How to make cottage cheese for a child from milk and kefir?

The baby is growing, and, in addition to mother's milk and formula, he needs more and more new foods in the diet for full development. So, one of the important first products for a child up to a year old is cottage cheese. You can buy it at any baby food store, or you can make it yourself at home.

Of course, buying cottage cheese is faster, however, in the case of home cooking, you will definitely be sure of its naturalness and the absence of various flavoring and other additives in it, which the child’s body does not need at all.

You can prepare children's cottage cheese from kefir or milk - these products are easy to buy and they are inexpensive.

What are the benefits of cottage cheese for children?

Cottage cheese is just a storehouse of useful elements that are so necessary for a growing body.

• protein and amino acids that stimulate the growth of the body;
• magnesium and calcium, iron and phosphorus, which serve as a source for the formation of a complete skeletal system;
• methionine, which normalizes carbon metabolism;
• vitamins B12 and B6, which help mental development and strengthen the immune system;
• vitamin PP, which forms hemoglobin and red blood cells.

The use of cottage cheese is very important for the formation of strong bones, teeth, hair and nails. It is especially important in the diet of sick and weak children. It is terrible to imagine what can happen to a child's body with a lack of all these substances, or at least one.

However, despite the fact that the benefits of cottage cheese for a child's body are invaluable, they should not be abused. An excess of substances is no less dangerous for the body than a deficiency. Everything should be in moderation.

At what age can it be introduced into the diet of a child?

Cottage cheese is introduced into the diet for children after 7 months. It is from this age that the body is ready to receive a new product. You need to start with half a teaspoon, doubling the dose every day. Thus, you will gradually reach a portion of 50 grams (approximately by the age of 1 year).

At the same time, remember that fatty cottage cheese is contraindicated for babies. The fat content of baby cottage cheese should not exceed 15%.

Homemade cottage cheese for children from milk in a water bath

This recipe for making cottage cheese in a water bath for children requires very little time and a minimum of effort.

It would be great if you had a jar of fresh natural village cow's milk in your refrigerator. If there is no opportunity to purchase it, do not be discouraged. Go to the store and buy milk with a short shelf life (no more than 7 days) and no impurities.

Cooking instructions

1. Pour the milk into a 0.5 liter jar (you will end up with about 150 g of cottage cheese) and put it overnight in a dark and warm place. It should sour.
2. In the morning, pour the milk into a saucepan and place in a water bath. You need to keep it until all the milk is completely curdled.
3. Then drain the whey through a strainer or gauze, but not completely, otherwise the cottage cheese will be very dry and the baby is unlikely to want to eat it.
4. Curd is ready to use!

If it is too thick for the child, then you can dilute it with warm milk. If desired, fruits or berries can be added to the resulting curd, if the crumbs are not allergic to them.

The finished product must be eaten on the first day. Therefore, calculate portions in advance so as not to transfer products in vain. And by the way, such cottage cheese will also be very useful for a nursing mother.

How to cook children's cottage cheese from milk and kefir?

We offer another recipe for making homemade cottage cheese for children. This time from milk and kefir. Approximate proportions: for 1 liter of milk you need 1 liter of kefir.

1. We put the milk on the stove and wait for it to boil.
2. While boiling, pour in kefir, put on the smallest fire and wait for about 10-15 minutes. This time will be enough for curd lumps to form from kefir and milk.
3. The resulting mass is cooled for about half an hour.
4. Then we filter through a sieve or cheesecloth.
5. Add fruits or berries to the curd and treat the baby.

By the way, from such cottage cheese you can also make glazed cheese for an older child.

Calcined cottage cheese at home

Calcined cottage cheese is enriched with calcium, which is necessary for a growing child's body. It is recommended to eat it for both weakened and often ill babies, and quite healthy kids.

Most often, pediatricians prescribe such cottage cheese to children suffering from a lack of calcium. And since it is rather difficult to find calcined children's cottage cheese on sale, parents usually make a choice in favor of making it with their own hands.

Recipe

To make cottage cheese for a child according to this recipe, you must buy a 10% solution of calcium chloride in advance at any pharmacy.

