Author Topic: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?  (Read 3357 times)

achik1990

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Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« on: October 16, 2016, 08:42:41 AM »
Hi guys, I've wanting to ask this question for some time now..
Is there a different method of making mozzarella when you use different kinds of milk?
Last week I've found myself a good buffalo farm that sells buffalo milk, all this time I've been making mozzarella from cow's milk..
So i wonder whether I should change my recipe if I use buffalo's instead?
Because truth be told, buffalo milk is considerably expensive and the farm is about an hour ++ from where I live.
So I hope to avoid wastage and save my self the pain of having to go there frequently (just because of some preventable screw up)

Another question :

How to do you add salt to mozzarella?
I tried soaking it in salt brine, but it forms this slime which is a turn off for me.
Some say to salt the hot water during kneading and some even suggested to add salt directly to the cheese and kneading it using salted water..

It's all very confusing  :( and I hope you guys can share me the best method for salting mozzarella..

EDITED : another question, do I need to add lipase if I use raw milk? I read somewhere on the internet that if you're using raw milk, adding lipase is unnecessary. If this is true, I'll be able to relax a bit.. I tried looking for lipase few weeks before but non of em is considered "Halal" so I can;t use em.
I did read something about plant/microbial lipase but I'm unable to find it on cheesemaking.com or other said online store

 :-*
« Last Edit: October 16, 2016, 08:51:11 AM by achik1990 »

Offline awakephd

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2016, 07:18:24 PM »
Achik,

I don't know the answer on the buffalo milk (though I am jealous that you have access to it!). But I think I can help you on the brining of the mozzarella. With any type of cheese, if gets slimy when in the brine, this is an indication that your brine does not have the proper calcium and/or pH. When you make the brine, you need to add calcium chloride and some vinegar. One recipe I have calls for 1 Tbs calcium chloride (30-33% solution) plus 1 tsp vinegar for a gallon of distilled water. This plus the salt needed to achieve the desired level of saturation.

As for the lipase ... raw milk should have lipase in it. Lipase will add some flavor to a short-ripened cheese; it will possibly add a very dominant flavor to a long-ripened, full-fat cheese. If used incautiously, it can lead to a cheese that is so strong as to be radioactive ... :)
-- Andy

achik1990

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #2 on: October 16, 2016, 08:47:57 PM »
Achik,

I don't know the answer on the buffalo milk (though I am jealous that you have access to it!). But I think I can help you on the brining of the mozzarella. With any type of cheese, if gets slimy when in the brine, this is an indication that your brine does not have the proper calcium and/or pH. When you make the brine, you need to add calcium chloride and some vinegar. One recipe I have calls for 1 Tbs calcium chloride (30-33% solution) plus 1 tsp vinegar for a gallon of distilled water. This plus the salt needed to achieve the desired level of saturation.

As for the lipase ... raw milk should have lipase in it. Lipase will add some flavor to a short-ripened cheese; it will possibly add a very dominant flavor to a long-ripened, full-fat cheese. If used incautiously, it can lead to a cheese that is so strong as to be radioactive ... :)

It took me a week to find the buffalo farm  :'(
most only available at other states ..which around 600km away from my place..so I'm definitely blessed when I found out about the nearby buffalo farm.
Will a food grade calcium chloride sold at the bakery shop suffice? Not sure what the 30-33% solution means and i assume i should use normal white vinegar?

Thanks for the info awake .. I'll make one as soon as my TA061 arrive ..
I'll share some pics of the farm and cheese when I'm done  :-*

Offline Gregore

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2016, 01:34:38 PM »
If you were to use the whey from the cheese making and add salt it should have the right balance  of ph and calcium for brining .  It sometimes can use a little calcium if the milk is store bought , but if you put it in when you started to make the cheese it should still be fine .

Have you  tried searching this forum to see if anyone from the past discussed this before ?




Ps . Your very lucky to have fresh buffalo milk. Very lucky indeed .

Link to some info about buffalo milk.

http://www.molecularist.com/2014/10/cow-goat-sheep-alpaca-camel-or-buffalo-which-milk-do-you-like.html
« Last Edit: October 17, 2016, 01:42:24 PM by Gregore »

Offline awakephd

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2016, 02:46:11 PM »
Will a food grade calcium chloride sold at the bakery shop suffice? Not sure what the 30-33% solution means and i assume i should use normal white vinegar?

Achik, the 30-33% solution is how calcium chloride (CaCl for short) is sold in liquid form specifically for cheesemaking - the solution consists of 30-33% CaCl by weight. You can certainly make your own solution if you can get CaCl in dry (crystal) form, or better yet, just use the appropriate amount of the crystals dissolved in a bit of distilled or filtered/boiled/cooled water - that is what I do. Since 33% is right at 1/3, I just use 1/3 as much of the crystals as the recipe calls for in solution. E.g., when the recipe calls for 1 Tbs (15 ml) of CaCl solution, I use 1 tsp (5 ml) of the CaCl crystals. Here in the US, CaCl in crystal form is sold cheaply in grocery stores as "Pickle Crisp," which is just what it sounds like - an ingredient used when pickling vegetables to help them stay crisp. I don't know what a bakery shop would use it for, but as long as it is more or less pure CaCl, it should be fine.

