Author Topic: Mozzarella - No Melt When Heated, Make Recommendations  (Read 1764 times)

murmur

  • Guest
Mozzarella - No Melt When Heated, Make Recommendations
« on: November 04, 2012, 01:30:08 PM »
I made some nice mozzerella with good flavor and then I put some on top of a  cheese manicotti to bake.
Well- It got crunchy and had no spread.

What do I need to do differently?

sigurdur

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella - No Melt When Heated, Make Recommendations
« Reply #1 on: November 05, 2012, 09:48:23 PM »
Did you check the pH?
Was the Mozz very stretchable or stiff?

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella - No Melt When Heated, Make Recommendations
« Reply #2 on: November 06, 2012, 02:38:13 PM »
The "meltability" of cheese is mainly related to the pH of the cheese. It needs to be within a certain range. Since you didn't post your recipe or make notes we really have very little to go on. It is quite possible that if you used citric acid that you, perhaps, used too much of the citric acid producing a cheese that is a bit too acidic to melt.

There are other discussion on this same topic...you should review those and compare with your methods/recipe.

Tiffany

  • Guest
Re: Mozzarella - No Melt When Heated, Make Recommendations
« Reply #3 on: November 10, 2012, 11:30:55 PM »
Gunna try this again deleted the first post on this stupid phone. 

Anyway.  Adjust citric acid to age of milk.  My uber fresh raw milk requires 2 tsp of citric acid. Older milk say 3 weeks old 1/2-3/4 tsp.  Add cultured buttermilk to milk at 1/4-1/2 c per gallon.  Warm and continue.  You should get some floating peices within 10 mins, if not add a bit more.  Always dilute in water

Warm curds slowly don't pound them with hot water at stretch time.  140f then 180f ect.  Then drain and pour 212f water. Work, streching and flatening over hand to cook curds.  Uncooked curds, no matter what the PH will NOT strech more than an inch or two. 

Once you have good strech and you see it go from shiny to satiny or silvery ball it up and submerge in a saturated brine.  I don't go more than 5-10 mins.  Brine must be COLD.  This stops the internal cooking. Over cooked cheese will be touch and chewy.  Towel dry after the brining.