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Homemade ricotta smells bad after refrigerating overnight

Last night, I made homemade ricotta for a dinner party tonight using organic milk (exp 3-18) and cream (exp 3-11) I bought the same day at Whole Foods, with lemon juice and salt. It turned out great - after draining it, it smelled and tasted wonderful. I put it in a clean plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and put it in the refrigerator overnight. I opened the container this morning and it released a strong off-putting smell - gasy and sort of sulphuric. I won't be serving it. Has this ever happened to anyone else? The milk and cream still smell fine in their containers. The only thing I can think is that the cream is a type I've never used before - grass-fed, unhomogenized. I'm going to replace the dairy and make a new batch today.

  • Posted by: WW
  • March 3, 2016
  • 1154 views
  • 2 Comments

2 Comments

cookbookchick March 3, 2016
Were either the milk or cream unpasteurized?
 
alana_chernila March 3, 2016
Hi WW! So yes, homemade ricotta can go downhill rather quickly. I often try to make it the same day I serve it. I've never had it go from great to inedible in a single day, but I have once or twice experienced a slight odor on day 2, and my sense is that you're right--the unhomogenized cream might be the culprit. Does it smell rancid? Or just slightly sulfuric? If it's the latter, I'd taste it before you chuck it, You might not want to serve it to guests, but it might be savable with a splash of added cream and a bit of lemon. And in the future I'd try to make it just before serving. It's really at its best before it's refrigerated at all.
 
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