| Fresh Cheese Made Safely
by: Washington State University
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
-Ryan Bell -Val Hillers
-Lloyd Luedecke -Mike Costello
-Mike Schmitt
Yakima County Cooperative Extension
-Theo Thomas -Anna Zaragoza
-Frances Herrera
* Special thanks to Julia Herrera for allowing the use and modification of her queso fresco recipe.
9/13/2001
Queso fresco has been made for generations. Traditionally, queso fresco is made using fresh dairy milk that has not been heat-treated or pasteurized. Using unpasteurized milk to make queso fresco can lead to serious illness.
Topics of this flyer include:
- Heat treatment of fresh, unpasteurized dairy milk.
- Sanitation of cheese making equipment.
- Hands-on preparation of queso fresco from a recipe using heat-treated or pasteurized milk
Remember, even the freshest milk from the cleanest dairy may contain harmful bacteria if it is not pasteurized or heat-treated. To protect others and ourselves from harmful bacteria, we must use pasteurized milk or milk we heat-treat ourselves.
HEAT TREATMENT OF FRESH UNPASTEURIZED MILK
To kill bacteria in milk . . .
Heat milk to 145°F for 30 minutes - Place a cooking thermometer into the milk to measure its temperature.
- Do not heat milk over 145°F. It may change the texture and flavor of the cheese. Under 145°F will not kill all harmful bacteria.
SANITATION
To help prevent infection . . .- Boil all cheese making equipment between uses.
or
Soak all cheese making equipment in a bleach-water solution.
- For best quality cheese, use new cheesecloth each time you make cheese. (Reuse cheesecloth only if it has been washed, then boiled or soaked 2 minutes in bleach-water.)
Bleach-water - Make a bleach-water solution by adding one tablespoon of bleach to one gallon of water.
- Make a new bleach water solution each time you make cheese.
- This recipe for bleach water can be doubled if necessary.
SAFE QUESO FRESCO RECIPE
- Place one tablet Junket Rennett into one-half cup cold tap water until dissolved.
- Mix one quart cultured buttermilk with two quarts heat-treated or pasteurized milk.
- Add 7 teaspoons white vinegar to the milk mixture.
- Mix well.
- Heat milk to 90° F. Remove pan from the heat.
- Add dissolved rennet and mix for about 2 minutes.
- Let stand for 30-40 minutes until curd is firm.
- Cut curd into 1-inch cubes and let stand for about 5 minutes.
- Heat curds and whey to 115° F (without stirring), remove pan from the heat, then let stand for 5 minutes.
- Pour mix through a colander lined with cheesecloth and allow to drain for 5 minutes.
- Form curd into a ball and twist the cheesecloth gently to squeeze out the whey.
- Break up curds into a bowl and add l and 3/4 teaspoons of salt.
- Mix in salt and let stand for 5 minutes, then squeeze again as before.
- Form the cheese. Remove from form. Refrigerate. **
* This recipe can be doubled or tripled to make more cheese.
** Cheese made from this recipe can be safely stored in a refrigerator for no more than 1 week.
SALE OF QUESO FRESCO
If you are interested in becoming licensed to sell queso fresco, please contact your local health department or state department of agriculture.
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