The wife and I love to have a dinner of good sliced dry sausage, mozzarella, roasted peppers and crusty bread at least once a month. Good mozzarella is not easily found here in the Charlotte area, at least anywhere convenient to our home. I’ve read up on making it at home, and while not super-simple, it certainly seems doable.
I’m just wondering if anyone has tried it, and what kind of success you had (or not) and any tips you might be able to pass along.
My husband was into cheese making last winter. He made a lot of paneer, which he would form into balls and we’d slice to eat. Eventually he made a batch of mozzarella, which turned out similar. It had a crumblier texture than store-bought mozzarella. I wasn’t watching his technique so I don’t know how the mozzarella differed from the paneer. Maybe he used junket instead of acetic acid?
Also, it’s difficult to impossible to get buffalo milk, which the real mozzarella di bufala is made of.
Anyway–both his paneer and his mozzarella were darn tasty, even if neither was quite like store-bought mozzarella. I mean, very tasty. He was making it with discounted gallons of grocery-store milk.
Jasper’s Restaurant here in Kansas City, an up-scale Italian place, has an appetizer (top item on this menu) that involves making Mozzarella cheese right at your table-side.
ETA: Looking around, I found a video of Jasper making it.
I do it often and Mozzarella is a great cheese to learn on; it is incredibly easy and can be done in 30 minutes.
Then you will want to start making other kinds! I’ve been blue, brie, and Cottswald. Now I miss making cheese!
Cool! Any hints you care to pass along, or is it so easy I don’t need any?
Well that certainly didn’t look overly complicated. Thanks. I’ve seen rennet in the supermarket here so I think we have everything we need to give it a try.
That video looks rather fun. You say it can be done with discount milk from the grocery store? I’d love to try it some time.
Remember you can’t make cheese with UHT milk. The high heat destroys the curds and they won’t set properly. UHT is that milk in boxes that can be stored at room temperature until opened.
Buy the most expensive, organic milk you can afford. It makes a difference in the flavor of the cheese.