I’ve been curious about cheese making for a while, but many of them require special ingredients like rennet or are quite long to make. Paneer (or panir) on the other hand, is a soft, unripened cheese made from a few simple ingredients. I’ve first learned about how to make paneer in the book Home Cheese Making. It’s a good read if you want to learn how many popular cheeses are made :

 

I usually use it like tofu in a variety of dishes, since it’s a bit bland on its own. Paneer can also be found in some grocery stores if you’re lucky : I’ve bought some once and it was firmer and less creamy than the one I make with this recipe. With more weight, my homemade paneer would probably be as firm, but it hold together well enough for my needs.

Ingredients (Yield : about 140g)

1 liter (4 cups) of whole milk (I used milk with 3,25% fat)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Preparation

Warm the milk slowly over low/medium heat until it boils gently, stirring often so it won’t burn. Remove the pot from the fire as soon as the milk boils to prevent spills, especially if you have a small cooking pot.

Pour the lemon juice over the milk, stir slowly until large curds form and let them set for about 10 minutes.

Ladle the curds gently in a mold or a colander lined with cotton cloth or cheese cloth (I used my tofu mold). Hold the corners of the cloth together and rince the curds under a light stream of water to wash off the lemon juice.

Put the curds back in the mold, close the cloth over them and cover with a weight. Leave the cheese to press for about two hours. After this, the cheese can be used right away or stored in the refrigerator for two weeks at most.

• 

I’ve read The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman recently and I was impressed : even if it was written in the 80′s, the content is in no way obsolete.

The book discusses the challenges of designing easy-to-use objects : doors, light switches and phone systems are discussed among others. It is very interesting and enlightening look on the most commons design used and why some of them are flawed. Some of it is just common sense and you will wonder why you never thought about it.

The explanations are a bit long at times, but the anecdotes and stories keep the whole thing engaging and interesting. Some examples are dated, but many predictions have turned to be surprisingly accurate. And it’s good for the ego to know that the so-called “human error” is in fact often caused by faults in the design and interface. You can then blame the designer next time you have trouble setting your alarm clock or DVD player.

This book is required reading if you’re a crafter and want to create or modify any object. You will be able to look at your creation objectively and ask yourself if everyone will be able to understand and use it. You will be a better crafter for it!

Here is the book on Amazon (great cover by the way, look carefully) :

•