Ricotta cheese is one of the easier cheeses to make from scratch. All it requires are 2 ingredients and a little patience.
1/2 gallon skim milk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Place the milk in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring it just to below boiling (180 degrees F) and then remove the pan from the heat.
Stir in the lemon juice and let the mixture stand, uncovered and without stirring, for 15 minutes.
After the mixture has sat undisturbed for 15 minutes, pour it into a cheesecloth lined sieve and strain off the liquid. Press down on the curds to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
Place the curds in an airtight container and chill well before using.
Add salt, to taste, if desired.
When it comes out rubbery it's usually one of two things - either the pH isn't where it needs to be (the lemon juice) or it didn't sit long enough before straining off the liquid (or a combination of the two factors). The hot milk needs to sit with the acid (lemon juice) undisturbed to form the curds. Stirring it during this process or not letting it sit long enough can disrupt the chemical reaction taking place. Also, if the lemon juice isn't the right pH level (it can happen, not usually though) or if it's not measured properly, it too can affect the outcome. Lastly, make sure you have a properly calibrated thermometer to test the temperature of the milk. Too hot or too cool can also affect the outcome.
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