Mozzarella oops ... Am I in trouble

[angi22]

So I'm making mozzarella for the first time I let the milk get to 90 and added the thermophilic culture to let it ripen for 45 I walked away and left burner on lo checked temp and it had risen to 125 did I just mess up my first cheese or will it be ok ? I took it off the heat immieadtly ... Any advice would be greatly appreciated !!

[linuxboy]

How long was it at 125? And what kind of thermo culture?

[angi22]

It was at 125 for about 5 mins and a direct set thermo culture from cheesemaking.com I dunno if that tells you anything :/

[angi22]

Also added 1/4 tsp liquid  rennent dissolved in 5 tsp of water , let set for 1 hour no visible curd has set .... Still liquid milk

[angi22]

made another oopsie ... i diluted my rennet in tap water .. think it may be chlorinated ... any advice ... i think i botched this batch may try again tomorrow ?

[Gina]

Welcome to the board.

It doesn't sound good.... often just one oopsie can be enough to throw off a cheese.

[Tropit]

If it didn't set up yet, you may be able to salvage it by making it into a soft, spreadable cheese, or ricotta.

[angi22]

 how could i turn it into a ricotta?

[Gina]

I've only made it from whey, but here is a recipe for making ricotta from milk:

http://cheeseforum.org/Recipes/Recipe_Ricotta_Milk.htm

For more discussions on ricotta (there are many), you can use the search function found at the upper right hand of the page. And of course ask questions if you have problems.

[DeejayDebi]

This has been quite the learning experience for you hasn't it? Well done! It usually takes a bit longer to get this many lessons under you belt. You probably won't make these mistakes again so not all is lost! Remeber what you did wrong and learn from it - can't ask for more than that.