Two day Mozzarella

[ancksunamun]

I finished my Mozzarella off tonight and it went brilliantly! Fantastic stringy, glossy and smooth.

Excellent recipe MrsKK and so convenient!

Thank you.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Mozz (and any cheese) is all about patience. The whole concept of a "30 Minute Mozzarella" is a setup for failure.

[Brentsbox]

Mozz (and any cheese) is all about patience. The whole concept of a "30 Minute Mozzarella" is a setup for failure.

I agree with Sailor.  I cant see doing any cheese in the microwave.  Heck, I really dont like to even cook anything in it.

[ancksunamun]

Agreed! The concept of microwaving it seems so wrong. Mind you, I don't own a microwave at all as I'm not a fan of cooking anything in them so I would say that.

As mentioned my Mozzarella seems to have turned out well but I do have some questions following this make.

1) Are there any guidelines as to how much you should work the curds to make the perfect mozzarella?
2) Is there a trick to making sure they stay soft rather than hardening?

I'm thinking on the fresh mozzarella I have had and while I am pretty happy with mine for a first attempt it is probably more reminiscent of the rubbery bulk mozzarella we have here than the fresh soft stuff I have eaten. It will though be perfect for pizza and other string cheese dishes.

[DeejayDebi]

Time and patience and more time. If you give it the time it needs it's a fun easy cheese to make.

[MrsKK]

I agree with Debi about time.  I've found that when it is the upper end of two days, maybe even into three days when I stretch the cheese, that I get better results.

[DeejayDebi]

I think part of the problem people have is they read about the 30 minute mozzarella then try to make the traditional style and expect it to happen in 30 minutes. I think the 30 minute variety is supposed to ease you into making cheese with little equipment of investment. This is good for places where you may not have a stove or maybe little kids. I always thought it was a simple cheese for newbies until I came here.

[MrsKK]

I still occasionally make the 30 minute mozz when I absolutely need some of the cheese in a quick time.  Never for fresh eating, though.

[mtncheesemaker]

Hey Karen,
I've used your recipe successfully a few times but had an "udder" failure the other day. I tested a small piece in water and it "spun" like it should have. But, when I heated up the whey and tried to stretch the rest, the curds just crumbled and wouldn't come together. They also lost loads of liquid into the whey, losing like 50% of their volume. I put the rest back into the fridge for a bit, then nuked them just to see what would happen. They stretched but weren't really that great texture-wise.
Any idea why they stretched in water, not whey, and why they lost so much liquid to the whey? I'm thinking it must be a similar action to feta dissolving in brine, but can't put the answer together.
I'm going to make curds tonight for another attempt but am feeling a bit gun shy!
Any help appreciated.
Pam

[Sailor Con Queso]

Sounds like it got too acidic.

[mtncheesemaker]

That's what I thought but why did it stretch in water, and not lose volume?

[Sailor Con Queso]

I'm guessing that the pH was just a little low - right on the borderline. Putting it in water helped reduce some of the acid on the surface. Just enough to allow it to stretch. Turning a 24 hour moz into a two or 3 day moz can definitely allow the bacteria time to create too much acid, even at refrigerator temperatures. Think spoiled milk.

[MrsKK]

Sailor is probably right.  I've never had that happen myself.  Sorry!

[mtncheesemaker]

OK, thanks for the info.

[akurtser]

Thanks you for the recipe.
I'd like to try it for just 1 gallon of milk, is it just a matter of cutting all the ingredient by 1/4?