Or, as Gregore says, you can make the brine out of the whey - this automatically matches the curds in terms of pH and calcium. This is the traditional way to make the brine ... and obviously it works ... but for some reason I find myself reluctant to do it this way, so I go with the distilled water + CaCl + vinegar. And yes, normal white vinegar is the best choice.

For brining most cheeses, you use a fully-saturated solution, which requires approximately 2 lbs. of non-iodized salt for a gallon of water (approximately 1 kg. of salt in 4 liters of water). You have to heat the water up to get all the salt to dissolve. This type of saturated solution is probably fine for adding salt to the mozzarella for flavor, but I think for longer-term storage you use a much less saturated solution - unfortunately, I don't know exactly what that is, but someone else will no doubt chime in.
-- Andy

achik1990

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #5 on: October 17, 2016, 04:46:47 PM »
Will a food grade calcium chloride sold at the bakery shop suffice? Not sure what the 30-33% solution means and i assume i should use normal white vinegar?

Achik, the 30-33% solution is how calcium chloride (CaCl for short) is sold in liquid form specifically for cheesemaking - the solution consists of 30-33% CaCl by weight. You can certainly make your own solution if you can get CaCl in dry (crystal) form, or better yet, just use the appropriate amount of the crystals dissolved in a bit of distilled or filtered/boiled/cooled water - that is what I do. Since 33% is right at 1/3, I just use 1/3 as much of the crystals as the recipe calls for in solution. E.g., when the recipe calls for 1 Tbs (15 ml) of CaCl solution, I use 1 tsp (5 ml) of the CaCl crystals. Here in the US, CaCl in crystal form is sold cheaply in grocery stores as "Pickle Crisp," which is just what it sounds like - an ingredient used when pickling vegetables to help them stay crisp. I don't know what a bakery shop would use it for, but as long as it is more or less pure CaCl, it should be fine.

Or, as Gregore says, you can make the brine out of the whey - this automatically matches the curds in terms of pH and calcium. This is the traditional way to make the brine ... and obviously it works ... but for some reason I find myself reluctant to do it this way, so I go with the distilled water + CaCl + vinegar. And yes, normal white vinegar is the best choice.

For brining most cheeses, you use a fully-saturated solution, which requires approximately 2 lbs. of non-iodized salt for a gallon of water (approximately 1 kg. of salt in 4 liters of water). You have to heat the water up to get all the salt to dissolve. This type of saturated solution is probably fine for adding salt to the mozzarella for flavor, but I think for longer-term storage you use a much less saturated solution - unfortunately, I don't know exactly what that is, but someone else will no doubt chime in.

I see... hmmm this is interesting..i found myself a few stores that sell Calcium chloride.. but what about calcium carbonate?

Offline awakephd

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #6 on: October 17, 2016, 08:23:45 PM »
No, calcium carbonate is something different. I have no idea if/how it would work for this application ... maybe one of our chemists can chime in!
-- Andy

achik1990

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2016, 10:24:11 PM »
No, calcium carbonate is something different. I have no idea if/how it would work for this application ... maybe one of our chemists can chime in!


Well i found one but not sure if it's the same calcium.chloride

Since you have experience in this..
Coukd you take a lot at this and tell whether or not it's the same calcium chloride you're using?

http://www.myaquariumshops.com/shop/additives/mya-calcium-chloride-cacl-reef-supplement-500g/

It's for reef supplement

Offline Gregore

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2016, 04:34:10 AM »
Don't know enough to know if you should trust that , though you really are using a very small amount per cheese .

You also could check out beer and wine making suppliers as they use it for something when making their Brew .

achik1990

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2016, 08:31:27 AM »
Don't know enough to know if you should trust that , though you really are using a very small amount per cheese .

You also could check out beer and wine making suppliers as they use it for something when making their Brew .

There is no beer/wine making suppliers where I come from ..  :(

Offline awakephd

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2016, 05:35:05 PM »
Achik, at first I was a little concerned about it being for aquariums ... but then I read further, and it specifically states that it is food-grade. Given that, I'd say it should work fine.
-- Andy

achik1990

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #11 on: October 19, 2016, 12:16:36 AM »
Achik, at first I was a little concerned about it being for aquariums ... but then I read further, and it specifically states that it is food-grade. Given that, I'd say it should work fine.

it is? where did u read that? ..

*nvm.. read em on the description given
« Last Edit: October 19, 2016, 12:24:31 AM by achik1990 »

AnnDee

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2016, 01:02:04 PM »
Achik,
I have lots of cacl, if you want you can take it from me.

achik1990

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2016, 09:13:47 PM »
Achik,
I have lots of cacl, if you want you can take it from me.

Well.. i found the food grade ones... if I may where did u buy em? Pet store?
cause people told that I can find food grade Calcium Chloride there..

Hahaha I'm embarrassed  :(  to take things from people ... (parents teaching)

AnnDee

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Re: Does mozzarella recipe differ from milk to milk?
« Reply #14 on: October 25, 2016, 03:14:55 PM »
I bought diluted one from cheesemaking shop, I also bought powdered type from bulkfood.com