Making Gjetost

Ever heard of Gjetost? It’s a delicious and very easy to make goat’s milk cheese. Here’s how you make it and what you need.

Whey is one of the great benefits of cheesemaking. It has many uses either in the kitchen or on the farm. It is the milky, watery, substance that is left after removing cheese curds. Whey can be used as food for pigs and chickens. Some people use it in bread baking or fermenting. In this case we are going to make more cheese from it.

What is Gjetost and Mysost?

Cheese made from whey has long been a staple in many traditional households. This is in an effort to not let any part of your precious raw milk go to waste. Riccota is probably the most famous. But if you have any Scandanavian roots, or heck are from that part of the world yourself, you might be familiar with Gjetost and Mysost.

These cheeses are made by boiling down whey to the point it becomes thick and almost caramelly. This type of cheese is still popular in Norway and Sweden (or so I’m told) and is often eaten on toast. Mysost comes from cow’s milk. Gjetost comes from goat’s milk.

Gjetost is typically a very dark golden to nut brown color and can be a smooth creamy texture, almost like a dip. It can also be shaped into bricks and sliced off for eating.

The flavor reminds me of those cracker snack packs you’d get as a kid. The little breadsticks with the mini tub of easy cheese at the end? Like that, only way better.

How to make Gjetost

Supplies

• Stirring Spoon
• Thick bottom pot
• Blender (optional)

Ingredients

• Goat’s Milk Whey

Steps to making Gjetost

First, add whey, however much you want, to a thick bottom pot. I like to use an enamel cast iron dutch oven. A thicker bottom will help prevent the milk from scorching. This will boil down a LOT. I had a half-gallon of whey and it boiled down to about 1/4th a cup total.

Next, heat it to the point of a very low simmer.

Simmer it for hours. How many varies, but it can be anywhere from 6-10 before it will boil down. Keep stirring it every time you walk through the kitchen or remember its there.

Once it starts to thicken up, it’s a good idea to run it through the blender. This will help the texture stay smooth.

Cook it down until it is about the consistency of a thick pudding.

At this point you can pour it into a mold or if you are lazy like me you can just pour it into a glass Pyrex container with a lid.

What to do with Gjetost

My absolute favorite thing to do with Gjetost is to add it to a mac and cheese recipe. It has an amazing tang and zip to it that tastes like Kraft macaroni and cheese except it is not some weird who knows what kind of “cheese” flavoring.

Another popular use for it is to spread it on crackers or toast. However you eat it, I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious cheese!

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