Mozzarella Cheese Making - Problems and Discussion

[24KAu]

Hi everyone!

I'll start by saying that I tried to make some mozzarella yesterday and it was a spectacular failure.

I had been wanting to make some mozzarella for a while so I started by looking at various recipes online and ordered some ingredients from a source online.

One thing I noticed was that there are several variations to the recipe for mozzarella and I'm curious about the reasons for including or omitting some of the ingredients.

In addition to differences in ingredients, there seems to be different procedures and time allowances for the process as well.

I read many recipes and how-to guides, I watched a few instructional videos on youtube, I even ordered a book to read (although that hasn't arrived yet) and my attempt did not produce anything near what the pictures and videos looked like.

I ended up using David Frankhauser's recipe and procedures http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Pasta_Filata/Pasta_Filata.html as a guide with a few exceptions.

I used 1/4tsp of thermophilic starter instead of the cultured buttermilk that was requested in the recipe and I used 1/2tsp of a liquid rennet instead of the junket rennet in tablet form.

I also used 4 liters of Neilson's brand homogenized milk instead of the raw milk David Frankhauser uses (I mention this in case someone else from Canada might know there is a problem with this type of milk or not).

I got a clean break after letting the mixture of milk/starter/rennet rest for almost four hours (it was actually at the clean break stage after about 2.5 hours but I was a bit hesitant and unsure because this was my first time) and cut the curds as instructed.  However, things began to go awry when I stirred the curds after cutting them and it continued to falter while I reheated the curds to the instructed 97deg. F.

When I stirred the curds after cutting, I noticed that they were losing their structure and disintegrating into much smaller chunks of solids.  Then, when I began heating them again, the curds seemed to break apart even further. 

As this was my first time trying this, I really wasn't sure if what I was seeing was a problem or not, although I did begin to worry.

I reached the temperature of 97deg. F and removed the pot from the heat.  Unfortunately, there seemed to be some residual heat in the base of my pot and the temperature continued climbing until it peaked at 104deg. F.

I left the pot in a warm location for 8 hours and when I returned the curd had sunk to the bottom of the pot.  I drained the contents through a colander and what I was left with was nothing at all like what all the images and videos looked like.  It looked more like runny ricotta than anything else.

I took a small bit of the curd to test and put it into a small amount of hot water as instructed.  The curd just disappeared and turned the water into a milky-white concoction with a few small chunks floating in it.  I let the curd rest a few hours longer and tried the test again and it did the same thing.

This experience has left me wondering a few things. 

Would the addition of citric acid and/or calcium chloride have made any difference?

Was I doomed to failure once the temperature increased past the requested 97deg F?

Is there something else I failed to do?

Having double-checked the instructions, I know I followed them as written except for the ingredient substitutions and the heat getting away from me.

I am hoping maybe someone with more experience can let me know about the citric acid or calcium chloride so that I can make adjustments the next time I try and make it.

TIA,

[MrsKK]

First of all, Welcome to the CheeseForum!

I'm sorry to hear about your less-than-satisfactory results.  Many people here will tell you that mozzerella is a tough cheese to start out with, but many people jump right in with it.  I think mostly because it doesn't have to be aged.

As for ingredients, citric acid and calcium chloride are used for two different purposes.  Citric acid is used to make a quick mozzerella or 30-minute mozzerella.  Calcium chloride is used with pasturized milk.  One of the more knowledgeable members here can explain why CaCl is used.

Here is my recipe for making mozzarella, mostly based on Fankhauser's method, but with a few tweaks.  I have used both thermophilic culture and yogurt to make this and it turns out nicely almost every time.  When it doesn't, it is usually because I get interruped at the wrong time.  I have also used Junket rennet, liquid rennet and powdered calf rennet (for different batches), all with success.

I do use raw milk for all of my cheesemaking, so I'm just guessing that most of your trouble came from the milk you used.  If it was UHT pasturized, it just wasn't a good product for cheesemaking.

The only thing I see "wrong" about your process is that it appears as though you started stirring your curd right after cutting it.  It usually works better to allow about ten minutes for the curd to heal after it has been cut.  The time helps avoid shattered curds.  Once curds shatter, there isn't much you can do with it.

I hope some of this helps and I hope that you don't give up on cheesemaking.  Hang in there!

[24KAu]

Thanks MrsKK!

I will definitely be trying again, but before I do I'll research a little more to see if the milk I tried  using was actually UHT pasteurized and/or if I should be adding any CaCl to the mix.

I see that your recipe calls for allowing the inoculated milk to ripen for an hour before adding the rennet.  As you can see from my first attempt, I only allowed for 15min for the ripening.

Does the longer ripening period allow for a shorter time to reach the clean break stage?  After allowing the milk to ripen for 15min, it took considerably longer (at least 2.5hrs) for me to get a clean break on my first attempt.

I am off to do some more research...I have much to learn but I find all this very exciting - even when things don't go right, because I know I'm learning from these mis-steps too.

Thanks for your help!

[24KAu]

I wanted to update this topic with some information received form another member here.

A big thank-you to "Spoons" for confirming that he has used the same brand and kind of store-bought milk I used, except he has gotten it to work.

This gives me hope that the milk I used was okay...I just messed up in the execution of the recipe.

With that knowledge and the great instructions from MrsKK (see above), I feel confident in trying another batch.

Thanks, to you both!

I'll let you know how my second batch goes. 

[24KAu]

Okay...noob question/realization.......

I used 1/4cup tap water to dilute the liquid rennet before mixing it into the 95degree F inoculated milk.

my tap water comes from a municipal water treatment facility.....chlorination is part of the treatment....

*face palm*

I have run some of my tap water through a Brita filter and have left the whole pitcher sitting on my kitchen counter for a few days.

I'm not sure how much chlorine the Brita filter removes but since chlorine is very volatile, I'm thinking that any residual amount left in the water after filtering would probably have evaporated.

Am I on the right track here with my thoughts regarding this?

Thanks!

[MrsKK]

I think that the short culturing time plus the chlorinated water both probably added up to your problems.  To remove the chlorine, you can boil the water, then cool it off.  Make sure it is quite cool/not warm at all before adding the rennet.

You'll have to consult others about the calcium chloride, but it sounds as though adding it really improves cheese yields in pasturized milk.

[kiri]

Hi,

I am new to this site too and found it whilst trying to fix my mozzarella issues - I found this link quite helpful as it has photos.   
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php?topic=3448.0
Like this cheese maker, I had VERY small bits like ricotta, only not wet but very dry. I did manage to heat to a temp that allowed stretching, but it was very rubbery.
Hope this helps!

[DeejayDebi]

I have seen this happen to friends many times and it always amazes me. You can recover the curds with heating but they will be rubbery - no way to prevent that but at least it's not a total loss. The more you play with the curds the more rubbery they get. Once the curds are cut you need to treat them gently and stir slowly until they firm up/ Mozzarella has been talked about in at least 20 or so threads with carful explainatiions by many people the study the science behind the make - read them.

I make my mozzarella, bocconcini, scramorza etc. very similar to Mrs KK. Rather than posting it and confusing you more  follow her make and don't make any changes. You should never make changes to a recipe until you understand what is going to happen. Times and temperatures are very important. Stay within the guidelens you you should be fine.