Soft cheeses, such as cottage cheese, can be easily made at home with vegetable rennet.
Rennet is a substance used to coagulate milk. Traditional rennet is animal-based, and made from rennin contained in the lining of a calf's stomach. Vegetable rennet is made from a plant-based substance that operates in a similar manner to rennin. Vegetable rennet is available in both liquid and tablet forms.
Cheese
Rennet breaks down the casein in milk, causing the milk to separate into curds and whey. The curds are then turned into cheese. The exact process and ingredients will vary depending on the type of cheese you are making. Vegetable rennet can be used as a substitute for animal rennet in most cases, producing both hard and soft cheeses. One situation where vegetable rennet should not be used is in making hard cheeses which require aging, as products made with vegetable rennet can develop a bitter taste after being aged for six months.
Ice Cream
Because vegetable rennet causes milk to coagulate, it can also be used to thicken milk being used for ice cream. Ice cream is usually made from cream or milk that is thickened with egg yolks to make a custard. Using rennet enables you to eliminate the eggs and use milk with a lower fat content, and still create a smooth and creamy frozen dessert.
Pudding
While traditional puddings require stirring an egg and milk base over low heat until thick, vegetable rennet-based puddings only need to be warmed briefly. They will thicken on their own while they sit. Combine one rennet tablet with 3 tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 cups of milk and heat the mixture until it's lukewarm. Be careful not to overheat the mixture, as high temperatures can deactivate the rennet. After the mix has been warmed, divide it into serving bowls and allow to sit for 10 minutes. The pudding can also be refrigerated and served later, if you prefer a chilled pudding.
Feeding Rennet to Calves
Although traditional rennet is derived from calf's stomachs, it is a standard procedure in raising cattle to supplement the diet of young calves with rennet. This additional rennet helps them to better digest their food. Because of concerns of spreading diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy, some countries have prohibited feeding animal rennet to calves. Vegetable rennet does not have the potential to spread diseases, so is a good substitute for animal rennet in these cases.
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