Calcined cottage cheese for baby food is easy to prepare:

1. We take 300 ml of milk. For the first time, this is enough.
2. Milk is boiled and cooled in advance.
3. Then add 1 tablespoon of calcium solution to the already cooled milk and keep it in a water bath for half an hour.
4. We drain the whey, but not completely.
5. Pass through a sieve and chill.
6. After cooling, the curd is ready for use.

In order for it to be better absorbed, the child needs to be given vitamin D, which is sold in a pharmacy in the form of drops. Your pediatrician will tell you about this at the appointment.

Cottage cheese for children from goat milk

Quite often, children under one year old are allergic to cow's milk. The way out for parents is goat's milk, which is not inferior to cow's milk in terms of vitamin composition, and even, on the contrary, is considered more useful.

It is best if you find a supplier of fresh homemade goat milk. Private traders usually sell it on the market. If this is not possible, then goat's milk can be found on store shelves.

Since the curd will be intended for the baby, it is better to take a small percentage of fat for its preparation.

Recipe

To obtain 100 g of cottage cheese, 500-800 ml of goat's milk is needed. The higher the percentage of fat content, the more the final product will turn out. Also, for the preparation of goat cottage cheese, you will need a solution of calcium chloride.

1. Pour milk into a clean saucepan, put on fire and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes.
2. Then turn off and let cool for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes have passed, put the milk back on the fire.
4. Without bringing to a boil, add half an ampoule of calcium chloride to it. The cottage cheese will begin to curdle almost immediately, the main thing is not to let the milk boil.
5. Once the milk has completely curdled, strain it, leaving a little whey in the curd for softness.
6. After cooling, the curd is ready for use.

A similar recipe for making goat's milk cottage cheese is presented in the following video. The only difference from the previous recipe: instead of calcium chloride, it uses sourdough - whey from the previous preparation of goat's cottage cheese.

Please note that if you want to prepare cottage cheese for a child prone to allergies according to this recipe, from a mixture of milk with kefir or yogurt, then they must also be made from goat's milk. Otherwise, there is a risk that the baby will begin an allergic reaction.

How to make cottage cheese from kefir in the freezer?

Another very interesting, economical, and at the same time simple and even “lazy” curd recipe, which does not need a stove to cook.

One package of kefir 200, 500 or 1000 ml is enough (depending on how much of the final product you want to get).

Cooking instructions

How to make the most delicate creamy cottage cheese from frozen kefir?

1. We take a package of kefir and put it in the freezer. (If you bought kefir in a bottle, then it is highly advisable to pour it into a clean plastic bag or plastic container).
2. We wait until it completely freezes (it is most convenient to leave it overnight).
3. We take out the frozen kefir, take it out of the bag and put it on a fine sieve (if the holes are large, it is better to cover the sieve with gauze), under which you need to put a deep plate, bowl or pan. Leave in the kitchen at room temperature.
4. We wait until the frozen mass thaws, and all the whey drains into the substituted container. This may take from 6 hours to a day, depending on the room temperature.
5. Curd is ready to use! You can treat the baby and other family members!

Kefir cottage cheese recipe in a slow cooker

To cook cottage cheese in a slow cooker, you will need kefir and sourdough (a few tablespoons of yogurt, kefir, sour cream or yogurt). Approximately 5 tablespoons of sourdough per 1.8 liters of kefir.

1. Pour kefir into the multicooker bowl.
2. Add the sourdough to it and mix the resulting mass thoroughly.
3. We put the bowl in the slow cooker, close the lid and set the “Yogurt” mode.
4. After 4 hours, we check that yogurt should turn out from kefir.
5. Carefully separate the yogurt from the walls with a spatula.
6. Close the lid again and turn on the “Multi-Cook” mode and set the temperature to 80 ° C for 1 hour (if your multi-cooker does not have such a mode, you can set the “Heating” for 1.2-1.5 hours).
7. We take out the cottage cheese from the bowl of the multicooker and transfer it to a sieve lined with gauze.
8. We wait about 1 hour until the serum drains.
9. We cool the cottage cheese and serve it to the table.