How to Make Mozarella Cheese

For Christmas this year, my husband and children gave me a cheesemaking kit.  I enjoy trying new things.  So I was very pleased when on Christmas morning I unwrapped my present, Ricki's Cheesemaking Kit.

During winter vacation we made two loaves of mozzarella. We made our very own pizza using this cheese as a topping and OH MY! The taste was great.  It was a really neat experience and one that we enjoyed.  My daughter was a little grossed out before the curds joined together.

Supposedly it should only take 30 minutes to make, but honestly, we have never done it in less than an hour.  AND we have made it two more times since.  I still think it was fun!  Here is what we did -

  Dissolve 1/4 of a rennet tablet in 1/4 cup of water and in a separate bowl dissolve 1.5 teaspoons of citric acid into 1 cup of water.

Pour the dissolved citric acid into a pan and a whole gallon of milk.  Heat while stirring constantly until the milk measures 90 degrees F. Then turn off the heat and pour the rennet mixture over.  Slowly stir for 30 seconds. and then cover and let the milk sit for 5 to 7 minutes.

This is what the mixture looks like after waiting.  Using a knife cut the curd into a grid pattern being sure the knife reaches the bottom of the pan.

Reheat the curds to 105 degrees F or as close as you can.

Using a slotted spoon remove the curd from the pan leaving as much of the whey (yellow liquid) as possible into a microwaveable bowl.

Heat the curd in the microwave for 1 minute.  Then pour off the whey.   Add 1 teaspoon of cheese salt  to the curd and fold the curd over itself.  Continue to heat the curd for 30 minutes at a time until it reaches 135 degrees (the temperature at which it can be stretched.)  Be sure to wear thick rubber gloves so you don't burn your hands. Stretch the cheese and form into a log.  The more you stretch the cheese the firmer it becomes.

 

Submerge the log into an ice bath for 15 minutes.

This is what the final product will look like.  I wrapped mine in plastic wrap and refrigerated.  The kit says it will last 2 weeks in the fridge, but mine was gone within two days.