# Lemon juice vs vinegar to curdle the milk



## allenwrench

Some simple cheese recipes use lemon juice or vinegar to curdle the milk. Are they pretty interchangeable?


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## linn

For just making sour milk for cooking yes. 
*Here is a recipe for cottage cheese using white vinegar:*

N G R E D I E N T S
1/2 gallon whole milk
1/4 cup white vinegar

I N S T R U C T I O N S 
Heat milk to 180 degrees(F) - to the point that it almost, but not quite, comes to a boil. Pour in the vinegar and stir - It will become curds & whey within seconds. Turn off the heat!

Pour into a muslin lined colander and let drain until firm and solid. It will keep from 7 to 10 days depending on how well you store it in the refrigerator.

*Here is a recipe for Paneer (Cottage Cheese) with lemon juice or citric acid:*

Ingredients:
&#8226;1 litre full-cream milk (use lean milk for a low-fat version)
&#8226;Â½ tsp citric acid/lemon juice
&#8226;Â½ cup warm water
Preparation:
&#8226;Set the milk up to boil. 
&#8226;As the milk is readied, dissolve the citric acid/lemon juice in half a cup of warm water. 
&#8226;When the milk comes to a boil, pour the acid-water/lemon juice-water mix into it. 
&#8226;Reduce the heat and stir continuously until the milk is completely curdled. 
&#8226;Remove from the heat when the separation of the curds and yellowish whey is complete. 
&#8226;Strain the mixture through a clean muslin cloth. 
&#8226;Hold it under running water for a minute and then press out the excess water. 
&#8226;Hang the muslin for 15-20 minutes so that all the whey is drained out. 
&#8226;To make the paneer into a block tie the muslin and place it under something heavy. 
&#8226;The paneer can now be cut into chunks and used as required.


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## Mrs. Homesteader

I make cheese like this all the time with excess milk so it won't go to waste. I did a blog post about how I make it and all the different uses for that cheese. It is here.... Homemade Cheese Spread

They are interchangeable. The key is to use as little as possible, to not have a strong flavor of either one in the curdled milk or the cheese.


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