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Yesterday was a really great day. Actually, this whole weekend was really great. On Saturday, Matt and I explored downtown Tampa and Oktoberfest and then yesterday, with football games on the TV in the background, we attempted to recreate his mom’s famous meatballs and sauce so we could enjoy meatball subs for dinner. While the kitchen smelled out of this world amazing all day long, I am sad (but not surprised) to say that our attempt to match Mama B’s recipe fell short. The meatballs were still tasty and the sauce was still delicious, but it just wasn’t the same. Hers are just too good to match! However, we also made our first ever batch of homemade mozzarella cheese and THAT was a big win. I immediately knew I had to share the process with you all and I can officially say that if you have the time (about an hour) and the resources, that you should definitely try this one at home. So, the question of the hour is, “How do you make mozzarella cheese?”

Matt and I got lucky with this Sunday project. His little brother, Sam, gifted us a kit with the recipes and tools to make multiple batches of mozzarella and ricotta (next week) and so all we really needed to get was milk. Full fat, un-homogenized, milk.

For those of you interested in keeping it as simple as possible, check out the kit that Sam gave us! It was really helpful to have everything ready to go without the need to figure out where to buy citric acid, calcium chloride and rennet tablets (what?!).

If you are ready to just get started and are a cheese making expert, then that’s great! Recipe and steps comin’ at ya!

Okay, so first things first. What will you need?
1 gallon full fat, un-homogenized milk

2 mL calcium chloride

2 tsp. citric acid

Water

1 tablet of rennet

Salt

Ice cubes

Equipment wise you need:

1 large pot

Draining spoon

Thermometer

Cheese cloth

Large knife

Rubber gloves

2 large bowls

Colander

Ready to get started?

Step 1: Pour the milk into the large pot, and add the calcium chloride.

Step 2: Dilute the citric acid in ¼ cup of cold water and add to the milk mixture.

Step 3: Heat the milk to 89 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius) stirring constantly.

Step 4: Remove from heat and stir in the rennet tablet dissolved in ¼ cup of cold water.

Step 5: Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.

Congratulations, you now have curd.

Step 6: Using your large knife, cut the curd into 1 inch cubes in the pot and put the pot back on the stove – stirring gently until it reaches 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius).

Step 7: Once the temperature has reached 108 the curd should be a bit more firm and spongy to touch. Line a colander with the cheese cloth and drain the whey (liquid) so all you have left is the curd. If you don’t plan on eating all of your cheese at once, save the whey so you can store your leftover cheese. Drain for about 5 minutes.

Step 8: Take a handful of the curd and using your draining spoon, lower it into two quarts of unsalted, boiling water. Let it heat for about 20-30 seconds before you (while wearing rubber gloves because it will be HOT), stretch the mozzarella smooth and form a round ball.

Step 9: Drop your mozzarella ball into 2 liters of salted ice water and repeat with the rest of the curd.

Step 10: After ten minutes in ice water, your cheese is ready to enjoy! You can add more salt to taste if you’d like

You can store your cheese in an airtight container without any whey but I recommend storing it in a mixture of 2 cups of leftover whey and 1/8 teaspoon of citric acid.

It’s not a terribly complicated process and only takes about an hour. I may be easily entertained but I was literally fascinated the entire time, which made it even better!

 
Have you ever made cheese at home? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!

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Rebecca McKinney

I was born a foodie. My dad is a chef, baker, and restaurant owner and my mom might as well be because she owns whatever kitchen she walks into. I grew up working in my family’s restaurant and bakery in Pawling, New York – McKinney and Doyle. I started behind the bakery counter at 12 years old after begging my parents to let me start working. At 16 I worked as a hostess. By 18 I was serving tables and training behind the bar where I then worked every other weekend throughout my college career. Even now, when I am visiting my family in New York, I help out where I’m needed. To make a long story short, the food and restaurant industry has been my life for as long as I can remember.

I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.

So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!

Eat well & travel often,

Becky McKinney

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