Friday, September 21, 2012

Homemade Velveeta Cheese

I was looking on the internet for more cheese recipes when I stumbled across this recipe for Homemade Velveeta.  I followed her recipe exactly for the first batch and found it way too salty. I now use only one teaspoon of salt and it is just right.

It only takes a few minutes to make the finished product.  The longest times is letting your milk ripen and then letting it drain which is a total of 24 hours but you are not doing anything during this time.  I have not tried this with raw milk.  I pasteurize my goat milk to have a longer shelf life so this is what I use.  A gallon of milk from the grocery store will work fine if you don't have fresh milk from the farm.

Begin by making a batch of Lactic Cheese.


Heat one gallon of milk to 86 degrees.  I use a big pot with water and canning rings in the bottom to hold another pot my milk goes into.




Remove from heat and add 1 packet of  mesophilic starter.
I am out of this so I use 1/2 cup of buttermilk.  It works exactly the same.  Stir the starter or buttermilk in good and then add 1 teaspoon of diluted rennet which is 3 drops of rennet diluted in 1/3 cup of cool water.  Stir this in with an up and down motion for one minute.  Place lid on pot and let it sit undisturbed for 12 hours.


After 12 hours you will have a pot of one solid curd that looks like thick yogurt





In the sink, pour or ladle your curd into a colander lined with butter muslin or an old clean pillowcase will work.  I use the flour sack towels cut in half that I get from Sam's Club.  Don't use regular cheesecloth or you will pour your curds down the drain!




Tie the ends together and hang it to drain the whey for 12 hours.  Put something under your bag to catch the whey.






After 12 hours, take down your bag of drained curds and put them in a bowl.  Add 3 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Mix with an electric mixer for 2 or 3 minutes until it is fluffy looking.  Let this set for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet.






Add your fluffy curds and stir until melted.







You can add 12 or so drops of cheese coloring if you like.  I happen to have some but it is not necessary.  If you don't add the coloring your cheese will be white instead of orange and there's nothing wrong with that.


It looks like this when it is all melted and the dye worked in.  This takes about 3 or 4 minutes tops.





Pour it into your mold or molds that you will be using.  Any type of plastic container works fine.  Have them ready before you start melting the curds.  This recipe makes about 2 pounds of homemade Velveeta.  Place Velveeta in the refrigerator.  It will not take long to set up to start using in your recipes.I let mine cool off in the refrigerator before i put a lid on it to avoid condensation. 


You can run a case knife around the edge of the mold and remove the cheese for slicing.
Makes a great grilled cheese








and Nacho's!








I've also made homemade mac & cheese with it.  It is great.  You'll never buy the boxed stuff again!

Enjoy!


 




38 comments:

  1. THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER!!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome!..Let me know if you make it and what you think about it. We love it!

      Delete
  2. I do love getting this recipe. Can it be stored outside the refrigerator like store-bought Velveeta? How long can it be store in the cabinet if it can be? How long does it last in the refrigerator? Was this information in the original information?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I seriously doubt it is shelf stable like the Kraft Velveeta. There is no preservatives in this homemade stuff. I know most of the fresh cheese recipes says they will last about 2 weeks in the refrigerator but I don't know about this one. It hasn't hung around long enough to find out! I am going to freeze one of the containers to see how it does being frozen and then use it. It is working great in my recipes and makes a great cheese sauce for broccoli and excellent in an omelet. You will find you use up a 2 lb block pretty quick if you make a lot of home cooked meals..

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. Thank you MMP....I have told you before how much I have admired your cheese making skills. Let me know if you try this shamefully easy one.

      Delete
  4. And where are the antenna/martian costume pics to go with the recipe?

    Hmmmmmm?



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your guess is as good as mine. But that costume was 30 pounds and 30 years ago...lol Papa Bear never throws anything away. It is probably moth eaten in a barn somewhere. I don't even know if we have pictures. I know I had to go to work green for two days!

