How to Make the Easiest Sous Vide Cheese
Fresh cheese isn’t that hard to make – and people are always impressed when you make it – but it does take a little observation, stirring, and supervising. You can make all kinds of cheeses by simply heating the dairy, adding a little acid to form curd, and then straining the whey (hey?), But people can be a little shy about heating (and possibly burning) dairy. Making sous vide eliminates these problems, making it a virtually stress-free activity.
Sous vide cheese has three benefits:
- You have precise temperature control so your dairy will never reach potentially dangerous temperatures.
- The milk never comes into contact with the hot pan, so it doesn’t need to be stirred , which means you can do something else .
- Instead of thoroughly heating dairy products to the exact temperature and then adding acid, you can simply toss everything at once in the sauvid bag. (I used to assume it was a two-step process, even with sous-vide, until I saw this smart man demonstrate the throw-and-go technique at a conference I attended.)
The procedure changes a little with every cheese you make – mostly in terms of cooking time – but basically it’s like this:
- Heat a bucket of water to the target temperature indicated in your cheese recipe.
- Add dairy and acid to the sous vide bag and dip the bag into the water. You can vacuum it up or just clip it on the side.
- Leave everything on for a while to form a curd. Since you probably started with chilled dairy products, this should take at least 45 minutes, but for most cheeses, an hour is best.
- Strain the curd through a colander lined with cheesecloth. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Once I decided to make sous vide cheese, the only problem was choosing which cheese to use. Ricotta seemed like an obvious starting point, but I really wanted a chevure and I had a couple of peaches that were just asking for mascarpone. It so happened that on Wednesday night I sat up quite late and cooked all three cheeses. This, in turn, led me to eat nothing on Thursday other than cheese and cheese delivery systems, not that I’m complaining.
Each cheese has a different ingredient (obviously) and cooking temperature, so let’s give each one the attention it deserves and take a look at it in turn. Let’s start with the goat.
Pie and creamy goat cheese (adapted from spruce )
To get this herbaceous, tart number, you need the following:
- 1 liter full fat goat milk (all I could find was UHT and it worked in the end).
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, pulp, and strained seeds
- Salt to taste
Pour milk and lemon juice into a sous-vide bag, shake the bag slightly and place the bag in a 180-degree water bath. Let it simmer for an hour until you see a tiny curd formed. Remove the bag from the tub and let it cool until you can handle it.
Carefully pour the yogurt into a colander lined with a couple of layers of cheesecloth, let it drain for an hour and a half, then transfer it to an airtight container. Add a pinch of salt and any condiments you desire, such as garlic, lemon zest, black pepper, or any other condiment. Leave it on overnight for better aroma development.
Richest Ricotta (Based on Epicurious and Vacmaster )
To make fresh creamy ricotta you will need:
- 2 liters whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, pulp, and strained seeds
Pour dairy products, lemon juice and salt into the sous-vide bag, shake the bag slightly, and place the bag in a 195-degree water bath. Let it simmer for an hour until you see curd forming. Remove the bag from the tub and let it cool until you can handle it.
Gently pour the curdled milk into a colander lined with a couple of layers of cheesecloth and drain for an hour or more, depending on how dry you like the ricotta. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Thick and decadent mascarpone (adapted from Food52 )
To make a truly stunning mascarpone, you will need:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, pulp, and strained seeds
Pour cream and lemon juice into the sous-vide bag, shake the bag slightly and place the bag in a 180-degree water bath. Let it cook for about 45 minutes. Remove the bag from the tub and let it cool until you can handle it.
Pour the curdled milk carefully into a colander lined with a couple of layers of cheesecloth over a bowl and refrigerate overnight. Transfer it to a container and enjoy.