Add Cheesemaker to My Resume or My Adventures with Curds and Whey

Inspired by my culinary and crafty friend Caroline, I decided to try making some mozzarella cheese today. I realize that sounds a little off-the-wall but that's the great perk about being a teacher. You get to do all kinds of interesting things that you don't have time for during the school year. Of course I recruited the boys even amongst protests of asking why "everything has to be a learning experience?!"



Anyway, a few weeks ago, I ordered a cheese making kit from a company in New England that promises 30 batches of mozzarella or ricotta from just one kit! It included all the ingredients and gadgets I'd need except the milk.


Of course one can't just go to Jewel and buy regular old skim milk. It's ok if the milk is pasteurized but it can't be ultra pasteurized. Ok, whatever. Luckily, the natural foods store in town carries milk from a local dairy farm (in Fairbury, my old stomp'n grounds and Sam's birthplace) so I picked up a gallon.




Imagine my surprise when I poured it in the pan it was sort of globby...but definitely not spoiled. Then I remembered my siblings (all so much older than me!)talking about the good old days when milk was delivered by Don the Milkman (a whole other story for another day) and how the cream collects at the top and comes out as a blob. That explained it!



So I mixed up the citric acid in one cup and the rennet in the other and Will started the cooking process.


After a little bit of time on the stove, presto! The curds rose to the top and separated from the whey, just like the recipe said!

After scoring the curds while still in the pot and then cooking them a little longer, it started to look a little more cheese-like.



At this point, it goes in the microwave. I know, I didn't expect that either. Not surprisingly, it's pretty hot coming out of the microwave and since I didn't have the recommended rubber gloves (except for the ones I use when cleaning the bathroom) I decided to tough it out and go bare-handed.



With Joe's help "pulling and twisting it like taffy", not that either of us has ever been to a Taffy Pull, we fashioned the cheese into cute little mozzarella fior di latte! Thanks to Joe for being my hand model :-)






We plan on using the cheese on our homemade pizza tonight...but that's a photo for another blog post.