Can you make mozzarella cheese?
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
JillBurgh
Sous Chef
I can't but you might be able to. The process was just featured in one of my cooking mags. I bet someone else answers before I can find it though. It wasn't terribly difficult.
Look here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real...arella-Cheese-Whey-Easier-Than-You-Think.aspx
Look here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real...arella-Cheese-Whey-Easier-Than-You-Think.aspx
JillBurgh
Sous Chef
PS bethzaring just replied to Jeenks' tomato thread that she has freshly-made mozz in her fidge. I bet she can help.
Bigjim68
Head Chef
Trouble is, many traditional italian recipes begin with "first milk your buffalo"
larry_stewart
Master Chef
I bought a cheese making kit, and video....online and i failed miserably. I thought I was doing everything right. But after heating and kneading and pulling ....I ended up with a piece of cheese about the size of a grape. My guess is I did something wrong. Maybe you will have better luck and educate me as to where I messed up 
bethzaring
Master Chef
yeppers, you can make mozzarella cheese at home.
If your goal is to have some fun chemistry in the kitchen, then go for it.
But if you think you might save money by making it yourself....probably not. Mozz yields about one pound of cheese for one gallon of milk. You probably know what you are paying for 1# of mozz.....is it more than one gallon of milk, plus liquid rennet, cheesecloth, lipase, fresh yogurt and a good thermometer?
Let me impart some cheese wisdom......NEVER name a cheese until after you make it, chances are it will not turn out to be like the recipe title.
Be prepared to have a product (sometimes significantly) different from what you are used to.
Don't believe anyone who says cheese making is easy. It is just as easy as a novice making a fine whisky. Be prepared for disapointments.
Some quick cheesees are easy, such as ricotta, but mozzarella is complicated to get all the steps correct.
Do you still want my recipe?
If your goal is to have some fun chemistry in the kitchen, then go for it.
But if you think you might save money by making it yourself....probably not. Mozz yields about one pound of cheese for one gallon of milk. You probably know what you are paying for 1# of mozz.....is it more than one gallon of milk, plus liquid rennet, cheesecloth, lipase, fresh yogurt and a good thermometer?
Let me impart some cheese wisdom......NEVER name a cheese until after you make it, chances are it will not turn out to be like the recipe title.
Be prepared to have a product (sometimes significantly) different from what you are used to.
Don't believe anyone who says cheese making is easy. It is just as easy as a novice making a fine whisky. Be prepared for disapointments.
Some quick cheesees are easy, such as ricotta, but mozzarella is complicated to get all the steps correct.
Do you still want my recipe?
larry_stewart
Master Chef
ChefJune
Master Chef
yeppers, you can make mozzarella cheese at home.
If your goal is to have some fun chemistry in the kitchen, then go for it.
But if you think you might save money by making it yourself....probably not. Mozz yields about one pound of cheese for one gallon of milk. You probably know what you are paying for 1# of mozz.....is it more than one gallon of milk, plus liquid rennet, cheesecloth, lipase, fresh yogurt and a good thermometer?
Let me impart some cheese wisdom......NEVER name a cheese until after you make it, chances are it will not turn out to be like the recipe title.
Be prepared to have a product (sometimes significantly) different from what you are used to.
Don't believe anyone who says cheese making is easy. It is just as easy as a novice making a fine whisky. Be prepared for disapointments.
Some quick cheesees are easy, such as ricotta, but mozzarella is complicated to get all the steps correct.
Do you still want my recipe?
There's no yogurt in my Mozzarella, and I think it is very easy. Money saver? not so much, except that we then make ricotta out of the whey....
Adillo303
Head Chef
I would like it. I'm always up for a good catastrophy. I would like to try.
AC
AC
bethzaring
Master Chef
Through the years I have used maybe 5 different mozz recipes, none I was happy with. The following is the one I *looked* at when making mozz cheese this week. It turned out the best of any I have tried. Who knows why.
Mozzarella cheese
Warm milk to 90ºF,
add 1 tsp citric acid per gallon of milk and
1/4 t. lipase
2 oz of Thermophilic culture for each gallon of milk. Stir well.
Add 1/4 tsp rennet to 1/8 cup cool water for each gallon of milk.
Add to the milk and stir for 1 minute.
Let set for 45 minutes or until the curd gives a clean break.
