Everyone is different, especially in the things they like to eat and drink. This is true when you consider whether someone likes to eat things dry or whether he or she might like to eat things that are not so dry. This is the root of the question of how to make ricotta fluffy in lasagna. Most lasagna lovers that eat this type of cheese in their lasagna recipes want light and fluffy ricotta woven in with the patterned layers of lasagna.
Here are some cooking techniques you can use to make ricotta fluffy in lasagna. For instance, one of the first options you have is to drain the excess fluid out of the ricotta cheese. You can do this by using cheesecloth. Cheesecloth is fine enough to let the fluids out while holding the mass within. You can place the ricotta in the center of a large piece of cheesecloth and then squeeze and wring the fluid out.
Lining the inside of a strainer or colander with cheesecloth and then placing the ricotta cheese inside to sit and drain is another option you might consider while making various recipes. You might also press and squeeze the excess fluid out of the cheese in this manner.
Another option is too not drain the ricotta but to beat in an egg. After beating an egg into the cheese, you add it as a layer and the fluid cooks out better. This causes the ricotta to be fluffier inside lasagna. Now you know how to make ricotta fluffy in lasagna choose your recipe and eat in tonight with homemade.
A Closer Look at Ricotta
Ricotta can be made with milk from sheep, goats, buffalo, or cows. In the United States it is nearly always made with cow’s milk though. Ricotta is made with the whey which is leftover from cheese production.
Although ricotta is known as a cheese, technically it is not cheese because it is not made by casein coagulation. It is made by coagulating other milk proteins. People who avoid cheese because they are intolerant to casein might find they are fine with ricotta for this reason.
Ricotta is an Italian word meaning, “recooked” and the curds are creamy white with a slightly sweet flavor. American ricotta is saltier, less sweet, and blander than its Italian counterpart is. Ricotta curds contain about 13% fat and is not too different from cottage cheese.
Ricotta in its curd state is highly perishable, which is why it also comes in other forms. Ricotta can be smoked, salted or baked. The pressed, dried, and salted variety is known as ricotta salata, and this is firm and white, and can be shaved or grated. You can buy ricotta salata in wheels.
Popular Uses for Ricotta
Ricotta features in Italian desserts like cannoli and cheesecakes. Some cookies also feature it as an ingredient. Ricotta can be beaten smooth and then combined with cinnamon, chocolate shavings, orange flower water, or sugar, and served for dessert. This basic beaten ricotta mixture can also be used to fill cannoli tubes.
Mixed with cooked grains and eggs and then baked, ricotta is also featured in Easter pies in Naples. It can also be used in savory dishes like pizza, manicotti, pasta, calzone, ravioli, and ricotta lasagna recipes. You can substitute it for mayonnaise in tuna or egg salad, or use it as a sauce thickener.
