How to Make Mozzarella Cheese: Whey Easier Than You Think

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January

15, 2008

 

 

 

 

How

to Make Mozzarella Cheese: Whey Easier Than You Think

by Tabitha

Alterman

If you’ve never tried to make cheese, you’ll probably be surprised to

learn that making many kinds of cheese is no more difficult or

time-consuming than baking a pie. Luckily, one of the most popular

cheeses — mozzarella — is one such supereasy cheese.

The following recipe comes from Home

Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll. She has taught thousands of

people how to make cheese, and her devotees refer to Carroll as “The

Cheese Queen.” You can order the special ingredients for mozzarella from

her company, New England

Cheesemaking Supply, or you may be able to find them in your local

natural foods store.

Simple

Cheesemaking Equipment

All you need to begin making cheese at home is a stainless steel pot, a

dairy thermometer, measuring spoons and some cheesecloth. You can find

these supplies practically anywhere that sells kitchen equipment, but you

can also order them — and other equipment for more ambitious cheesemaking

adventures — from New England

Cheesemaking Supply. The cheesecloth they sell is of extremely high

quality, and can be washed and used over and over again. They also offer

a kit with all the supplies necessary to make mozzarella and ricotta

cheese many times.

About the Milk

Historically, mozzarella has been made from whole sheep’s milk, water

buffalo milk and cow’s milk (pretty much in that order). It’s great if

you can find fresh cow’s milk from a nearby farm, but store-bought milk

will work, too. Skim milk also works, but you’ll get less cheese as a

result.

Just be sure to avoid any packages that say “ultra-pasteurized” or

“UHP.” Ultra-high-temperature pasteurization exists solely to allow milk

to be shipped over long distances without spoiling. The protein in milk,

the compound responsible for curdling ability, is destroyed by excessive

heat. Ultra-pasteurized milk can sit around for many weeks without

spoiling, but it can’t make cheese.

If you have access to fresh, raw milk, and want to pasteurize it,

simply heat it to 145 degrees Fahrenheit in a stainless steel pot (a

double boiler is even better). Hold the temperature at 145 for exactly 30

minutes, then chill the pot in a sink filled with ice water until the

temperature of the milk dips to 40 degrees. Then refrigerate it.

 

Ricki Carroll’s

30-minute Mozzarella

Yield: 3/4 to 1 pound cheese

1 1/2 tsp

citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water

1 gallon whole milk

1/4 tsp liquid

rennet (or 1/4 rennet tablet) diluted in 1/4 cup cool, unchlorinated

water

1 tsp cheese salt

(coarse, noniodized flake salt similar to pickling salt; do not use

iodized salt)

 

Slowly heat the milk in a

stainless steel pot to 55 degrees. While stirring, add the citric

acid solution to the milk and mix thoroughly.

Heat the milk to 88 degrees over

medium-low heat. The milk will begin to curdle.

Gently stir in the diluted rennet

with an up-and-down motion, while heating the milk to between 100

and 105 degrees. Turn off the heat. The curds should be pulling away

from the sides of the pot.

The curds will look like thick

yogurt and have a bit of shine to them, and the whey will be clear.

If the whey is still milky white, wait a few more minutes. Scoop out

the curds with a slotted spoon and put into a 2-quart microwavable

bowl. Press the curds gently with your hands, pouring off as much

whey as possible.

Microwave the curds on high for 1

minute. (See Home

Cheese Making for non-microwave directions.) Drain off

all excess whey. Gently fold the cheese over and over (as in

kneading bread) with your hand or a spoon. This distributes the heat

evenly throughout the cheese, which will not stretch until it is too

hot to touch (145 degrees inside the curd). You may want to don

rubber gloves at this point, as the cheese will be extremely hot to

the touch.

Microwave two more times for 35

seconds each; add salt to taste after the second time. After each

heating, knead again to distribute the heat.

Knead quickly until it is smooth

and elastic. When the cheese stretches like taffy, it’s done. If the

curds break instead of stretch, they are too cool and need to be

reheated.

When the cheese is smooth and

shiny, roll it into small balls and eat while warm. Or place them in

a bowl of ice water for half an hour to bring the inside temperature

down rapidly; this will produce a consistent smooth texture

throughout the cheese. Although best eaten fresh, it can be stored

in the refrigerator at this point.

 

Note:

If you are using store-bought milk, and your curds turn into the

consistency of ricotta cheese and will not come together, switch brands

of milk. It may have been heated at the factory at too high a

temperature.

 

Check out these

photos of Ricki Carroll making her 30-minute mozzarella.

Look for a feature article about

home cheese making in the upcoming April/May 2008 issue of Mother Earth News (on

newsstands in mid-March).

Please share your cheese making

experiences and favorite recipes featuring mozzarella — just post to

the comments

section.

 

 

 

 

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