30 Minute Microwave Mozzarella

[SuperiorBrew]

I'm up to two failures now. Yesterday, the milk curdled as soon as I added the citric acid. Turns out the measuring spoons my mom gave me are way off - the 1/4tsp one actually holds more like 1/2 tsp, so you can guess what happened there.

Today, everything went pretty smoothly but the curd was too runny, just like the pictures you see of what happens when you use ultra-pasteurized milk.

I really don't have the patience (or motivation) to keep failing at this while I try all the various brands of milk at the store here... But I may give it one last shot with the dry milk + cream method... So, if you (or anyone else) has good luck with that method I'd be interested in hearing about it!

If it looked like this you should have just kept going, you still end up with pretty tasty cheese.

 

[cd2448]

i don't think we have a source of real milk near us - so i'm looking at the powdered milk and cream method - does the cream itself have to be unpasteurized? or will any half+half or cream from the supermarket work because the majority of the liquid is powdered milk that is not pasteurized?

 

[Funkenjaeger]

If it looked like this you should have just kept going, you still end up with pretty tasty cheese.

Yeah, that's pretty much what I got. I probably should have kept going, but I started trying to strain the soupy curd with the limited tools at my disposal, didn't have enough cheesecloth to do it properly, so it quickly turned into a mess and I wasn't recovering much of the curd so I tossed it.

If/when I try the cream/dry milk method, I'll plan on seeing it through to the end if at all possible, whether things are going smoothly or not, just to have some kind of closure

i don't think we have a source of real milk near us - so i'm looking at the powdered milk and cream method - does the cream itself have to be unpasteurized? or will any half+half or cream from the supermarket work because the majority of the liquid is powdered milk that is not pasteurized?

According to:
http://www.cheesemaking.com/includes/modules/jWallace/OnLineNews/NewsFiles/MilkAbout.html#Anchor-11481

It is OK if the cream is UP[ed: ultra-pasteurized] because the calcium and protein curd making components will be found in the NFDM[ed: nonfat dry milk] portion.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

That is what i will be trying too, UHT cream and the powdered skim.
I did pick up a stainless ladle and a curd knife. I was using a slotted spoon and a long carving knife for cheddar and a butter knife for the mozzarella.

 

[cd2448]

made it this morning - it didn't work out exactly right because i over-stirred and the curds didn't form as they do in those pics on cheesemaking.com, it looked more like cottage cheese, but... after microwaving and kneading i ended up with something recognizable as cheese, and mozerlla at that - woo hoo! it's going on some home made pizza tonight.

edit: just checked with superiorbrew's pic above - that's exactly how it looked. just press on, microwave, knead, microwave, knead. it works.

 

[cd2448]

pizzas worked out great and while the cheese was ok - it was not quite the wow factor i was hoping for, i'll use either heavy cream + dry milk or hopefully all whole milk next time. it was quite edible, don't get me wrong, maybe some of the flavour got lost on the pizza!

next time i'm going to make the cheese then attempt to smoke it - smoked mozz. being a splendid thing. also going to make the ricotta for a full-on white pizza.

ps: i used ACME brand basic dry milk, that too might have been a mistake but it's all they had!

 

[SuperiorBrew]

pizzas worked out great and while the cheese was ok - it was not quite the wow factor i was hoping for, i'll use either heavy cream + dry milk or hopefully all whole milk next time. it was quite edible, don't get me wrong, maybe some of the flavour got lost on the pizza!

next time i'm going to make the cheese then attempt to smoke it - smoked mozz. being a splendid thing. also going to make the ricotta for a full-on white pizza.

ps: i used ACME brand basic dry milk, that too might have been a mistake but it's all they had!

For more flavor you will want to add some Lipase Powder I tried a 1/4 teaspoon in our last batch and you could notice it but i will try 1/2tsp on the next batch. Also we used heavy cream, next batch I will try half and half.

 

[cd2448]

i think heavy cream is a good call. will try and pick up some lipase powder - i think the LHBS has some of these ingredients for cheese.

has anyone tried making the hard stuff?

 

[hmk123]

Here is a photo of my first try. It melted great on my pizza...

http://csa-days.blogspot.com/2008/03/snow-and-food.html

 

[Homercidal]

I wonder what would happen if you used another form of acid to do this, like leon juice concentrate, or vinegar.

I remember watching a Good Eats episode, when Alton Brown made fresh cottage cheese with milk and some juice or vinegar. Don't remember now. I had meant to try it myself, but never got around to it. Seemed too easy to be true!

 

[cd2448]

Going to resurrect interest in this because I've recently found a source of unpasteurized milk. I'll let the forum know how it turns out!

 

[SeaMonster]

My girlfriend and I made this tonight. Turned out fantastic.

We had really thought we messed up pretty bad as the curds and whey weren't seperating at all. Just a tip to all those who make it...keep going. The whey skimmed off pretty easily once we put it in the microwave for a minute. Looks pretty gross until the end.

Damn tasty. Can't wait to do the next couple of batches.

 

[Robcore]

Looks interesting, might have to give it a whirl soon

 

[Aleforge]

Do commercial cheeses use rennet? Not that I am a vegetarian, but it just sounds gross... lol :cross:

 

[Nurmey]

Do commercial cheeses use rennet? Not that I am a vegetarian, but it just sounds gross... lol :cross:

Commercial cheese manufacturers use chemical rennet. There are a few small craft cheese makers that still use animal but it's pretty rare.

