Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

[asudavew]

I'm gonna test my cooking skillz at making homemade mozzarella.

Surely, some of my fellow WFO'ers have done this before. (I know .. I know.. stop calling me Shirley) Anyways....

I do have a question(s).

Is rennet a product available locally or only online?
If it is available locally, where the heck can one find it.... grocery store.. cooking store... Wally World?

Also, is it possible to get the curd to form with something else? i.e. vinegar, lemon juice... etc.....

Thanks in advance for all the answers!

Let the posts fly! And don't forget any helpful hints that are totally unrelated to any of the above questions!

Dave

[CanuckJim]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Dave,

I've never done it myself, but here's a link that might get you started:

MOZZARELLA_DC8

Jim

[sarah h]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Hey Dave,

I'm no expert but I did try making cheese about two years ago and the results were ... well ... interesting. The one I did was a very basic cheese and it used either vinegar or lemon juice instead of rennet but I don't think you can just interchange these or any other ingredients when making cheese. My research and limited experience suggest that any modification to a cheese recipe, whether an ingredient or a quantity, immediately makes it into a completely different type of cheese, which may or may not be what you want to do. I also think making cheese is one of those things that likely needs practice to obtain a final product that you'll like - maybe even more so than making good bread! - but still very worth doing, from a personal satisfaction standpoint. Making a really good cheese could be a challenge though, as the ingredients, the humidity and the temperatures are all critical to success.

Here's a link to a site with some interesting info, some recipes, instructions on making your own cheese press and a link to what I think is a cheesemaker's forum: Cheese Recipes (you can't desert us for this one though!)

Let us know how your cheese experiment turns out! You've rekindled my interest in making cheese so you may see results from me too ... but not till the New Year!!

Sarah

[mian]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Dave,
If you are still looking for mozzarella recipes, here are a few more links:

- New England Cheesemaking Supply
I ordered their 30-min mozzarella kit a few years ago. It is not "authentic" since it uses citric acid instead of fermentation to get the right pH (mozz is picky about pH, it won't stretch properly if it is even slightly off), but it is still good, and a lot of fun to make. You can find useful info in their FAQ an recipie section (try the swedish ostkaka for a different dessert).

Another place that sells kits as well as rennet etc:
Cheese Making Books

The one Sarah h gave you ( Cheese Recipes ) is a good one for the more authentic version, but then you need to get special cultures.

My advise would be to try the quick and easy version (w citric acid) first to get a feel for it, and then for more complex flavours, do the cultured version.

Sorry, cant help you with local sources for rennet, here in Sweden we can still get liquid rennet at some supermarkets (refrigerated near the butter and stuff) or a stronger kind (mostly for commercial use) at the pharmacy. But, then again, fresh yeast is common here too, as I've understood is not the case in the US. Both the companies above sells it if you want to order online. The tablets or dried is probably best, it keeps longer.

/Mari

[Ken524]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

There's a restaurant here in Louisville that was featured in the paper a few weeks back. The chef was boasting that he only uses his own Mozz made fresh daily. He made it sound like it wasn't a really big deal to make (he didn't give a recipe, though).

Sounds like a fun project (maybe a good Science Fair subject for Harley?)

[gjbingham]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Might as well by a buffalo too

[Ken524]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Might as well by a buffalo too

...and make sure it's a female. I've heard that you should never try milking a male buffalo.

(but what do I know? I'm a city boy.)

[asudavew]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

...and make sure it's a female. I've heard that you should never try milking a male buffalo.

(but what do I know? I'm a city boy.)

Why not?

Does it anger them?

[gjbingham]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

No Dave, it gives the cheese an off taste

Funny stuff Ken!

[asudavew]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

No Dave, it gives the cheese an off taste

Funny stuff Ken!

George,

That one really cracked me up!

[Frances]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

I would have thought it would more sort of NOT anger the buffalo... if you actually got anything to put in the cheese that is...

Might increase the protein content though?

(...I don't know, leave the forum for one little week, and what do I find you discussing when I come back...?!)

[asudavew]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Sorry Frances...

Ken started it!

How was skiing?

[Frances]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

It was great! Good snow, lots of sunshine, the kiddiewinks were on skis for the first time, which was great fun, and I got out my snowboard for the first time in ten years...

But its also nice to be back, discussing buffalo milk and stuff with you lot

[gjbingham]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Welcome back Frances. Glad you enjoyed the snow.

Thanks for bringing back the pics. I wish I'd taken pics while I lived on your side of the world. Actually, I wish I'd brought back a casted refractory oven too.

Dave, wassup? How are you progressing on the mozzarella della casa idea?

[Acoma]

Re: Lookey here you mozzarella junkies

Pics, where?