The correct amount of acid will produce a clear separation of white curds and bright green whey.
6. As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.
   Let the curds rest for 10-15 min. *** This is very important because this is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured
7. Ladle the curds gently into draining forms (No cheese cloth should be needed if you were patient in the previous step). Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.
   For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours). before chilling overnight
   Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days

Ricotta from Whole Milk

1. Use whole milk .. The fresher the better
2. Add 2 tsp of citric acid per gallon of liquid (dissolved in 1 cup cool water). Add 1/2 of this Citric Acid solution to the milk (save the rest of the citric acid). Stir briskly for 5-10 seconds.
3. Add 1 tsp salt
4. Heat the milk slowly on low to med stirring well to prevent scorching
5. At 165-170F watch for small flakes forming in the milk and the separation of small curds.
   If after a few minutes you do not see the flakes forming, add more of the Citric acid until they form (do this in small 1 Tbsp increments to avoid over acid milk).
6. Continue heating to 190-195F then turn the heat off. The thermal mass of the whey will hold at this temp for quite some time. The higher temp is used here because of the additional proteins found in whole milk vs whey.
7. As the curds rise, use a perforated ladle to gently move them from the sides to the center of the pot. These clumps of curd will begin to consolidate floating on top of the liquid.
   Let the curds rest for 10-15 min.
   *** This is very important because this is the point where the final Ricotta quality is assured
8. Ladle the curds gently into draining forms (No cheese cloth should be needed if you were patient in the previous step). Let the curds drain for 15 min up to several hours.
   For a fresh light ricotta, drain it for a short while (until the free whey drainage slows) and chill to below 50F. For a rich, dense and buttery texture allow it to drain for an extended period of time (several hours). before chilling overnight
   Move to a refrigerator or cold room. Consume within 10 days

Here is a fun link on making Whole milk Ricotta

Ricotta Salata ... a high salted dry form of Ricotta that can be aged
Following the gathering step in either of the above recipes:

The final result may be anywhere from a firm table cheese at 4-6 weeks or a very dry grating cheese at several months

Another link on making Ricotta Salata

1. Let drain for an extended period of 24-36 hours
2. After the first 6-8 hours place a weight on top of the cheese .. 2-4 lbs would be about right
3. At the end of draining demold Ricotta onto a plate or bowl that will catch the extra whey. Every day for at least the first week sprinkle about 1 tsp. of salt over the outside of the cheese and wrap with plastic returning it to the refrigerator.
   Please pour off the whey that will begin to weep out of the salted cheese
   As the cheese starts to firm up and lose less whey you can salt less often until it is pretty firm (at least a week and a half if not two or three). Keep the mold under control by wiping with a light brine as it appears