Anonymous Modernist 755

Thanks. That kind of critical information probably should be in the book.

I can again confirm that putting the ricotta in the fridge, to cure uncovered, yields a disgusting cracked yellow block of leathery cheese with a moist interior. Is the cheese supposed to be covered during the aging to stop the evaporation? If so, how does it dry out?

Thanks. Good timing. I just made the ricotta yesterday, it is currently in the fridge wrapped in cheesecloth in a ricotta basket with about a 1 lb weight on it. Are you sure the refrigerator is not too dry? I've tried this once before and the ricotta "case hardened" like a salame would b/c the environment was too dry. It then cracked and was rather wet in the center. A failure in other words. thanks

On the gels chapter there is a brief discussion on ricotta, and in the parametric table for cheeses it says that if you want to make dry ricotta you can add 0.7% salt, press it for 2-3 days in fridge, then hang for 2-3 weeks. 0.7% of what weight? The milk? or the ricotta you get? Is it added to the milk? I assume you press it in a cheese basket, with only a little weight? What are the environmental conditions supposed to be during the hanging?