Anyone want some homemade Cheese?

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WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
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I had relatives like that- they refuse to throw anything away and would end up reusing leftover meats in casseroles. In the end they would be eating a roast that was a week and a half old surrounded by fresh ingredients. Not good.

I just made chicken soup from the left over chicken carcass, its great. Why would I throw that away?
And I always use the end of the roast to make curry!
Week and a half is pushing it though, especially for chicken. If there's not enough bits of roast left I chuck them in the freezer until the next one and get to make a curry of nonspecific origin!
 

pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
15,142
10,041
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Other foods' expiration dates are fungible but one thing I do not mess around with when it comes to expiration dates is dairy.

Maybe I should be more cautious, but I definitely push my luck when it comes to milk to put in coffee. And yoghurt, I am determined to believe, is immortal. I might draw the line if there's visible mould growing on it. But, then again, maybe I'll discover a new antibiotic?

Chicken, rather than dairy, is where I would be cautious. And eggs.
 
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Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
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I just made chicken soup from the left over chicken carcass, its great. Why would I throw that away?
And I always use the end of the roast to make curry!
Week and a half is pushing it though, especially for chicken. If there's not enough bits of roast left I chuck them in the freezer until the next one and get to make a curry of nonspecific origin!
That's all fine. Adding unfrozen leftovers from one dish to another over 9-14 days is not. I remember eating beef and noodles over there and the beef having a tinny taste. Yuck.

We used to have 20-30 chicken carcases left over from large events. I would put them on a sheet pan, roast them on 400 for 30-45 minutes, then add them to a pot of salted water with unpeeled carrots, unpeeled onion, celery (leaves on), a bouquet of parsley, and simmer them off for 4-6 hours. Made gallons of the most amazing gravy base, and the onion skin would turn the broth a deep gold color.
 
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MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
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Maybe I should be more cautious, but I definitely push my luck when it comes to milk to put in coffee. And yoghurt, I am determined to believe, is immortal. I might draw the line if there's visible mould growing on it. But, then again, maybe I'll discover a new antibiotic?

Chicken, rather than dairy, is where I would be cautious. And eggs.

You can test eggs by putting them in a bowl of water. If it sinks, it's good, if it floats, it's no good, if it's somewhere in the middle, it's still got a little bit of time left. Learned that last year.

The Greeks make a soured milk or yogurt dish called Trachana. It's phenomenal.
 
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zinfamous

No Lifer
Jul 12, 2006
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I mean, this is the easiest way to make farmer's cheese.

Buy gallon of milk, empty into large pot, leave out in kitchen for a couple of days. maybe add a little buttermilk to introduce some culture.

The mistake in the OP was probably to let the anaerobes begin the process with a closed container. That generally isn't great, because while not all are bad for you, your dangerous bacteria are going to be anaerobic. Hence, the sourness; but again--this is necessary for some cheeses and some yogurts, I think.

Anyway, after about 4 days sitting out, you can strain your milk farmers cheese through cheesecloth and now you have perfectly great farmer's cheese. Mild, not at all sour.
 

HomerJS

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
39,547
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Food poisoning is serious business and kills way too many people. Your house, your rules!

While the American food supply is among the safest in the world, the Federal government estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness annually—the equivalent of sickening 1 in 6 Americans each year. And each year these illnesses result in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths

Interesting conservatives bitching today about cancel culture tried to cancel 2 Live Crew back in the 90s
 
Dec 10, 2005
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That was before pasteurization though, unpasteurized milk has good bacteria in it that protects it somewhat from other bacteria and probably aids in making cheese naturally.
Unpasteurized milk can also have listeria bacteria in it that can make you incredibly sick, and make for some extremely toxic soft cheeses.
 

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
12,078
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I'll always have respect for those who are willing to stretch and milk every inch of the resources they obtain.