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Homemade Queso Fresco

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5 from 1 review

A mild fresh and delicious young cheese.

  • Total Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes
  • Yield: 8" cheese

Ingredients

Units
  • 1 gallon of 2 % milk, not ultra-pasteurized
  • 1 tablespoon of salt
  • 1 tablet of Junket Rennet (affiliate link)

It is essential to sterilize all instruments and the cloth first: boil everything for 10 minutes in the same pot used later to make the cheese. Do not forget:

  • Pot
  • Strainer
  • Soup spoon
  • Table knife
  • Cheesecloth (affiliate link)
  • Thermometer
  • Whisk or fork
  • Cheese Mold (affiliate link)
  • Tongs

Instructions

  1. Warm the milk in a large pot over medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of 31-34 degrees C (91F). It is essential to have a thermometer to control the temperature of the process. It took 7 minutes in my kitchen, but it will depend on the flame and the pot you use. Turn off the heat.
    ingredients for Homemade Chilean Queso Fresco
  2. Dissolve a tablet of rennet in 1 tablespoon of water. Add the rennet to the warm milk, and stir for 3 minutes. Let stand without stirring for 1 hour and a half until you can cleanly remove a piece of the surface with a knife and it is set. The time varies depending on the kitchen’s temperature; it can take up to 2 hours and something in winter.
    Junket dissolving Cutting a piece of cheese
  3. Cut with a table knife from the top to the bottom of the pot in 2 x 2 cm. Let stand 15 minutes more in the pot, shaking gently every couple of minutes to “release” the serum.
    Cutting the cheese on squares moving the cheeseAfter waiting for the separation
  4. Cover the colander with the cheesecloth. Strain the curd and let drain without stirring for 5 min, then lift with the cloth forming a ball to drain more liquid. Add the salt and stir gently.
    Separating the cheese Salt added
  5. Again make a ball with the cloth and squeeze gently. Notice that the cheese has already decreased a lot in volume. The process started with 3.8 Lt of milk, and I collected more than 2.5 Lt. of serum.
    ball of curdled milk milk serum
  6. Put the curdled milk in the plastic mold with holes that allow drainage, giving it a proper shape. Put some weight (can be a pair of cans). Let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
    Curdled milk on the mold making the cheese Draining
  7. The next day, remove from the mold and cut.
    Ready cheese
  8. Keep refrigerated. It is usual for the fresh cheese to release more serum. Keep draining it. It lasts only 4-6 days.
    Homemade Chilean Queso Fresco
  • Author: Pilar Hernandez
  • Prep Time: 2 hours
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Cuisine: Chilean

Find it online: https://www.chileanfoodandgarden.com/chilean-fresh-cheese/