One Wok, One Pot, One Pan: Making mozzarella

(makes about 6 small boccocini balls)

I got this cheese-making kit from Sririn and it sure makes it sound easy! However, after 6L of milk and several you-tube videos, i finally got somewhere with it, not without a few tears :'( The whole journey was a drama and a half, but mostly due to my hopeless maths skills. Somehow i still keep making the most novice mistakes, where when you halve one ingredient, you need to halve the rest of the ingredients! Cheese-making is definitely a fine chemistry from my very limited experience, and getting it wrong twice helped this to be a very memorable lesson!

The pack comes with all the essential starters;

Iodophor; for sterilising equipment that milk comes into contact with

Calcium chloride; for adding calcium back into the milk that's been taken out when processed

Citric acid; for helping to start the curdling the milk

Rennet; for making the whole process happen

Cheese mesh cloth; for separating curd from the whey

Once the chemistry was right and the milk looked ok after step 1, things improved and it was very amazing and satisfying to feel the mozzarella stretch in my own two hands! There is something very cool about making things from scratch, can't imagine what it would be like to make it en masse though!!

Prep time: 1.5hrs (including cooking, waiting, forming the cheese)

Ingredients

2L milk

1mL citric acid

1 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/8 C cool water

1 tablet rennet diluted in 1/4 C non-chlorinated (filtered) water

Salt

ice cubes

Special equipment; cheese mesh cloth, pipette to measure citric acid, rubber gloves for stretching

Method

1. Sterilise equipment that will be in contact with the milk in iodophor (diluted according to the pack). This includes the thermometer, pot, spoon, slotted spoon, mesh net.

2. Stir in the calcium chloride and citric acid with the milk in a large pot and heat until 32˚C whilst constantly stirring gently. The citric acid should start to curdle the milk.

Top right = fail attempt with over-curdled milk - when you forget to halve the dose of citric acid!!
Bottom right = smooth consistency when the chemistry is right

3. Remove from the heat and add the diluted rennet into the milk and gently stir for 30 sec. Cover and leave for 25-30min.

The curd should separate from the whey after this time, you should be able to see this when you gently move the pot or check by lifting the edges.

4. Cut the whey into 3cm cubes.

5. Heat the pot back up to 42˚C while tilting the pot back and forth to spread the heat. The curds should become firmer and springy to touch. Place into a colander covered with the mesh cloth. Leave to drain for 5 minutes.

NB. If you want to keep the mozzarella refrigerated after then keep the whey separately.

5. Prepare a large bowl of hot water (70˚C) and a medium bowl of heavily salted ice water (1/3 C salt in 1L water).

Stretching

6. Take a square of curd and place in a slotted spoon into the hot water. Leave for about 20sec until it starts softening (which is melting), then remove from the heat and try pulling the two ends to stretch it. If it breaks, it's not hot enough and you need to place it back in the hot water and try again. You should be able to stretch and fold it until it becomes a smooth consistency (around 5-6 folds, this may involve putting back in the hot water again after a few folds). This part is like magic!

NB. You don't want to overstretch it otherwise it gets too firm.