Post by spiritedrose on Jul 17, 2008 12:01:41 GMT -5
99.9% guarantee it will work great if you follow the directions! Just don't experiment by using colostrum, like I did 
Feel free to ask questions or get clarifications. If you've made cheese before, it should be real easy to understand.
Mozzarella Cheese
1. Mozzarella Cheese is traditionally made from fresh, raw milk. Cool 2 gallons of raw milk to 40-50 degrees F.
2. Add 2 ½ very level teaspoons of citric acid powder dissolved in ¼ cup of cool tap water. Mix it into cool milk for 2 minutes. (Use only citric acid powder!)
3. Heat the milk to 88 degrees F.
4. Add ½ teaspoon of liquid rennet or ¼ rennet tablet, diluted in ¼ cup of cool tap water. Stir rennet into milk for 15-20 seconds. Then allow the milk to remain still for 15 minutes while it coagulates. Try to keep the temperature in the room warm so that the pot does not cool down too much. Check the firmness by inserting a finger into the mass. If it comes out clean, it’s ready. If it comes out sticking to the finger, let it set a few more minutes.
5. Instead of cutting curd evenly with knives, mozzarella works best if you use both of your hands to gently break up the mass into small, even pieces about the size of split peas. Be sure to reach all the way to the bottom.
6. After breaking, let curds remain undisturbed for 5 minutes, then apply low heat and stir gently with a wooden spoon so as to keep curds separated. The curd will shrink somewhat as the whey is expelled from them in this step. Slowly heat curds to 108 degrees F within a 15 minute period. Shut off heat and continue to stir for an additional 15-20 minutes.
7. Drain curd in a colander for 10-15 minutes after separating them from the whey, by pouring them into a colander with a pot underneath to collect the whey. After the whey is drained off, flip the curd once to put the bottom (which should be smoother) on top. Meanwhile, mix ½ cup of canning salt in one gallon of water and heat to 170 degrees F.
8. After letting the curd set, move it to a cutting board and cut curd into long strips with about 1” x 1” cross section. Lay strips in criss-cross fashion with a little space between each strip in a large glass bowl (big enough to fit the curd and gallon of salt water). Add the hot salt water to the bowl of curd strips.
9. Using a wooden spoon, begin to stretch curd in an upward motion. The curd will begin to get stringy and will become plastic and shiny. Stretch for about 10 minutes or until evenly stretched, and place the cheese on a board and knead as you would with bread, shaping it into a ball or any shape you prefer. Place the cheese in a *mold, then into cold or iced water until it is cold and firm textured. It is now ready to eat!
10. To store, dry with a towel and store in plastic wrap. For a firmer cheese, dry and cover with salt, then wrap in waxed paper. This cheese will taste good for up to a week, but also freezes well, so it is recommended to only keep out the amount that will get eaten fresh and immediately freeze the extra.
* Any food grade plastic such as a cottage cheese container with holes poked in the side will make an excellent mold.
Feel free to ask questions or get clarifications. If you've made cheese before, it should be real easy to understand. Mozzarella Cheese
1. Mozzarella Cheese is traditionally made from fresh, raw milk. Cool 2 gallons of raw milk to 40-50 degrees F.
2. Add 2 ½ very level teaspoons of citric acid powder dissolved in ¼ cup of cool tap water. Mix it into cool milk for 2 minutes. (Use only citric acid powder!)
3. Heat the milk to 88 degrees F.
4. Add ½ teaspoon of liquid rennet or ¼ rennet tablet, diluted in ¼ cup of cool tap water. Stir rennet into milk for 15-20 seconds. Then allow the milk to remain still for 15 minutes while it coagulates. Try to keep the temperature in the room warm so that the pot does not cool down too much. Check the firmness by inserting a finger into the mass. If it comes out clean, it’s ready. If it comes out sticking to the finger, let it set a few more minutes.
5. Instead of cutting curd evenly with knives, mozzarella works best if you use both of your hands to gently break up the mass into small, even pieces about the size of split peas. Be sure to reach all the way to the bottom.
6. After breaking, let curds remain undisturbed for 5 minutes, then apply low heat and stir gently with a wooden spoon so as to keep curds separated. The curd will shrink somewhat as the whey is expelled from them in this step. Slowly heat curds to 108 degrees F within a 15 minute period. Shut off heat and continue to stir for an additional 15-20 minutes.
7. Drain curd in a colander for 10-15 minutes after separating them from the whey, by pouring them into a colander with a pot underneath to collect the whey. After the whey is drained off, flip the curd once to put the bottom (which should be smoother) on top. Meanwhile, mix ½ cup of canning salt in one gallon of water and heat to 170 degrees F.
8. After letting the curd set, move it to a cutting board and cut curd into long strips with about 1” x 1” cross section. Lay strips in criss-cross fashion with a little space between each strip in a large glass bowl (big enough to fit the curd and gallon of salt water). Add the hot salt water to the bowl of curd strips.
9. Using a wooden spoon, begin to stretch curd in an upward motion. The curd will begin to get stringy and will become plastic and shiny. Stretch for about 10 minutes or until evenly stretched, and place the cheese on a board and knead as you would with bread, shaping it into a ball or any shape you prefer. Place the cheese in a *mold, then into cold or iced water until it is cold and firm textured. It is now ready to eat!
10. To store, dry with a towel and store in plastic wrap. For a firmer cheese, dry and cover with salt, then wrap in waxed paper. This cheese will taste good for up to a week, but also freezes well, so it is recommended to only keep out the amount that will get eaten fresh and immediately freeze the extra.
* Any food grade plastic such as a cottage cheese container with holes poked in the side will make an excellent mold.
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I love this recipe! It's great on anything. It's so good, I have a hard time not eating it while it's still warm.
