How to Make Great Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Step 16 Stretching. OK Here comes the fun part.

Microwave again.
Put back in the microwave for another 20 seconds. Add Salt. At this point if it's warm enough it should start to become pliable and stretchy. YEAH!!!!. Grab 1/3 to 1/2 and lift. It should start to stretch under it's own weight. If not put it in the microwave for a few more seconds. As you work through the stretching process also knead it like bread a couple times. If necessary microwave occasionally until your cheese looks like the last picture.

Comments

[cory2]

I can't get it stretchyyyyy!!! I used lemon juice in place of citric acid I was told that would do the trick but now I am thinking not??? any ideas?

[Step3]

lemon juice works fine from my experience... I think it is all about getting the cheese to the right temperature...

[Tizy]

Hi Mike. I tried today for the first time and all was going well...till I got to the microwave part...my microwave is 1300 watts, so I thought to put it in for  less time. You were also saying that is better to do short cycles that one too long. So, I startedwith cycles of 10 seconds at the time. I had a few of those, maybe tre, for step 13, squeezing the whey out each time, then for step 15 I kept duing 10 seconds cycles, starting to make it in a bowl...then I noticed that the more i put it in the microwave the mushier it was getting...I kept trying, and still it got mushier and more like ricotta...so after a while I stopped. What did I do wrong?
My microwave is one those old ones, without the turnable dish...so I thought that could be the cause...maybe it doesn't it evenly? I am going to try again, and maybe I will try your timing? It does taste good! It tastes like mozzarella...but it looks like ricotta :(...total failure!

[Step3]

The same thing happened to me the first time that I tried... It was the store bought milk that I was using that caused the problem. I think it has something to do with pasteurization at too high a temperature. You might want to add calcium chloride to the milk to strengthen the curds. I am by no means a cheese expert so please seek a second opinion.

[Tizy]

I also wanted to add that I used unhomogenized milk...could that be also why it didn't turn out well?

[mlardie]

I make cheese for a living, and this is a pretty good recipe for homemade mozzarella! Here's a tip for those of you who are having trouble with your microwaves - let your curd sit overnight in a covered bowl in the fridge. The next day drain off any whey that has accumulated and cut your curd into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. Boil a pot of salted water (10oz salt to one gallon of water), place the curds into a fresh bowl, and pour the boiling water over. Let the curds sit for a few minutes, and then stretch into a ball (its hot, but your hands get used to it). Taste for saltiness and adjust the water accordingly. This is how we do it in the cheese kitchen every week!

[beanco]

cool, I was just wondering how to do this without a microwave.. I just do not like using them..... thanks..

rob

[Earle.D]

Ya, so was I - took long enough-everone got into politics and water

[thomas9666]

Could you not also use the whey instead of water?

[iberger]

The problem with adding whey back in is that they whey is acidic and will change the flavour of the cheese. You also need salt to preserve the cheese (although with mozzarella, it usually doesn't last that long to matter much). By all means, you could use whey to add moisture, but keep in mind that it won't have the clean flavour that mozzarella usually does. Experimentation can be exciting, though. (:

[diybrewing]

This past two step are not clear at all as to what you are looking for. You want to get your curd up to an internal temperature of 130F. Only at this temperature will the curd get pliable. I do mine without the microwave but on a stovetop for this reason. I also do not do all the squeezing of the curd that she does with the spoon. I use my hands and when the curd gets to 130 I will work it like pizza dough for a minute and then try to stretch. If it does not stretch then you put it back in the water and bring the temperature back to 130 and then work like pizza dough and try to stretch. I find that it takes usually 3 times for this to work.

[drapsinski]

I discovered that it doesn't really come together and get stretchy until the salt is added. I had tested for stretchiness right after I took it out of the microwave and started to worry when it wasn't stretchy at all. Once I added salt, it all started to work.