Uses for whey after cheesemaking?

[TheBanditQueen]

I tried out making a batch of simple lemon cheese (http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/49-Lemon-Cheese.html) from my goat milk. Different amounts than the link since I had less milk. Scalded it, added lemon juice, let it separate, and drained off the whey. It turned out AWESOME! I have a quart jar 2/3 full of leftover whey. Anybody have ideas for how to use it?

Does anybody bake with it? I heard that it can be substituted for milk or water in some recipes. But I kept seeing stuff about acid whey versus sweet whey. I am assuming I have acid whey because of the lemon juice? Will that change what I can do with it?

I also heard that some people dilute and pour it on blueberries and plants that need acid soil. Anybody do that?

Any tips would be much appreciated.

 

[Animallovers1]

I hav used in pancakes and bread before you can also drink it I have small added it to water you can also make ricotta chese with it

 

[animalmom]

We feed the whey to our dogs. We put it on their kibble when they are fed in the morning. The dogs love it.

I've heard you can make ricotta from the whey left after making the cheese you described. The only warnings I've seen is not to use the whey from cheeses that require rennet to set, not to use whey that has had salt already added to it, and the whey you use needs to be fresh.

I've not made ricotta, but here are the directions for a couple versions of ricotta:

Old Fashioned Ricotta
1 gallon fresh whey
1 and 1/2 quarts whole goat milk

In a large kettle, wheat whey to 195 degrees. When the whey has reached that temperature, slowly stir in the whole goat milk. Bring the mixture back to 195 degrees, stirring often to keep from scorching. (gee, couldn't you just use a double boiler?)

The ricotta is ready to drain when you sell little white flecks forming in the pot. These flecks are finely grained. LIne a colender with cheesecloth and pour the curds into the cloth. Hang to drain for 1 hour.

When drained, remove the cheese from the cloth and add salt to taste; about 1/2 teaspoon for every 2 cups of cheese. For a creamier texture, add whole milk or heavy cream. Refrigerate. Fresh ricotta will keep about 1 week.

Lemon Juice Ricotta
1 gallon fresh whey
1 quart fresh whole goat milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon non-iodized canning or kosher salt, to taste

Put the whey and whole milk into a large stainless or enamel pot. Heat to 195 degrees, remove from heat and add the juice of one lemon, approximately 1/4 cup.

Stir the mixture several minutes, watching as the juice produces tiny curds in the liquid. Pour the hot whey and curds in to the cheesecloth lined colander. Allow curds to cool and drain for 25 minutes.

Remove curd from the cloth and break into tiny pieces in a bowl. Add salt to taste. If you prefer a creamier ricotta add a little heavy cream or milk back to the cheese. Again, fresh ricotta will keep for about 1 week in the fridge.

Me, I'm lazy and the dogs get the whey.

Good luck with your whey. Let us know what you ended up doing with it.

Oh, as a p.s. you know the reason the directions say non-iodized or kosher salt? Iodine in the salt tints your cheese a light brown... just like iodine in the bottle. Kosher salt is non-iodized, as is canning salt. Piece of trivia for you!

 

[sawfish99]

We use it to make rice. It adds great flavor.