Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

My sister beat me to it. The story of my life. But maybe it doesn't matter, because after all, I still get to savor the spoils. I had no idea how easy making homemade cheese could be until my sister showed me during our most recent cousin get-together. We had seven kids gathered around the stove waiting for turns to separate curds from whey. And yes, for good measure we had to repeat the nursery rhyme. For mozzarella, the temperature stays pretty low, so while there are a few parts that require a grown-up to take over, there are many parts for kids to help too. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and involves only a handful of ingredients: milk (the fresher the better), citric acid, rennet, and non-iodized salt.

Mother Earth News had a great article this month and you can see the recipe on their site. The supplies are available from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.

Comments

[Kathy]

What fun! I'm imaging how great the fresh mozzarella would be with basil, garlic, and just-picked tomatoes on homemade pizza.

[Johanna]

Great idea! You have inspired me to give cheese-making another try. I have had a lot of success with making soft cheeses like cream cheese, neufchatel, and labneh, but gave up on it all after trying a hard farmer's cheese. Here's my favorite cheese-making-related site: http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Fankhauser/Cheese/cheese.html