Epic cottage cheese/paneer fail! Where did I go wrong?

[Nomada]

I've never tried making cheeses before, lots of yogurt but no cheese. Anyway I tried making 'cottage cheese' (technically paneer I think) using the instructions here;

http://www.allotment.org.uk/allotment_f ... cheese.php

I followed the instructions closely and ended up with about two tablespoons of curds! Where have I gone wrong?! Was it crap milk? Was it me? Is it the instructions? I tried adding a little more lemon juice, no joy, reheated it gently, no joy. I guess I'll be using a lot of bread recipes with whey in em.

[Green Aura]

Dunno honey, but had one thought. Did you use any cloth or just a sieve. I always put it through cheesecloth, or a clean teatowel - the holes in the sieve are a bit big. Might be worth a try.

And in the meantime, bread made with whey is yummy!

[Nomada]

Okey doke, I will try cloth. Not too upset as I know blokey will make a lot of bread so it's not all wasted. At least I had one success today, I whizzed an over ripe melon in a blender with apple juice and ginger and froze it to make the nicest ice lollies. Mmmm.

[StripyPixieSocks]

If the whey as still milky in appearance you need more Lemon Juice as it's not an exact science. The whey should look almost clear and have a greenish tinge to it.

Also, don't be afraid to keep heating the milk while the lemon juice is in it, I never cool it first and always end up with excellent quality paneer (same recipe but pressed :) )

Yeah I use an old piece of well washed pillowcase to strain with but cheese muslin is better if you can get it.