Just My Type

Mozzarella Madness

By Mary Ellen

My husband and I are of Italian descent and take cooking very seriously. We’ve had lengthy discussions on the different types of tomato sauces and their respective ingredients and have debated the virtues and appropriate use of Japanesestyle panko breadcrumbs versus the popular seasoned Italian brands.

Fact is that my wonderful husband will always lend a hand in the kitchen. He makes the best chicken cutlets, and I’ve dubbed him the “Chicken Cutlet King.” I also call him the “Garlic Bread Guru.” He makes it spicy and crunchy and it’s always popular with our guests. My favorite is his minestrone. For that he has earned the title of “Minestrone Master.” Though lately I’ve decided to experiment in the kitchen and make homemade mozzarella cheese.

First, I Googled “how to make mozzarella cheese at home.” I got more recipes than I could ever make in a lifetime and narrowed it down to the ones with the highest rating, least amount of ingredients, and lowest preparation time. I settled on “30-minute mozzarella.” Sounds easy, right? Although cheese-making isn’t rocket science, it is sort of like a chemistry experiment when ordinary milk is transformed into our favorite melted pizza topping. What I didn’t know was that this task would have forced Little Miss Muffet to get off her tuffet, grab her bowl of curds, and run a whey—I mean away.

Gathering the three ingredients for this recipe should have been as simple as boiling water. Milk is readily available, but citric acid, which raises the acidity level of the milk, and rennet, an enzyme which causes the milk to separate into curds and whey, were a challenge to find locally and I had to order those items online. I also needed rubber gloves, a food thermometer, cheesecloth, kosher salt, a large pot, and a slotted spoon.

With the necessary tools and ingredients ready, I added citric acid to the milk and heated it to a tepid 90 degrees Fahrenheit. So far so good. Then I added 1/4 of a dissolved rennet tablet, removed the pot from the heat, covered it, and waited five minutes for the curds to magically appear. But instead of firm curds floating apart from the whey, the two substances stubbornly refused to separate, so I tried again adding more rennet to the milk this time. And although I managed to make cheese, it wasn’t mozzarella.

With my ego now bruised like a week-old banana, I was more determined than ever. I made two more attempts, each time adding more citric acid and rennet with the same dismal result. Then with a new recipe on the fourth batch, this Sicilian finally produced mozzarella that would have made my ancestors in the old country jump up and dance the tarantella.

When I asked for help online after my first failure, a veteran cheesemaker told me that it takes practice. He was right. Although I originally thought it would require only 30 minutes, the recipe I finally had success with took two hours. Heating the milk slowly isn’t something you can rush. And with down time between steps and all the celebrating when finished, I also discovered that this recipe featured three glasses of wine. Who knew?

Although I did have several frustrating setbacks, I was proud of myself for producing 14 ounces of mozzarella cheese from a gallon of milk. I was even able to make ricotta cheese from the leftover whey. So if you have some time on your hands and are not easily discouraged, you might give it a try. I know I’ll continue to make my own mozzarella, then open a bottle of wine, and dance the tarantella with my wonderful husband when I’m done.