Fresh mozzarella

[vogironface]

after a bit of work I have something that resembles Mozzarella but is much to dry to be called mozzarella.  My intent is to keep it as humid as possable and age it a bit.  Perhaps I will end up with something like a dry provalone.  Below are 2 photos, the enemy to the process once the curds shatter seems to be moisture.  I drained what I could and then heated the curds.  Placing a folded paper towel I was able to begin removing the stubborn whey.  This took many cycles to get all of the whey out that needed to be removed.  Eventually the mass began to stick together.  I was never able to stretch it like a real mozzarella though.  It is a rubbery cheese for sure and this I think is due to the high heat needed to get the shattered curd to stick together.  I heated it one final time and then put it in a long mold to cool.  I will claim a small victory over the shattered curds and look forward to our next epic struggle with anticipation.

[DeejayDebi]

Looks like you are almost there. It will take a bunch of reheats before the curds finally meld but they will. I'd nuke it a few more times (maybe 4 or 5) it looks like it's almost at the stretchy point. It will get shiney and look like mozzarella after a few more heatings. Don't give up yet. It does take a lot to bring it back but at least it's usable.

I'd hate to count how many friends have done this and called yelling "HELP! WHAT DO I DO!"

[MrsKK]

I've never had the curds shatter - I was just explaining how I do it when I have such big batches of mozz.  I heat my whey on the stovetop and dip the curd into it to warm it for stretching. I still wouldn't want to do it in half batches.

I like the smaller balls I come up with using my method, as they are just the right size for holding when grating.

[vogironface]

I have thought that a part of the reason they shattered is because the curds were not in whey, but water.  Also, I think that keeping them together, like in a basket as Karen describes, would also help greatly.  My test curds were dipped into the water in a slotted spoon and they worked fine.  Next time I will use heated whey and heat it in smaller batches that can be kept together tightly.  I will try to remember to post here if I think it works.  Oh, and 1 more thing, I like the idea of keeping the thermophilic (not citric acid) curds over night before stretching. 

Thanks Karen and Debi.

[DeejayDebi]

Yeah I hear you Karen much easier that way. I like to make little bite sized balls for salads and frying too. I do fine that whe works better than water though don't you?

[MrsKK]

I figure that it should be used, rather than tossed.  Last time, I made a three gallon batch of mozz and just kept out a gallon of it for the stretching.  I added salt to the whey (only about a half cup, I believe), rather than try to salt the curds.

When I was done stretching my mozz, I added the rest of the whey back in and made ricotta.  I think the yield was better because of the additional whey that was expelled from the mozz went back into the pot, rather than being wasted in hot water.  Plus, the ricotta didn't require any additional salt - the amount was perfectly balanced in the ricotta.

The used up whey was fed to my chickens.  They've been producing eggs really well this winter, so this cheesemaking benefits the entire farm.  I love it!

[MrsKK]

Sorry, Ben, if I've hijacked your thread.

I, too, prefer the thermophilic mozz, but will still make the citric acid version if I'm out and need some cheese in a short period of time.  I'm trying to get really well stocked in the freezer so I don't need to resort to the quick stuff, though.

[DeejayDebi]

Agreed - the quick stuff doesn't have the flavor the thermo stuff has.

[nilo_669]

Are these what your looking for?

[vogironface]

Yes nilo, Those are the cheeses I want to learn.  They are a type of mozzarella but very soft.  Some instruction was given above but if you have a recipe I would love to see it to compare with the others.  I ate some yesterday that was a little past it's prime and was certain I tasted a mild lipase in the cheese.

[DeejayDebi]

Very nice Nilo did you make those? I can never get them the same exact size.

[nilo_669]

Yes i made them myself although it took me awhile to perfect them , but i still have a problem with the texture , its kind of dry on the inside, and once i submerge it to brine hte rind will pill off after 3 days . Can anyone tell me why?Regards.