[Sca-cooks] Ricotta non mascarpone

[Dragon]

smcclune at earthlink.net wrote:
>-----Original Message-----
> >From: Dragon <dragon at crimson-dragon.com>
> >
> >Because the recipe given is done at a high temperature and an acid is
> >used, all of the butter fat and usable protein is extracted from the
> >whey and what is left is primarily mineral content.
><<<
>
>Really?  A couple of people have mentioned the fact that 
>acid-coagulated cheese is heated to a higher temperature, but when I 
>make it, I only bring the milk up to 105F, and it still seems to 
>work just fine.

I've never seen a cheese recipe that uses such a low temperature that 
does not also use a live culture and/or rennet as the coagulant.

Doesn't mean they don't exist, only that I have never seen one.

I'd also be inclined to believe that it will take a lot more acid and 
a lot more time to set at that temperature.

>I admit, I've never tried to make ricotta from the whey, but then, 
>it always looks to me as though it wouldn't do much.  It usually 
>ends up being yellowish in color and semi-transparent, so maybe 
>that's a sign that all of the butter fat and usable protein have 
>been extracted, even though I don't use high heat.  If that's the 
>case, then I'd say that the acid is more of a factor than the heat.

As far as I know, the higher heat makes the acid more effective. 
Rennet also won't work at those higher temperatures because it is an 
enzyme (a protein) and will be denatured at the higher heat level.

>Perhaps it's time to experiment with some cheese ... especially 
>since my Beloved Husband got me one of those nifty infrared 
>thermometers like the one Alton Brown is always using, and it would 
>sure be handy for measuring the temperature of the milk!

Don't count on it being any better or more accurate. In fact, it may 
be wildly inaccurate for several reasons. I'd test it against a 
trusted "instant read" electronic type before trusting the infrared 
thermometer to give you an accurate reading. This is because of 
differences in the way different materials emit infrared radiation 
(called the emittance or emissivity factor). Better models of these 
devices have a setting on them to compensate for varying emittance 
but you will have to determine which setting (if any) works for 
checking the temperature of the milk. Another factor at work here is 
that a layer of water vapor at the air/liquid interface can result in 
a lower temperature reading.

Dragon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Venimus, Saltavimus, Bibimus (et naribus canium capti sumus)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~