      Delete
  5. Oh crap. I got thisfar, then read your recipe with added squinting and I read RENNIN.

    I used buttermilk, but I think it would work better with whole buttermilk...but now I've got a hunka mess and no rennin.

    THEN after reading that rennin is a product produced in a baby's stomach???? I can see me walking into Publix with that request. Where do I get it?

    ReplyDelete
  6. LY...it is rennet and it is made from veal or if you prefer they make a vegetable rennet.. I seriously doubt you can find it at a grocery store. I order a lot of my supplies from http://www.cheesemaking.com/cheeserennets.html. They are pretty quick to ship.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great. Just great. My eyes, due to diabetes, make me miss letters. So I was looking up rennIN and it's rennET. I should not be allowed access to recipes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thar is why I use large print for my blog! Order you some rennet and make you some cheese, You will be glad you did.

      Delete
    2. You might find rennet in a natural or health food store. Ours carries yogurt starter, I know for sure, so...

      Delete
  8. Very, VERY glad to know that the reduction of salt had no impact on the recipe. Yeah, Suzanne uses way more salt than we like at our house, but I was afraid to try this with less salt, and frankly, just afraid to try it with all the salt as well!

    Question: Can the dried buttermilk be used? We always keep it around instead of actual b'milk. Maybe just add a couple of TBS (it's 4 TSP for 1 cup) to the milk?

    Thanks! And thank you for taking care of your Marine. We appreciate you and him.

    Pete

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pete...you could probably use even less than a teaspoon of salt. Since this is not aged cheese the salt content does not matter. It is only a matter of taste.

      I honestly don't know if the powdered buttermilk will work. If it has live culture it may work. If you have excess milk, give it a try and let us know if it did work.

      Thanks for coming by and commenting!

      Delete
    2. PS...Forgot to say thanks for the kind words for The Marine. He grins from ear to ear when I read the blog to him and he is mentioned.

      Delete
    3. Looking at the saco can right now and it says that it is "cultured buttermilk blend." And lactic acid is listed as an ingredient, so am guessing that it should work.

      Except that I just noticed that the canister of it is supposed to be refrigerated after opening. Oops - so this particular can of it may or may not work.

      Happy to stop by - am planning to try several of your recipes and ideas. And certainly will share how it works out using the "cultured buttermilk blend." (Teehee. That just sounds so funny!)

      P.

      Delete
  9. THANK YOU so much for all of your pictures!!! I've seen this recipe around, but no one has documented it like you have. Quick question: could I substitute olive oil for the butter? I have a little guy who is very allergic to dairy products (thus my need for this recipe in the first place.) Or do you have a substitution you can recommend? Thanks for your time!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just stumbled across this tonight and am so excited. Due to dairy issues we no longer buy Velveeta and now it looks like we will finally be able to enjoy it again. The children are going to be so excited. I'm ordering the cultures now and will pick up some goat milk soon (or goats aren't giving milk yet) and will give it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I used the powdered buttermilk without a problem. I just finished molding this today. Tasted great. I make lots of cheese and never made Velveeta before. Thanks for the recipe. We have friends who give us their extra cows milk from "Lucy".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is great to know that powdered buttermilk worked! Thanks so much for letting us know!

      Delete
  12. I have a question for ANYbody. I tried making this twice and the flavor is good, but it doesn't harden after I melt it down in the skillet. It comes out of hanging for 12 hours thick, but once I beat it and melt it in the skillet, it does not harden back up. Any suggestions, please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. William...I am so very sorry for not seeing your question. I have not been blogging for awhile and I stopped checking this email. Are you using buttermilk or the culture? I had problems a couple of times with the buttermilk. If it is not the freshest date possible this may be the reason it is not setting up. I have not made any in a while but when I do I will make two batches. One with buttermilk and one with the culture.

