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Homemade Cheese Whiz

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 gallon skim milk I am often asked if it is ok to use whole milk. Yes it is but I use skim because I skim the cream off of the milk and use the cream to make the butter for this recipe.
  • 2 tsp citric acid If you don't have citric acid or would rather not use it, you can substitute with 2 tbsp of white vinegar.
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese You can also opt to use other types of cheese. We like everything from Swissto cheddar, to gouda as a replacement.
  • 1/4 to 1 cup milk reserved

Instructions
 

  • Heat 1 gallon skim milk to 140F
  • Dissolve citric acid in 1/4 cup Luke warm water. Add into milk, and stir well. The cheese will begin to separate. Let it sit for a few minutes. The majority of the separated cheese will rise to the top of the pot. At this point you should clearly see the separation of yellow whey and white cheese. If you do not see this separation, mix 1 tsp of citric acid in 1/4 cup Luke warm water and slowly add into your pot. Add only as much as you need to, to see the separation of whey from curds.
  • Once you have a clear separation. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cheese into a fine mesh strainer. If there is any extra cheese left in the bottom of your pot, or you feel that there is a lot of waste in the whey, strain the whey through a cloth lined colander to remove all of the cheese. (Just an FYI though, it takes FOREVER, to strain the whey through a cloth lined colander, so try to scoop the majority of it).
  • Discard the whey ( you can reserve it in the fridge for other uses like my caramel whey recipe).
  • Add your strained cheese back the pot.
  • Combine salt, butter and cheese into the pot. Over medium heat, melt and stir your cheese mixture until it becomes smooth (takes about 5 min). If you feel that your cheese whiz mixture is too thick, add some of the reserved milk. I often find that the consistency is adequate without it and I don't need to add any.
  • Pour the mixture into a container and refrigerate. It will be liquid when it is warm, but will harden into a soft spreadable cheese as it cools.
  • We like to serve it warm for dipping and as a cheese spread when it is cold.