Make Your Own Homemade Cream Cheese

It's becoming ever popular to return to the natural cooking that was necessary prior to the industrialization of the American food system. How in the world did people get cream cheese before Philadelphia cornered the market? Of course, they made their own. It is a simple, healthy option. It produces a natural cream cheese that is produced without heat, unlike the packaged variety found in the grocery stores.

Cream cheese is simply cultured milk that is strained of the whey. In simple terms, strained yogurt makes cream cheese. Other cultured milks can also be used to make cream cheese such as kefir and piima if these are available to you. Otherwise, purchase the best quality plain, whole fat yogurt that you can find. Stoneyfield Organic Plain Whole Yogurt or Brown Cow Plain Whole Yogurt (both made by the same company) are available nationwide, or look for a natural yogurt that is made at a dairy in your local area.

Most households have all the necessary equipment on hand for making cream cheese: a colander or strainer, cheesecloth or a clean dishtowel, a glass jar or bowl that the colander fits into without resting on the bottom, a plate or cover for the bowl.

Cream cheese takes several hours to strain, so choose a low-traffic location in your kitchen to construct the tower for straining. Place the bowl or jar in this secure location. Set the strainer in the bowl or atop the jar. Lay the cheesecloth or towel in the colander or strainer. Spoon the yogurt or other cultured milk product into the cheesecloth, and fold the cloth back over itself. The cloth will become saturated, so it is important that it is stacked back up on itself to keep from leaking all over the countertop. Place a plate or some sort of cover over the towel, even a piece of plastic wrap will work to keep bugs and such out. Do leave this out at room temperature.

Slowly, the whey will begin to drip through the cloth, into the jar or bowl. The remaining white paste is cream cheese. Allow it to drip for 3-5 hours, or more if it still seems too moist. Then remove the cheese to a glass container and refrigerate. The whey should be refrigerated too. Use the homemade cream cheese in any way that you normally would, to make a cheese spread or dip or a dessert. The whey is a nutritive addition for raw cooking. Check the expected expiration date on the purchased yogurt to determine the shelf life of the cream cheese and whey.