I have wasted about 25-30 gallons of milk trying to make mozzarella. I was finally able to get the curd to form and then stretch it into balls. However, everytime the mozzarella was hard, rubbery and not edible. When I cut the balls, you could see the layers that were folded over on each other.
I've tried various ways and length of stretching time as well as temperature of water for heating the curd. Usually around 175-180 degrees. I've tried various types of milk from raw milk, whole milk, skim milk, pastuerized and homoginized, pastuerized and non-homoginized. My ingredients are 1-1/2 tsp of citric acid dissolved in water and added at 55 degrees, 20 drops of Rennet dissolved (anything less doesn't form curd) added to milk at 90 degrees. 8-12 drops of Calcium Chloride when using Homoginized milk only. Please help. My wife thinks I am nuts!!!!
Welcome to the forum. I think there are quite a few here struggling with Mozz. It is really picky in regards to the pH of the curd at the time you stretch. It appears you are using the 'quick' method with citric acid. Have you tried heating in the microwave instead of hot water. I've made the quick recipe with microwave heating several times and it really has worked out well for me. It is when I try the long version where you use cultures to ripen the curd when I have issues.
Do you get a good stretch? Does it get shiny? With your rubbery cheese have you ever tried grating it and melting?
Someone else will likely chime in here and give you more advice. Once again, Welcome.
Ryan
Welcome to the forum! I have had good success with the 30 minute Mozzarella recipe in Ricki Carroll's book when using the microwave, but you do have to work quickly, and a good pair of rubber gloves helps protect your fingers from getting too hot/singed while working the hot cheese.
Oh and by the way... all our spouses and significant others think we're nuts!!! :)
Definately agree on the good gloves for hand protection 140 degrees is way to hot for my hands. Some supposedly are used to it and can do it with out hand protection... not me!
Thanks for the responses. I have tried both microwave and "long version" with the same results. Chillipepper, what do you mean by the quick method using citric acid? If there another way. Almost of the recipes I've searched say use citric acid and some say use yogurt and buttermilk. I even purchased a culture from Ricki and still got the same results. I even let the curd sit sometimes for two days then stretch. I do get a shiny surface by it is alway rubbery and squeeky on my teeth. I am heating the water to 175. Is that too high. I have glove and work rather quickly. I even bought some pre-made curd from a local cheese shop and stretched it with 175 water and the mozzarella came out perfect. So I have deduced that the problem is with the curd and not my method of stretching. Maybe less citric acid or different cultures will do the trick. I use 1-1/2tsp of citric acid dissolved and add it to the milk at 55F.
The long version can take up to 24 hours as the curd need to rest and come to the correct pH before putting in hot water to stretch.
If you look in the recipe section you will find one recipe for a mozz that doesn't use citric acid, and while I have done this recipe on a number of occassions, the last three attempts have not worked for me, and the closest I can get to understanding why is that the correct pH is not developing.
Rubbery curds can be caused by two things, over stretching, and too hot water.
I have never made the citric version, so I can't help you any further with that recipe.
Thanks Tea,
I have a feeling that my water temp is too high when stretching somewhere around 175-180f. That seems to be my common factor for all the failed attempts. I've tried different amounts of citric acid, different amounts of rennet, different types of milk, different ripening times. The only thing that I have tried is adjusting my stretching water temp. I made two batches of curd last night and will let them sit for a couple of days. On batch was made with store bought pastuerized and homoginized milk (which I added some calcium chloride) and citric acid, the other was made with organic pastuerized only and used 3tbls of yogurt and 3 tbls of butter milk instead of the acid. The curds look identical right now while sitting. We shall see........stay tuned.
try to use buttermilk instead of citric acid
Chili I am glad to hear that I am not the only one whose wife thinks I am crazy to go through all the trouble.
Cacio
I've been heating the whey up, rather than using water to heat the curd. Remove the curd from the whey (pour it through cheesecloth), and add about 1/2 cup of canning salt or cheese salt to one gallon of whey. Heat the whey to about 150-170 degrees. Put approximately 1 cup of curd, cut into large chunks, into a heat-proof bowl, then ladle enough hot whey over the curd to cover it.
Using wooden spoons, I mush the curd around until it sticks together, then dump the whey back into the pot. I ladle more hot whey over the curd and allow it to sit long enough to heat it well. Then I start hand-working it, kneading and stretching until it starts to get shiny. If it cools off while I am working the curd, I put the curd in a perforate ladle and hold it down in the hot whey until it gets melty again. I keep working it until I think it is done - stretches well without breaking and is shiny - then I submerge it in the whey for just long enough for the ball to warm up again, then put that in a plastic container.
I continue working the curd in small batches until it is all kneaded and stretched. It all melts into one big mass in the plastic container, but that makes it easier to grate it later.
I make mozz in anywhere from 2-5 gallon batches, resulting in 2-5 lbs of cheese, and have found that trying to work the entire mass of curd is really self-defeating.
Try not using Calcium Chloride, what i know is that calcium chloride inhibits stretching in the final stage.Goodluck.
I posted a guide on mozz production in the library that should help. Two important points with regard to moisture are temp and curd size/flocculation combined with healing. Use a lower temp, around 92-95 when cutting, and cut into large 1-2" pieces, then let heal for 15 minutes. Then cut into the normal size. Use a 2.5-3x floc multiplier. The rest is working the curd. If you overwork it, it will be more rubbery.
What does healing do for a curd?
When you first cut the curds they are very delicate healing is just letting them rest on the bottom for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up a bit before your start stirring. They are still delicate after healing but tha why you slowly raise the temperature while stirring gently at first.
If you don't let them heal and you stir to aggressively you could shatter the curds and end up with a whole lot of grainy sized curds. More like custard or something.
And I suppose that is bad? Why? When you're pressing or kneading it all together anyway?
Shattered mozzarella curds never come back together. Occasionally you are able to recover some of it, but it doesn't produce quality mozzarella and you lose a lot of the curd when that happens.
When cheese curds shater the only way to bring them back together is either straining through very fine musslin or reheating and kneading for hours and you will have a very tough cheese. You only do that as a last resort to save the cheese when all else has failed.