CHEESE...wait...no...

And here begins our adventure to create mozzarella cheese. Max and I tried really hard, I swear we did! We even went out to get more supplies so we could do a second batch. We followed every procedure on the description. We triple-quadruple checked the recipe. We looked up everything online on like 20+ different websites, did the readings in the book, and I still can't figure out what went wrong! It could possibly be because I don't have reference for what would have been right because this is the first time Max or I had ever attempted to make cheese. 


So, I had a separate recipe I was planning on using, but I did some research and found that there is a famous cheese-maker named Ricki Carroll that runs the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company in Ashfield, MA. She supplies stores around the area with Mozzarella and Ricotta Kits. I picked one up at Amherst Farmers Supply, Inc and got straight to work. 


"INGREDIENTS
1 gallon milk (not ultra-pasteurized)
1 1/4 cup cool water (chlorine-free)
1 1/2 tsp citric acid 
1/4 rennet tablet
1 tsp cheese salt


EQUIPMENT
1 gallon stainless steel pot or any non-aluminum or non-cast iron pot
dairy thermometer
colander
slotted spoon
long knife


DIRECTIONS

1. Dissolve 1/4 rennet tablet into 1/4 cup of cool, chlorine-free water. Stir and set aside. Wrap the remaining pieces of tablet in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. 
2. Mix 1 1/2 tsp citric acid into 1 cup cool, chlorine-free water until dissolved. 
3. Pour 1 gallon of milk into your pot and stir vigorously while adding the citric acid solution.
4. Heat the milk to 90 degrees F while stirring. 
5. Remove the pot from the burner and slowly stir in the rennet solution with an up and down motion for approximately 30 seconds.
6. Cover the pot and leave it undisturbed for 5 minutes.
7. Check the curd. It should look like custard, with a clear separation between the curd and the whey. If the curd is too soft or the whey is milky, let set for a few more minutes. If your milk did not form a curd at all, check to make sure your milk is pasteurized, but not ultra-pasteurized.
8. Cut the curd with a knife that reaches the bottom of your pot.
9. Place the pot back on the stove and heat to 105 degrees F while slowly moving the curds around with your spoon.
10. Heat the curds to 110 degrees F during this step.
11. Take off the burner and continue slowly stirring for 2-5 minutes. (More time will make a firmer cheese.)
12. Pour off the floating whey and proceed to the next step. 
13. Heat a pot of water to 185 degrees F.
14. Ladle your curds into a colander, folding the curds gently as you drain off the whey.
15. Dip the curds in the colander into the hot water. After several times take a spoon and fold the curds until they start to become elastic and stretchable. This happens when the curd temperature reaches 135 degrees F (You may want to do half the curds at a time in this step to ensure even heating).
16. When it is stretchable remove the curd from the liquid and pul like taffy. This stretching elongates the proteins. If it does not stretch easily, return it to the hot water for more heat. 
17. At this point you can add 1 tsp more or less salt and/or herbs and work it in into the cheese. Stretch the cheese until smooth and shiny. Now we usually slice off a few pieces and eat it hot. Yum!
18. You can now form your cheese into a log, ball, braid, bite size morsels, or even make it into string cheese. 
19. When you're finished, submerge the cheese in ice water immediately and leave for 10 minutes. This cools it down and allows your cheese to hod its shape, protecting the silky texture keeping it from becoming grainy. Refrigerate or eat. Yum!"

So far so good...

Still working fine...

We started out with this much to work with!!...

Slowly starting to work...

Failing...Why? I still can't figure it out!!

Total fail. It just didn't get to the stretchy, taffy stage...

We even tried it again and the exact same thing happened. I will continue researching and try this again in the future. I will successfully make homemade mozzarella cheese. It's on my bucket list now.