To make the larger curd cottage cheese you will need to use rennet, an ingredient that helps the milk to curdle. The milk needs to raise temperature slowly, so the more you make, the slower it will raise. Make sure that you have your food thermometer ready and read the instructions below.
Instructions
1. Get a double boiler. In the top pan, heat either 2 gallons of dry milk that you reconstituted, which is the more economical choice, or skim milk.
2. Heat the milk until it reaches a temperature of 90 degrees. Add 1/2 cup of buttermilk when the milk is warm enough.
3. Crush a 1/4 tablet of rennet and mix it with 1/4 cup cool water. Stir to dissolve the rennet.
4. Stir the rennet mixture into the milk and buttermilk. Maintain the mixture at 90 degrees for the next 5 hours. Don't allow the temperature to exceed 90 degrees.
5. Watch for the milk to coagulate. It may do this before 5 hours is up. It's ready if you stick a spoon in the mixture and can see clean breaks in the surface.
6. Cut the curds up into 1/2 inch cubes. You will have both curds and whey. Heat this extremely slowly at 110 degrees all the way up to 115 but for the next half hour.
7. Press a curd between your thumb and finger. If it holds together, it's ready. Drain the curds in a cheesecloth until all the whey has dripped out. Rinse the curds by immersing the cheesecloth-wrapped curds in cold water. Stir it gently to make certain the center gets rinsed. Drain and add 5 to 6 tbsp of salt.
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