I sometimes have the tendency to either 1) buy too much milk or 2) not use up what I have purchased before the expiration date. I really hate to throw things out like that, so I did some investigating as to what you could do with expired milk and came up with … make cottage cheese! Now let me clarify by saying that I am not talking about milk that has been sitting in the fridge for a month past its expiration date, that would be unsafe and gross! I am referring to the milk that no one wants to drink or use the day it expires or within a few days of the expiration date. I searched the “net” high and low and the following is one I adapted to fit my needs, as I don’t normally have a full gallon of milk left over. (Note: I will give the original recipe which is from Alton Brown and then in parenthesis I will show you how I adapted it for myself.) This will be a step by step with pictures so you have an idea as to how it should look during each phase.
Let me share the recipe first:
Quick Cottage Cheese Original recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2007
Ingredients
- 1 gallon pasteurized skim milk (or however many cups you have, there are 16 cups to a gallon, note: I usually use 2% milk)
- 3/4 cup white vinegar (for every cup of milk you need 2.25 teaspoons)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste if you only end up with 2 cups of milk obviously you would only use a dash of salt)
- 1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy cream (2 tsp for every cup of milk, I use half-and-half; gotta make up for the extra fat from the 2% … lol)
Directions: Pour the milk into a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat to
120 degrees F. 
Remove from heat and measure out your vinegar according to how many cups of milk you started with. 
Pour this gently into your heated milk and stir gently for 1 to 2 minutes. The curd will separate from the whey.
Gently pour in the vinegar to the heated milk
Gently stir for 1 to 2 minutes
Notice how the curds and whey are separated? But we are not done yet!
Now we need to cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature…. this gives the curds time to “join up” with the other curds floating around! 🙂
Cover and let rest for 30 minutes... hey take a break!
Pour the mixture into a colander lined with a tea towel and allow to sit and drain for 5 minutes.
Ready to strain the curds from the whey!
Gently pour the curds and whey into a cloth-lined colander.
Gather up the edges of the cloth and rinse under cold water for 3 to 5 minutes or until the curd is completely cooled, squeezing and moving the mixture the whole time. Once cooled, squeeze as dry as possible and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the salt and stir to combine, breaking up the curd into bite-size pieces as you go. At this point you are ready to add the half-and-half or heavy cream or you may opt to just store it in the fridge for a day or two.
Cottage cheese prior to adding the half-and-half or cream.
If ready to serve immediately, stir in the half-and-half or heavy cream. *If not, transfer to a sealable container and place in the refrigerator. Add the half-and-half or heavy cream just prior to serving.
(* Personal note: I have found that it is really best to go ahead and add the half-and-half before storing as it seems to solidify otherwise.)
I hope you enjoy it… and it sure beats throwing the milk out and I usually only have a hankering for cottage cheese occasionally, so this works perfect for one or two servings at a time!
What are your thoughts?
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