Curds and way too much whey
January 8, 2006 4:52 PM Subscribe
Made some yummy paneer tonight to go with dinner. What do I do with the leftover whey? (Storage tips, please, also!)
Best answer: use it in soup. about 1/2 water half whey and vegetables and yum!
posted by 31d1 at 8:07 PM on January 8, 2006
posted by 31d1 at 8:07 PM on January 8, 2006
Response by poster: I always was told that you can't make ricotta from fresh cheese made with a lemon juice or vinegar curdling agent, just from cheese made with rennet. Anyone have more experience than I on the difference?
nimsey lou, it couldn't be easier. Pour milk into large heavy-bottom pot. Bring to boil. Turn off heat. Add about 2 tsp. lemon juice or about 1 tsp white vinegar per 1/2 gallon of milk and stir. Watch curds form. Remaining whey should be clear and greenish -- if it's milky, add add a little more acid. Line colander with cheesecloth over large bowl. Pour whole pot in. Gather up cheesecloth and squeeze. Press into dish. Put something heavy on top. Chill for a couple of hours. Voila. Alternately, add spices (cumin seed, a bit of salt) before pressing.
posted by desuetude at 8:07 PM on January 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
nimsey lou, it couldn't be easier. Pour milk into large heavy-bottom pot. Bring to boil. Turn off heat. Add about 2 tsp. lemon juice or about 1 tsp white vinegar per 1/2 gallon of milk and stir. Watch curds form. Remaining whey should be clear and greenish -- if it's milky, add add a little more acid. Line colander with cheesecloth over large bowl. Pour whole pot in. Gather up cheesecloth and squeeze. Press into dish. Put something heavy on top. Chill for a couple of hours. Voila. Alternately, add spices (cumin seed, a bit of salt) before pressing.
posted by desuetude at 8:07 PM on January 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: 31d1, how long will the whey keep in the fridge?
posted by desuetude at 8:08 PM on January 8, 2006
posted by desuetude at 8:08 PM on January 8, 2006
Best answer: I used to make a sort of "orange squash" out of it by mixing whey and orange juice (about 50:50) and adding sugar to taste.
posted by Quietgal at 8:26 PM on January 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
posted by Quietgal at 8:26 PM on January 8, 2006 [1 favorite]
Add the whey to curry, very yummy.
posted by yodelingisfun at 12:26 AM on January 9, 2006
posted by yodelingisfun at 12:26 AM on January 9, 2006
Second on the Ricotta. You can also use it in place of water when making your favorite bread recipe, making it tons yummier.
posted by Framer at 3:59 AM on January 9, 2006
posted by Framer at 3:59 AM on January 9, 2006
Awesome... I now have a recipe for Paneer and what know what to do with the leftover whey. This should be a yummy side to the chicken masala!
posted by nimsey lou at 5:02 AM on January 9, 2006
posted by nimsey lou at 5:02 AM on January 9, 2006
Response by poster: Derailing my own post:
Note to nimsey lou: It takes a little practice to figure out how wet you want to keep it before pressing. I tend to squeeze out too much liquid and wind up with very crumbly cheese. (Like I did last night. Also, I vote yes to including cumin seeds, by the way.) If you get it nice and firm, fry cubes gently in butter. Ten times the deliciousness.
posted by desuetude at 6:05 AM on January 9, 2006
Note to nimsey lou: It takes a little practice to figure out how wet you want to keep it before pressing. I tend to squeeze out too much liquid and wind up with very crumbly cheese. (Like I did last night. Also, I vote yes to including cumin seeds, by the way.) If you get it nice and firm, fry cubes gently in butter. Ten times the deliciousness.
posted by desuetude at 6:05 AM on January 9, 2006
I'm not sure how long it keeps, I imagine around the same as milk. If you get scared I'd just toss it - I can't claim to know how to tell when wheys gone bad, it's already a bit of a freaky substance :)
posted by 31d1 at 8:59 AM on January 9, 2006
posted by 31d1 at 8:59 AM on January 9, 2006
Best answer: OK I just talked to my Mom, who is much more of an expert than I, and here's the poop:
Whey is definitely good in soup, but be careful if you use any sort of beans! Whey will stop the beans from cooking fully, so don't add the whey until the beans are basically cooked. I've also had this problem with too much tomato too early.
Also consider soaking the paneer in whey before use. Press the panner and fry it up with spices, then put it back in the whey for a while, for a moister tastier curd. This is also a good way to store paneer for later use. Mom says many people don't know to do this, and wonder why their paneer is so dry and not-as-good.
One of her favorite ways to have the curds is just fried up and put back in some whey and reheated and done!
Surprising to me (i've never tried it) she says many people LOVE lemonade made with whey instead of water.
And in other dishes, anywhere you need to add a little liquid, consider using some whey if you have it around for added flavor.
She confirms to treat whey as if it were milk as far as storage. It's not like ghee, which can keep indefinitely.
Finally, we both agreed that we are now hungry, so theres prolly gonna be some curds 'n whey making going on in at least two households very soon! Thanks.
posted by 31d1 at 9:26 AM on January 9, 2006 [2 favorites]
Whey is definitely good in soup, but be careful if you use any sort of beans! Whey will stop the beans from cooking fully, so don't add the whey until the beans are basically cooked. I've also had this problem with too much tomato too early.
Also consider soaking the paneer in whey before use. Press the panner and fry it up with spices, then put it back in the whey for a while, for a moister tastier curd. This is also a good way to store paneer for later use. Mom says many people don't know to do this, and wonder why their paneer is so dry and not-as-good.
One of her favorite ways to have the curds is just fried up and put back in some whey and reheated and done!
Surprising to me (i've never tried it) she says many people LOVE lemonade made with whey instead of water.
And in other dishes, anywhere you need to add a little liquid, consider using some whey if you have it around for added flavor.
She confirms to treat whey as if it were milk as far as storage. It's not like ghee, which can keep indefinitely.
Finally, we both agreed that we are now hungry, so theres prolly gonna be some curds 'n whey making going on in at least two households very soon! Thanks.
posted by 31d1 at 9:26 AM on January 9, 2006 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: From the slowish start, I was afraid I wasn't going to get much feedback, but you all came through. I'm totally inspired.
I did know to use it to keep the curds from drying out. I had heard the lemonade thing, but Quietgal's "orange squash" sounds even better. (Unfortunately, I don't make bread due to an overabundance of fresh bread in my neighborhood.)
31d1, you totally rock. You get best-best-best answer.
I'm so hungry.
posted by desuetude at 11:06 AM on January 9, 2006
I did know to use it to keep the curds from drying out. I had heard the lemonade thing, but Quietgal's "orange squash" sounds even better. (Unfortunately, I don't make bread due to an overabundance of fresh bread in my neighborhood.)
31d1, you totally rock. You get best-best-best answer.
I'm so hungry.
posted by desuetude at 11:06 AM on January 9, 2006
Response by poster: Oh, and thank your mom for me.
posted by desuetude at 11:07 AM on January 9, 2006
posted by desuetude at 11:07 AM on January 9, 2006
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nimsey lou at 6:50 PM on January 8, 2006