      Delete
  13. I couldn't possibly thank you enough for this recipe. I was so disappointed with the last recipe for Velveeta cause I would have had to buy real cheddar cheese to make it with....... it just seemed to defeat the purpose of any money savings. This recipe of yours seems to fit my needs perfectly. I'll be making it soon and if it turns out ok.... be sharing it with my daughter to make (she just can't afford the expensive of the real thing anymore)
    Note: I also love that there are no preservatives in it

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. mamalv...I apologize for not replying to you. I have not checked this email in awhile as I forgot my comments went to it. I hope the cheese worked out for you and your daughter. I am allergic to a lot of foods and the doctor suspects it is some preservative but we can't pinpoint it. I try to make as many natural things as possible.

      Delete
  14. I emailed you a while back and asked a question. Now that I know you aren't blogging a lot, I'll ask the question here...is there any way to prepare this recipe for long term storage. I know many cheeses can be waxed, but I'm not sure about this? If not, is canning a possibility? Thanks for any response, I'm anxious to make this, but need to know whether to make extra for storage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I missed your email Starlett. I promise to be much better in the future if you hang around with us.

      I did not think of canning the homemade Velveeta so I went looking. Here is a page on canning cheese.
      http://www.oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog/?p=2887
      Velveeta is towards the end. I think I will try this myself with a small batch to begin with. It would sort of be like the cheese dips you buy in small jars in the chip sections at the grocery store.
      Thanks for not giving up on me!

      Delete
  15. Thanks for the reply Mamma Bear...no problem on the email! Oh I'll be hanging around now that I found you...you can't get rid of me easily! :) I have one other question. You say to use 3 drops of rennet in your recipe. I don't have drops.I have the "pills" from www.chessemaking.com. Do you know what the equivalent is? Off to search for an answer.... (PS) I will be canning a small batch to see what happens. I'll let you know. Someone did tell me I can wax it...so I'm gonna try it..again, I'll let you know.

    ReplyDelete
  16. My cheese book has 1/4 tablet will set 2 gal of milk but I have never used tablets. Not sure on the waxing as Velveeta is not an aged cheese and it is very soft. When you wax cheese it is set out to air dry for several days and then waxed and this process is done with hard cheeses. My thought is Velveeta is so soft I am afraid that dipping it in hot wax will only make a melted gooey mess.

    ReplyDelete
  17. My Velveeta is made and in the fridge. It tastes good, except the teaspoon of salt was too much for me as I don't eat salt, except that which comes in processed foods and a sparse amount on fresh vegetables. You said you got approx 2 pounds, I got 4 pint jars....which is about the same, I suppose, or close. I have a question though. I had more whey than cheese...is it always that way?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes...When I make any cheese there is always more whey than cheese. I mix some with a sugar free drink mix and have in the fridge for a high protein drink. All other left overs are fed back to the farm critters. I have two goats that love the stuff.

      Delete
  18. First off I want to say Thank you so much for this recipe!! I made this today! Texture turned out perfectly but it tastes so strong of baking soda I had to toss it, oh well the chickens will love it, and I weighed my finished cheese after the fact and saw that I only ended up w 1lb of curds so next time I will weigh my curds before I make it and try adjusting accordingly and see if that helps. Do you know why baking soda is used?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TS...I do not notice a baking soda taste when I make the cheese but I always get about 2 pounds of cheese when I make it. I also do not know why one uses the soda. It must cause some kind of reaction the cheese needs to form into what we want. Thanks for coming by and commenting.

      Delete
  19. I followed your recipe, but at the skillet stage my cheese did not melt, instead it started to separate and now looks like i am boiling cottage cheese. Any idea what might have gone wrong? Well, i guess the pig will get a cheesy treat today!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry Monica...Don't know what to tell you. I have had 1 or 2 bad batches and I did not know what caused it but it wasn't what you described.

      Delete
  20. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  21. My cheese doesn't have the texture of the velveeta cheese. Could it be that i need more rennet or use a pot to melt it. I had a lot of little bubbles in it.

    ReplyDelete