Fresh Ricotta and Paneer in an Instant Pot
A method to make the process simpler
Equipment
- Electric Pressure Cooker - I use Instant Pot 6 Qt
Ingredients
- 2 lts organic unhomogenised whole milk - or 8 1/2 cups
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp lime or lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar
- a splash of water
Instructions
- Add a splash of water to the inner pot of your Instant Pot (just enough to cover the base). This will prevent the milk from scorching.
- Press "Sauté" button and make sure it is set to low for gentle heat.
- Make sure the timer is set to 30 minutes (mine is automatically that).
- Add the milk and let it slowly heat in the Instant Pot for 30 minutes. (Please, do not walk away from it if it is your first time. However, now I do not watch it anymore. I return when my pressure cooker beeps after 30 minutes and so far I have not had the milk overboil.)
- After the 30 minutes add the salt and the acid and give the mixture a gentle stir.You will see the milk separate into curds (will become cheese) and yellowish whey (we will strain).Leave it to stand for ten minutes.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, drain the whey. Let the curds sit over the strainer for about ten minutes.A lot of people use a cheesecloth but I did not find it necessary with a fine mesh strainer.
- Your Ricotta cheese is now ready. Alternatively, if you want firmer texture (Paneer cheese), leave it to strain for longer, or, using a cheesecloth, wrap the curds and leave them under a heavy weight (like a cast iron pan) on a cutting board in the sink for an hour.