Where to find cheaper ricotta cheese??

[CheaperCheese]

Hi, I see ricotta cheese at Cold Storage and Carrefour but like typical dairy products here in Singapore the cost is outrageous, and they just offer tiny cartons of ricotta.  Back home in the States I can get a huge carton for just a few dollars.

Does anyone know where I can find ricotta cheese cheaper here in Singapore?  There is little to no quality difference between different brands of ricotta so that is not important.  I need it for things like lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti, etc.

[CheaperCheese]

Anyone?

[cheesey feet]

I often get my cheese from Fairprice because it is nearly half the price of cold storage.  I don't know if they do ricotta - they haven't got a fantastic range but you could go along and see (bigger fairprice stores have a better range).

Carrefour is also cheaper for some of the basic cheeses (Red Leicester, Cheddar etc) but again, I'm not sure how it compares with Ricotta.

[Soft&Creamy]

Ricotta is a soft and creamy white cheese. It costs about $7 or so at CS for a pretty average sized container.

OP, maybe you could adapt your recipes and use something else instead of ricotta? I make my lasagne with mozzarella, Parmesan and a thick bechamel sauce made with a lot of cream. No ricotta in sight, but I suspect your recipe is way yummier! Maybe you could use ricotta for special occasions and leave it out for regular meals?

Thinking about it, food, especially imported Western stuff, costs a bomb here. That's just the way it is. After 20 years in Asia, I have stopped fretting over it and have resigned myself to paying through my nose for everything!

Forget ricotta, have you seen the price of parmesan?

[agree with above]

Agree with above post. 

Parmesan is way more expensive.  I go through a block a week but what can I do, we love it.

[ricotta]

I know people hate it when other people reply with, "have you tried making it yourself!", but it is real easy to make ricotta.

Just gently boil full fat milk, along with a carton of full cream milk & a tablespoon  of vinegar. when it starts to curdle turn down heat & you will notice that the water floats to the top & the rest sinks to the bottom. The bit that sinks to the bottom is the ricotta.  Put into a colander or strainer & let it cool. when cool season with salt & there you have ricotta.

[ricotta]

sorry....meant to say carton of full fat cream NOT full cream milk

[Tanglin]

Hi, I see ricotta cheese at Cold Storage and Carrefour but like typical dairy products here in Singapore the cost is outrageous, and they just offer tiny cartons of ricotta.  Back home in the States I can get a huge carton for just a few dollars.

Does anyone know where I can find ricotta cheese cheaper here in Singapore?  There is little to no quality difference between different brands of ricotta so that is not important.  I need it for things like lasagna, stuffed shells, manicotti, etc.

In Tanglin Mall you can get many American things not had elsewhere. But don't expect a price break.

They even cut steaks normal thickness too!

They do have ricotta cheese. Just saw some there.

[ah_but]

Ah, but there IS a difference in quality!  The cheapest is probably the big carton (400g?) in Jason's Marketplace for $8.  Lowfat or nonfat is available:  the lowfat is just barely passable; the nonfat is pretty bad.  But then there's the pricey stuff from Italy - full fat, around $7 for a small carton (200g) - and it is heavenly.  Try it and see the difference. 

You will soon learn to enjoy things that are cheaper here (like shrimp!) and to save expensive things like ricotta for special occasions. 

[CheaperCheese]

Thanks again for all the tips everyone.

I wanted to post about a surprising little substitute for ricotta though.  I was doing some searches on the internet for ricotta substitutes and saw a lot of mention of tofu.  I thought that was bizarre and rather disgusting sounding but I figured since tofu is so cheap what harm is there in experimenting.  It works great!  Really, one of the main things about ricotta is the texture and tofu has a very similar texture when cooked.  Ricotta doesn't have a strong taste so that does not become a big issue because neither does tofu.

I did two things.  I was making a lasagna and on one layer put sliced tofu (along with my homemade sauce and seasonings, and on another layer put a mashed tofu mixture (i added garlic powder and some italian seasonings to the mixture).  Both layers turned out great.  I used a fairly hard tofu, one meant for deep fryiing.  I will try a softer tofu for making the mashed mixture next time.

Was it a 100% perfect substitute?  Of course not.  We will still buy ricotta (even at the absurd prices) but will change it up with tofu sometimes as well.  Much healthier anyway.

[Another suggestion]

Try Mustafa Center in Little India: Ask for paneer (the indian name for ricotta)...very reasonable price

[kitty kat]

qb foods

[ex-pat]

Are paneer and ricotta exactly the same?  I thought ricotta was lumpy?

[Paneer at CS]

Cold Storage sells paneer. It's not the same as ricotta, which is creamier. It's more similar to feta in consistency, although not taste.

[My recipe]

I make it all the time...

Here is how you make home made Ricotta Cheese

- Add 1 litre of low fat UHT milk to an electronic yoghurt maker.
- Add about 1 desert spoonful of  plain Yakult.
- Allow it to ferment for about 12-15 hours or longer if you wish.
- Pour the fermented product into a large piece of cheese cloth (add salt if you really need to).
- Squeeze out the liquid.

Refrigerate and there is your healthy ricotta. Full of calcium, protein and probiotics and low in fat.