# Is there any use for the whey left over from making paneer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371 "2008-10-10T20:20:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371/1 "2008-10-10T20:20:30Z")
I made paneer with a gallon of milk today, and now I have over a half gallon of lemony whey as a byproduct. Can I make anything else with it, or do I just toss it? For the moment, I’ve found one use for it: It’s in a big bowl weighting down the top of the paneer in the cheesecloth, to help drain it. Edit: Maybe use it as stock for avgolemono soup? ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371/2 "2008-10-10T20:24:42Z")
You can let it ripen into yummy yummy buttermilk, then make ranch dressing, or pancakes. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371/3 "2008-10-10T20:32:06Z")
We have friends who are professional cheesemakers and they sometimes use some of their whey to make ricotta. Here’s a link that tells how: [Fias Co Farm: Cheesemaking- Ricotta Cheese Recipe](http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/ricotta.html) ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371/4 "2008-10-10T20:42:11Z")
The recipe I usually use for mattar paneer calls for whey as part of the sauce. I believe some of the other dishes in our Indian cookbook call for it as well. You might do a search for it on an Indian recipe site or try experimenting with it in other sauces. Mmmmm. Homemade paneer. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371/5 "2008-10-10T20:48:05Z")
Good, mattar paneer is the recipe I’m going to make. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371/6 "2008-10-10T21:05:11Z")
Can you post your paneer recipe? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2008, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-use-for-the-whey-left-over-from-making-paneer/467371/7 "2008-10-10T21:30:29Z")
I started with a gallon of whole milk. I actually had more like 7/8 gallon, because some had already been poured out for other purposes by the time I started to make the paneer. I squeezed the juice out of three lemons and strained out the pulp. Actually, I used a little less than that much. I brought the milk to a foaming boil over high heat, stirring it constantly to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan and scorching. When it foamed up, I reduced the heat to low-- actually I have an electric range, so I simply shut it off and it was still hot-- and stirred the milk slowly and gently in a single direction while I drizzled in the lemon juice. I left it cooking slowly as I stirred it for about 15 seconds, then removed it from the heat. I got large soft clumps of curds to form. (The cookbook said if the curds don’t form to add more lemon juice and return it to the heat.) Then I arranged 3 layers of cheesecloth in a large oblong colander with cloth hanging over the sides. I spooned out the big clumps of curds into the cheesecloth, then poured the whey with the remaining little bits of curds through a strainer, and added the remaining curds to the cheesecloth. I twisted up the edges of the cheesecloth above the mass of paneer and rinsed it in lukewarm water to remove the traces of lemon juice. Then I left it in the colander to drain, with a weight on top of it. I’m leaving it like that for at least 3 or 4 hours, so that it should be firm enough to slice when I unwrap it. I followed the instructions in _Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking_ by Yamuna Devi, p. 313-315. She writes a whole essay on the many subtleties of the art of paneer making, but I’ve written the gist of what worked for me.