Cottage cheese is an example of separated curds and whey.
Little Miss Muffet ate curds and whey, but few people know what those are. Curds are the solid parts of milk containing the fat and some protein, and the whey is the carbohydrate- and protein-filled liquid of the milk. Separating the curds from the whey is a required step in cheese making, which uses the curds for many varieties of cheese. An enzyme called rennet is needed to break the whey away from the curds in the milk. Rennet is available on the Internet and through cheese making supply stores or grocery stores.
Instructions
1. Pour the milk into the saucepan and heat over low heat.
2. Crush the rennet tablet in the water and stir it. Add this combination to the heating milk.
3. Stir the milk as it heats and the solids coagulate into curds. You can also pour 1/2 cup of vinegar into the milk mixture to speed the creation of curds and whey, if desired.
4. Remove the milk from the heat once you see solid curds floating on top of the milk.
5. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl.
6. Strain the whey from the curds by pouring the milk mixture through the cheesecloth-lined colander. The curds will remain in the colander and the whey will filter through into the bowl on the bottom.
Tags: curds whey, cheese making, from curds, milk mixture
