Fresh Cheese Board
After making cheese at home, you realize that you have a lot (a lot!) of whey left over... and you don't like wasting things. That's why Kits U MAIN suggests 10 uses for whey.
Whey
If you’ve never made cheese before, keep reading—you’ll learn a lot too!
First of all, what is whey?
When you add rennet, bacterial cultures, or an acidifying agent to milk, a separation occurs between the curds and the whey. Whey, or lactoserum, is the residual liquid part of milk coagulation during cheese making. It is a yellowish-green liquid composed of about 94% water, sugar (lactose), proteins, and very little fat.
Whey should be stored in the refrigerator. You can keep it for about 5 days.
Here are 10 uses for whey :
1. Substitute the water (or even milk) in any brioche or fresh bread recipe with whey!
For our magical whey bread recipe, click here.
For the French baguette recipe with whey, click here.
2. Substitute water (or milk), either partially or entirely, in your pancake, waffle, or biscuit recipes.
For our beetroot pink pancake recipe, click here.
3. Use whey to soak seeds and legumes.
Depending on your recipe, add several tablespoons of whey to seeds and legumes while soaking to make them more digestible (e.g., chickpeas) and refrigerate during the soaking time.
4. Make a whey marinade.
Add your favorite spices and seasonings (garlic, salt, pepper, a bit of rosemary... yum!) to the whey to create a marinade for steaks, chicken, fish, or even pork chops. The enzymes in the whey help tenderize the meat and add flavor. Marinate in the refrigerator.
5. Use whey to cook pasta and potatoes.
It will add a slightly cheesy and delicious flavor to your food!
6. Use whey when cooking soups and stews.
It can replace part (or all) of the broth in your recipes. For example, use whey in butternut squash and coriander soup, broccoli and potato stew, or carrot soup. A real treat.
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For a recipe for carrot cream with whey, click here.
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For a recipe for broccoli cream with whey, click here.
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For a recipe for leek and whey cream, click here.
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For a recipe for butternut squash and whey cream, click here.
7. Use whey in your smoothies.
Boil your whey at the end of cheese making, skim it, and let it cool before adding it to your fresh fruit smoothies or homemade milkshakes. There are no limits to the flavors you can create! For a recipe for a delicious smoothie using whey, click here.
8. Make ricotta.
If your whey comes from making mozzarella, you only need to add a bit of citric acid mix and water, then heat your whey to 85-95ºC (185-203ºF). However, it will take a lot of whey to obtain a small amount of ricotta. We recommend this technique only if you have approximately 10 liters of whey.
9. Cook your rice or risotto with whey.
Use the whey for cooking your rice or risotto. The result is exquisite and you will use a large amount of whey. For a risotto recipe, click here .
10. Freeze the whey for later.
Put it in an ice cube mold or in containers to make appropriate portions for your recipes. Once frozen, place the ice cubes in a zip-lock bag in the freezer.
Now you’re probably eager to have plenty of whey on hand to incorporate into your recipes, right?
Making your own cheese also allows you to innovate with new recipes and helps reduce food waste!