Cut the curds into 1/2" cubes and allow to set for 15 minutes.
Drain the curds into a cheese cloth-lined colander.
Hang cheesecloth for 1 hour to drain or until it stops dripping.
Put the bag in the colander and the colander in the pot with a cover and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours. (this is the developing acidity step that makes the cheese stretch better)
Heat a bowl of water to 170ºF, take the curds from the cheesecloth and slice in 1" slices. Put the slices in the hot water and allow to melt, using two SS spoons work the curds by pressing them together, knead them in this way until they loose shape. The curds should stretch out when you hold them up under their own weight, stretch them until they become bright and shiny and stretch easily. Make a ball out of the curds and put them in a bowl of ice water to cool. Place in a brine solution for 1 hour or to taste."
__________________
I used yogurt for the Thermophilic culture and used 2 gallons of whole milk.
The line in bold was to alert this is not a timing thing, but waiting until a clean break will occur.
Good luck!
I also added about 1/4 teaspoon lipase to develop some flavor. The lipase is added with the citric acid. For some reason the lipase needs to be added before the rennet. (I'll add the lipase to the recipe)
Mozzarella cheese
Warm milk to 90ºF,
add 1 tsp citric acid per gallon of milk and
1/4 t. lipase
2 oz of Thermophilic culture for each gallon of milk. Stir well.
Add 1/4 tsp rennet to 1/8 cup cool water for each gallon of milk.
Add to the milk and stir for 1 minute.
Let set for 45 minutes or until the curd gives a clean break.
Cut the curds into 1/2" cubes and allow to set for 15 minutes.
Drain the curds into a cheese cloth-lined colander.
Hang cheesecloth for 1 hour to drain or until it stops dripping.
Put the bag in the colander and the colander in the pot with a cover and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours. (this is the developing acidity step that makes the cheese stretch better)
Heat a bowl of water to 170ºF, take the curds from the cheesecloth and slice in 1" slices. Put the slices in the hot water and allow to melt, using two SS spoons work the curds by pressing them together, knead them in this way until they loose shape. The curds should stretch out when you hold them up under their own weight, stretch them until they become bright and shiny and stretch easily. Make a ball out of the curds and put them in a bowl of ice water to cool. Place in a brine solution for 1 hour or to taste."
__________________
I used yogurt for the Thermophilic culture and used 2 gallons of whole milk.
The line in bold was to alert this is not a timing thing, but waiting until a clean break will occur.
Good luck!
I also added about 1/4 teaspoon lipase to develop some flavor. The lipase is added with the citric acid. For some reason the lipase needs to be added before the rennet. (I'll add the lipase to the recipe)
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You should be able to by the curd all ready, then all you do is work them in the hot water bath, pull them, form them, and hang em. Need to have some hot hands, or work your hands between the cheese pot, and an ice bath, it DOES got hot pulling curd.
JillBurgh
Sous Chef
I don't exactly know why that sounds so naughty
PS I've been awfully ornery this past day or so and I apologize for that! But we all have our days, this must be mine!!
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
I haven't made it yet but I read up on it a while back. One really important factor for the Mozzarella is that it will NOT work with pasteurized milk They reccomend using dried milk and maybe some cream added to it as the dried is not pasteurized just dried. They say it's really good. I'm thinking it will also be cheaper to make with the dried milk
Adillo303
Head Chef
Bummer - At the moment, I do not know of a source for fresh milk that is not pasturized.
bethzaring
Master Chef
I am about 100% certain that you can use pasteurized milk. What you can not use is Ultra-Pasteurized milk.
ChefJune
Master Chef
I never heard of that. While it does taste better made with minimally processed milk, I know lots of folks who have made it with just the regular milk they buy at the supermarket.
What I personally would be more concerned with is that there be no bovine growth hormone in the milk.
oldcampcook
Senior Cook
Here's a site from a professor at the University of Cinncinati that I use for all my cheese making techniques.
The "Farmer's Cheese" is one of my favorites.
Fankhauser's Cheese Page
In fact, on the American Mozz, he specifically says he used homogonized cow milk.
The "Farmer's Cheese" is one of my favorites.
Fankhauser's Cheese Page
In fact, on the American Mozz, he specifically says he used homogonized cow milk.
Thanks so much I think it would be fun to try anyway!
Can you get these things at the store or do you need to order them online somewhere?
