Tried my hand at Mozz...

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Homercidal

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Had a friend come over and we tried to make 30-minute mozz. Here's what happened...

Added 1.5 tsp citric acid to the whole, homogenized, pasteurized milk from the gas station

Heated to 90F and added 1/4 tsp of liquid rennet diluted with 1/4 C of water and stirred thouroughly.

Covered and let sit for 5 minutes.

Checked and it was curdling, but not really setting up. Added an additional several minutes to let it set up.

Didn't set up so we added another 1/4 TSP of rennet (cause we really dont' know what we are doing), and let sit for several more minutes.

It did finally kind of set up, but it was not in cubes, but rather just large curds, like cottage cheese.

Anyway, we strained this out into colander and let drain a minute (I was eating during this time) and then started kneading and microwaving a couple of times to get more whey out.

After three nukes we started kneading. When it started getting firmer we added some salt, but by then it stopped recombining with itself.

So, it turned out, but not like the instructions, and not as flavorful due to the salt not mixing in with it. It had a kind of rubbery texture too.

What can I do differently to improve this?
 
Sounds like you got UP (ultra pasteurized) milk which won't form a curd. If getting raw milk isn't an option, you can 'make' a better milk using evaporated milk and heavy cream or add calcium chloride to help with curd formation.
 
Hey Homer, I have found a source for Low temp Pasteurized, non-homogenized milk. Its $1.75 for a half gallon after you get the deposit back so thats ~$3.50 for a pound of cheese.

If you make it to GR, hit up Kingma's Market on Plainfield. They sell it there, just have to remember to return the bottles for your $2! deposit.
 
Hey Homer, I have found a source for Low temp Pasteurized, non-homogenized milk. Its $1.75 for a half gallon after you get the deposit back so thats ~$3.50 for a pound of cheese.

If you make it to GR, hit up Kingma's Market on Plainfield. They sell it there, just have to remember to return the bottles for your $2! deposit.

Thanks, I'll check it out or have my buddy do it. he is down there quite often. I'm not convinced my milk was UP, but I'll try another brand again soon. And that stuff you mentioned might make better cheese anyway.
 
I don't think your milk is UP either, but it is Pasteurized and Homogenized. Thats the killer right there. Homogenization, in my readings thus far are what will kill your curds before they have even left the starting gate.
 
If you add 1/2 teaspoon Calcium Chloride at the beginning, the type of milk is not really an issue. Also, add the salt before you knead, after you have drained the whey.

Here is a brief instructional video I put together:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5odBodQ0pZM]YouTube - Make mozzarella cheese in less than an hour![/ame]

Forrest
 
I watched the video 9great job BTW - and it all looks very similar to what we had in our pan. I expected the whole thing to be a large gelatinous glob, but we ended up with cottage cheese-like curds, just like in your video. Maybe the milk wasn't so bad after all.

And yeah, I will def add the salt at the start of the kneading next time. Maybe tonight. I got another gallon of milk and want to try again.

Now where do I find this CaCl??
 
A homebrew store should have it. Make sure it is the food grade white pebble looking stuff. Not the cloudy flake stuff used to melt ice on streets.

Forrest
 
Yes. Mine was a bit over kneaded I think, and came out a bit tougher than I hoped for. Also we added the salt near the end, and it just wasn't getting integrated.

However, if done properly, the cheese can be ate while still warm.

I noticed mine did not "melt" on my pizza. We made two bagel pizzas and put some on top. It browned up a bit, but never flowed out. Too dry I think.
 
I forgot to ask my other question!

When making Mozz, can you use the leftover whey to make ricotta? I thought I saw something online that showed a person making ricotta after making another cheese.
 
Going to do this tonight possibly if I can find the citric acid, rennet, and cheese salt locally. What kind of stores carry these items?

Other questions, how critical is water volume when dissolving? Is it important to have a certain amount of water in the mix, or just enough to get it dissolved?
 
Check your LHBS for the stuff.

F my LHBS. Closest is 1 hour away and Rapes your wallet. Plus the Lady who works there (her husband owns it) is the type that makes you feel like you're inconveniencing her to get off her chair from behind her book to sell you something.
How about GNC type place or grocery store have any of this? WalMart?
 
I'll have to make some phone calls today. It would be cool to half some fresh Mozz at my son's Bday this weekend and be able to tell people we made it, along with the beer they're drinking.
 
Try calling some italian shops and restarants. Some make their own mozzerella and might be able to just sell you the stuff from what they have.
 
What is cheese salt? We used kosher salt. Is cheese salt something that I could get a the grocery? I did not find CaCl at the store either.
 
I am not sure but I would assume that cheesesalt is just very fine salt. I would think that if you ground down kosher it would be fine. But I really do not know for sure if cheese salt has any extra in it.
 
I am not sure but I would assume that cheesesalt is just very fine salt. I would think that if you ground down kosher it would be fine. But I really do not know for sure if cheese salt has any extra in it.

That's what I assumed too. I use pickling salt. It can be found in the canning section of your grocery store.
 
I made some last night and from the package it says pure salt with no additives. So I would say either kosher or sea salt just ground up would work. It was also a lot more coarse than I was expecting it to be. I don't know if that is really important though.
 
damn. I've called the 1 health food store in my town and they have none of the item in my list. I maybe need to order an online kit.
 
The rennet should be the only thing you would have trouble with. Did you try any italian markets or restraunts?


Possibly even some hobby shops might have it.
 
yeah Such is my life in this 1 horse town. Thank Allah for the interwebz.
No worries, We'll get it sometime. i just thought it would be neat to have home made mozz at my son's 1st bday party. More of a Pat on my own back thing.
 
BTW, Homer. I had the GF hit Kingma's and get some milk so we could make some Mozz. For some reason, it was $5 for a HALF GALLON + $2 Deposit for the bottle.

Don't make a special trip to GR for a $14 gallon of milk. Thats the first and last time I will be paying that amount of money for milk.
 
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