No hydrogenated oils or preservatives. 5 ways to prepare cheese at home

Cheese of all kinds is included in many main dishes or appetizers prepared by housewives, especially in the blessed month of Ramadan, due to its nutritional value, as it is rich in calcium and vitamins, in addition to the taste and innovation it adds to traditional recipes.

With the rise in the prices of consumer goods, including cheese, here are 5 healthy ways to make cheese at home without hydrogenated oils (vegetable oils to which hydrogen atoms are added to turn them into a solid state) or preservatives.

Mascarpone

Mascarpone is one of the types of fresh Italian cheese, and is used in the preparation of multiple types of desserts such as "cheesecake" and "tiramisu", and some prefer it in pasta dishes and "lasagna" and is also used in the preparation of soup and increase its density, and can be spread on toast.

ingredients

• Two cups of cream
• A tablespoon of lemon juice.

Directions

• Put the cream in a pot over medium heat until boiling.
• Add lemon juice and continue stirring for 5 minutes.
• Remove mixture from heat until it cools and thickens.
• Place a piece of gauze (cheesecloth) on top of a colander, strain the mixture and leave it overnight in the refrigerator.
• This is how we get mascarpone cheese, but you have to put it in an airtight container, and it can be kept in the refrigerator for a week.

Indian Paneer

Paneer cheese serves a separate snack or diced and added to salad dishes, and some prefer it fried, adding a rich flavor to Indian desserts.

ingredients

• liter of fresh milk.
• a teaspoon of citric acid (can be replaced with two tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar).
• Table salt to taste (iodine-free).

Directions

• Place the milk in a wide saucepan over medium heat until close to boiling.
• Add salt and citric acid (or lemon juice) with constant stirring, and when the milk begins to coagulate (the milk is choppy), remove from heat immediately.
• Drain the milk using cheesecloth, then gather the edges and squeeze them well to get rid of the whey.
• Apply a heavy weight over the cloth (e.g. a jar full of water) for at least an hour to ensure a firm cheese.
• Cut the cheese into cubes for use or store in a light brine in the refrigerator, to be used within two or three days.

Paneer cheese forms a separate snack or cut into cubes added to salad dishes and is preferred by some fried (Pixaby)

Labneh in an easy way

Labneh is one of the well-known foods in Arab and foreign countries, including Levantine, Turkish and Greek labneh, each of which has its own taste, which may be in the form of balls or a soft and soft mixture, and can be served in the Ramadan suhoor meal with Syrian or toasted bread or brown bread.

According to the Farm to Fork website, you can prepare it in an easy and simple way from the following materials:

• A kilogram of Greek or natural yogurt.
• A teaspoon of table salt.
• A teaspoon of olive oil.
• A glass of mint leaves.
• A tablespoon of dried chili flakes.
• Two tablespoons of fine pistachios.

Directions

• Place a piece of clean cloth over a deep vase.
• Pour the yogurt over the cloth until the liquids are separated from the knit pieces of yogurt.
• Add salt.
• Tie the cloth from the ends and leave it in the refrigerator overnight, the longer the labneh will hold together.
• Remove the labneh from the refrigerator, then cut it into balls.
• Chop mint leaves with chili, pistachios and salt to taste.
• Put the labneh balls in the mixture so that all sides are coated.
• Refrigerate in an airtight container, cover their surface with a layer of olive oil, and they will remain fresh for more than a week.

Cooked cheddar cheese (nacho sauce)

Cooked cheddar cheese is included in many recipes such as pizza, pancakes, burgers, cannelloni, pasta dishes, served with broccoli, cauliflower and potato sticks, and culinary expert Beth Moncel offers an easy and quick recipe for cooked cheddar cheese.

ingredients

• Two tablespoons of butter.
• Two tablespoons of flour.
• A glass of whole milk.
• Half a cup of grated cheddar.
• A quarter teaspoon of table salt.
• A quarter spoonful of chili powder.

Directions

• Put the butter in a pot on the fire
• Add flour, stirring constantly with a hand beater for a minute.
• Pour in the milk and continue whisking, and once a homogeneous consistency is obtained, remove the pot from the heat.
• Add the gradually grated cheddar cheese until it dissolves in the mixture and is completely combined.
• Put salt and pepper powder to taste (watch the consistency of the mixture if it is thick you can add some milk, stirring).

Mozzarella

Mozzarella is an essential ingredient in delicious Ramadan dishes due to its distinctive chewy texture, and housewives prefer it to make pasta with bechamel, spicy glash, sambousek and cannelloni and placed on pizza.

With their high prices and difficulty in dispensing with them, many cooking pages on social media offer an easy and simple way to make mozzarella at home in one step.

ingredients

• 3 pieces of cottage peasant cheese, cohesive.
• Half a teaspoon of salt.
• A quarter teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).

Directions

• Place the cottage cheese in a non-stick pot over medium heat, and continue to press and stir until smooth.
• Add half a teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate.
• Keep stirring until you get the desired elastic texture.
• Remove from heat, discard the cheese juicer from the cooking process, and let it cool.
• Form the cheese in a round or cylindrical shape, and place it in the freezer for at least an hour.
• You can sprinkle or slice them to use when needed.

To ensure high-quality mozzarella, you can rely on the method of Ricky Carroll, author of Making Cheese at Home, according to the New England cheese making website.

ingredients

• Two liters of fresh whole milk (unpasteurized).
• 3 quarters of a teaspoon of citric acid.
• A quarter teaspoon of rennet.
• A teaspoon of table salt.
• A glass of filtered water.

Directions

• Mix rennet in a quarter cup of filtered water and set aside.
• Put the milk in a bowl, and add citric acid dissolved in a quarter cup of filtered water until well combined.
• Put the milk on the fire until it reaches 32°C, stirring constantly, until it starts to coagulate (you may need to increase the heat to 37°C).
• Remove the mixture from the heat and add the rennet solution, and continue to stir the mixture gently for 30 seconds until the rennet is distributed, then cover the pot and leave it for 10-20 minutes to coagulate.
• Check the milk by running a clean knife in it, making sure it is curdled and separated from the whey (if the separator is not clear, re-cover the container and set aside for 10 minutes).
• Cut the curdled milk with a knife transversely and longitudinally into cubes.
• Raise the pot over medium heat to 35-39°C, then remove from heat while continuing to stir gently for 5 minutes to become firmer.
• Strain the mixture well and separate the curdled milk from the whey.
• Form the cheese into a ball and squeeze it with your hand (you can wear rubber gloves to protect your hand from the heat) and then place the cheese ball in a bowl with the addition of table salt.
• Put the cheese in the microwave for a minute, then remove and knead well, spreading it and pressing it to get rid of the remaining whey.
• Microwave it for another minute, and continue repeating this step several times until the cheese ball is rubbery, soft and free of any excess water.
• Place the cheese ball in ice water until it sets and cools completely, then dry and store in the whey in the refrigerator for a week or freeze to use when needed.