# Can you make mozzarella cheese?



## suziquzie (Jul 24, 2008)

I know you can make ricotta at home, just wondering about mozzarella, we go thru a lot!


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## JillBurgh (Jul 24, 2008)

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


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## JillBurgh (Jul 24, 2008)

PS bethzaring just replied to Jeenks' tomato thread that she has freshly-made mozz in her fidge. I bet she can help.


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## Bigjim68 (Jul 24, 2008)

Trouble is, many traditional italian recipes begin with "first milk your buffalo"


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## suziquzie (Jul 24, 2008)

LOL!! well I guess I could make a trip to the zoo first.....


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## larry_stewart (Jul 24, 2008)

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


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## bethzaring (Jul 24, 2008)

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?


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## larry_stewart (Jul 24, 2008)

bethzaring said:


> 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.


 


Im proof of this!!!


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## ChefJune (Jul 24, 2008)

bethzaring said:


> yeppers, you can make mozzarella cheese at home.
> 
> If your goal is to have some fun chemistry in the kitchen, then go for it.
> 
> ...


 
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....


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## Adillo303 (Jul 24, 2008)

I would like it. I'm always up for a good catastrophy. I would like to try.
AC


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## bethzaring (Jul 24, 2008)

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)


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## TATTRAT (Jul 24, 2008)

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.


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## JillBurgh (Jul 24, 2008)

TATTRAT said:


> ... it DOES got hot pulling curd.



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!!


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## jpmcgrew (Jul 25, 2008)

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


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## Adillo303 (Jul 25, 2008)

Bummer - At the moment, I do not know of a source for fresh milk that is not pasturized.


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## bethzaring (Jul 25, 2008)

Adillo303 said:


> Bummer - At the moment, I do not know of a source for fresh milk that is not pasteurized.


 
I am about 100% certain that you can use pasteurized milk.  What you can not use is Ultra-Pasteurized milk.


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## ChefJune (Jul 25, 2008)

jpmcgrew said:


> 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


 
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.


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## oldcampcook (Jul 25, 2008)

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.


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## GotGarlic (Jul 26, 2008)

ChefJune said:


> What I personally would be more concerned with is that there be no bovine growth hormone in the milk.



Jeeze, not again.


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## suziquzie (Jul 29, 2008)

bethzaring said:


> citric acid
> lipase
> Thermophilic culture
> rennet


 
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?


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## bethzaring (Jul 29, 2008)

LOL, I buy almost everything online

Here are a few places I buy my cheesemaking supplies
Caprine Supply

Hoegger Goat Supply :: Home Dairy

Lehman's - Products for Simple, Self-sufficient Living

CheeseMaking - Online Store

I get most of my stuff from the last two links; Lehmans and New England Cheesemaking Supply.

While I'm here, the Fankhauser link is not a particularly well respected web site, he does not give good advice, especially regarding rennet; do not use junket.
and the kits sold by Ricki Carroll at NE Cheesemaking supply do not do well, i suggest buying the individual supplies from her, but not her kits.

I'm starting a 2 gallon mozzarella today....must be in the air...


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## Sweet (Aug 12, 2008)

oooh, yum *bookmarking*


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## africhef (Oct 1, 2008)

Thanks betzaring, you are right I did order a kit and was not to thrilled with it, but will persevere am going to S.C on Friday for a week so will try again when we get home.


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## eva6206213 (Nov 9, 2008)

i  also   like  to   try~


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## GhettoRacingKid (Jan 5, 2009)

Im going to try this once I get the Rennet.  Just gotta find it.


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## PieSusan (Jan 5, 2009)

Sure, there are even kits that one can buy. At the Fabulous Food Show Leener's sold the kits and had a video as well: Cheese Making Kits with World Wide Appeal

They are a wonderful company to deal with. I have gone to their store and purchased hard candy supplies.


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## Porthand (Jan 22, 2009)

There's a recipe on Barbara Kingsolver's site for 30 minute mozzarella: http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/Recipes.html


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