Homemade: Queso Fresco

As I was gathering ingredients at the grocery store for our weekly burrito night, I was struck by the cost of a (rather small) block of queso fresco.  My immediate reaction was to screw the system and make my own cheese.  I’m sure glad I did.

Queso fresco is seriously simple to make.  And, of course, dee-licious.

(1)  Put 1 gallon of milk in a pot,

(2)  Keep heat on until the milk is about to boil,

(3)  Mix in 1/4 cup white vinegar,

(4)  Stir until curds form,

(5)  Pour into a cheese-cloth covered colander, and

(6)  Let the cheese drain for 2 hours.

I don’t like getting duped by anyone, cheese companies included.  These cheese guys were trying to get 6 bucks out of me for a measly 4 ounces of queso fresco.  With the average price of a gallon of milk costing about $3.50, you not only can make 4 times the amount of queso fresco, but also, if you save the whey, you can use it to create some tasty ricotta.  Now that’s some bang for your buck.