Well, we did it. We made cheese. We are cheese-makers.
Step 1: Let (raw) milk sit out 1-4 days until it begins to separate into curds (the casein solids/semi-solids) and whey (the watery liquid)
Cream on top:
Step 2a: let the whey slowly drip through cloth, leaving behind the curds
Step 2b: continue to let the whey drip through till it drips no more
Step 3: unveil
Step 4: marvel at your industriousness
Step 5: Eat — it’s a very soft, spreadable cream/curd cheese with a mild, buttermilky flavor
Lovely! But … no boiling involved? That doesn’t worry you?
I make cheese a similar way, but I turn it into yogurt first, then drain the liquid out. It’s delicious with a drizzle of olive oil, some chopped herbs, and a bit of garlic all mixed in.
In Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Kingsolver talks about making her own mozzarella from a kit. I keep wanting to go to that web site and ordering some to give it a shot.
“But … no boiling involved? That doesn’t worry you?” Not really. It’s possible — though highly unlikely — that raw cheese (or raw vegetables for that matter) could be contaminated, but I don’t boil my vegetables, so why boil the cheese?
But it does sound fun to try to make a different variety of cheese.
But you wash the vegetables (like lettuce or tomato, which can be carriers of e.coli) or scrub/peel them (like carrots). Also, I’m not sure a raw carrot is as welcoming an environment for the growth of unwelcome bacteria as is milk.