 

[Aleforge]

Commercial cheese manufacturers use chemical rennet. There are a few small craft cheese makers that still use animal but it's pretty rare.

Can I use Chemical Rennet? I feel less of a man by asking that sorry. :cross:

 

[zoebisch01]

Can I use Chemical Rennet? I feel less of a man by asking that sorry. :cross:

Wuss.



Vegetarian Rennets are extracts from plants, that would be my second choice after Animal Rennet, before Chimosin (or whatever that genetically engineered one is).

 

[zoebisch01]

I personally am not bothered by Animal Rennet. Then of course, I am not bothered by Head Cheese, Blood Sausage, Steak Tartare, Lacto-Fermented foods, Molds, Sheeps intestines for Hot Dog casings, Hog Bungs for stuffing Liverwurst...etc. What makes me squeamish is the sociological response from people that I serve these foods to. Muahhahaha.

 

[Nurmey]

Zoebisch01, I think you may be way more evil than any of us suspected.
Vegetable rennet is the type most accessible to the home cheese maker. I'm not even sure where to get the chemical stuff other than a cheese manufactuer's suppliers.

 

[Aleforge]

I personally am not bothered by Animal Rennet. Then of course, I am not bothered by Head Cheese, Blood Sausage, Steak Tartare, Lacto-Fermented foods, Molds, Sheeps intestines for Hot Dog casings, Hog Bungs for stuffing Liverwurst...etc. What makes me squeamish is the sociological response from people that I serve these foods to. Muahhahaha.

ACK! If only I knew right? I try not to think about things when I eat them. Although everything outside of mold and lacto fermented foods make me lose my will to live. :cross:

I love blue cheese! :rockin:

 

[Grimsawyer]

...I was just going to do the whole pictorial again when I found this one already done. Ricki's 30 Minute Mozzarella Magic ...

I tried to click on the link and it's "HTTP 403 Forbidden" to me... how do I go about checking it out. I have never made cheese before and this really caught my eye. I might even be able to find someone I work with for milk fresh from the cow. Maybe even a goat.... *evil grin* I want to goof off with a few easier recepies before making a really knock out bleu cheese and this one seemed to sound really almost too easy to be true. Only problem is I don't have any knowlage of how to make cheese. Anyone got a link to a beginners cheese thread and a link to this recepie from start to finish that isn't forbidded to me? Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[SuperiorBrew]

I tried to click on the link and it's "HTTP 403 Forbidden" to me... how do I go about checking it out. I have never made cheese before and this really caught my eye. I might even be able to find someone I work with for milk fresh from the cow. Maybe even a goat.... *evil grin* I want to goof off with a few easier recepies before making a really knock out bleu cheese and this one seemed to sound really almost too easy to be true. Only problem is I don't have any knowlage of how to make cheese. Anyone got a link to a beginners cheese thread and a link to this recepie from start to finish that isn't forbidded to me? Thanks in advance!!!!

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/21.html

 

[SuperiorBrew]

Zoebisch01, I think you may be way more evil than any of us suspected.
Vegetable rennet is the type most accessible to the home cheese maker. I'm not even sure where to get the chemical stuff other than a cheese manufactuer's suppliers.

You can get the animal, vegetable and chemical here http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/c/26-Cheese-Rennets.html

 

[Danek]

Here's mine. It tasted great, though I think it was slightly better before the second microwaving. That seemed to dry it out a little more than I'd have wanted, but it was fun and easy to make, and I'll definitely do it again.

I also made some duck prosciutto (from Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing) ...

...and I thought they'd go well together on a sourdough pizza.

 

[babalu87]

I'm from Chicago. Land of good pizza.

Boston and New York with their GREAT PIZZA are in agreeance with the above statement :rockin:

 

[Yooper]

Danek, that looks so good! We are now getting 1.5 gallons of fresh (unpasteurized) goat's milk a week. I'll make some chevre today, and mozzarella next weekend, maybe cheddar the following week.

Thanks for all of the pictures, Superiorbrew, wherever you are!

 

[babalu87]

Is this the procedure?

Old links are dead

Recipe for Making Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

 

[Danek]

Is this the procedure?

Old links are dead

Recipe for Making Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

Not sure about that link, but the one I used was:

Mozzarella Cheese Recipe

I just checked it, and it seems OK.

 

[SuperiorBrew]

Thanks for all of the pictures, Superiorbrew, wherever you are!

Hi Yoop,

I'm still here just been real busy getting the site done and a couple other non homebrew related projects going.
Whats new un the UP?

 

[Yooper]

Hi Yoop,

I'm still here just been real busy getting the site done and a couple other non homebrew related projects going.
Whats new un the UP?

Good to "see" you! We're talking about having a "Brew Camp" at my cottage this summer- I'll keep you posted as to when, just in case you can make it.

I've got a source for raw fresh goat's milk now, so I've been making cheese with really great results. I'm going to try some Monteray jack cheese this week.

Otherwise, all the same. Hockey, hockey, hockey and work, work, work. I am temporarily working full time, to pay for college tuition for next year. I'll be done with the full-time in May, though, just in time for summer.