Doing It With Tara: A Very Cheesy Tutorial4

by Tara Diane

If you’re anything like me (not likely; you’re probably way cooler) then you had no idea you could make mozzarella cheese, at home, in about an hour, without very much work. When I saw cheesemaking kits online, I decided they would make great Christmas gifts, but I wanted to try it out first. Below are the basics (loosely laid out) on how to make mozzarella cheese at home!

What You’ll Need

• Rennet (it comes in tablets or drops)
• Citric acid
• A gallon of milk (cannot be ultra-pasteurized! Try to get it as fresh as possible.)
• A slotted spoon, large pot, microwavable bowl, and straining colander
• A microwave
• Cooking thermometer
• A few pairs of latex gloves
• Sea salt and, optionally, other seasonings


Alternatively, there are multiple kits that come with most of the ingredients. A few I’ve seen are New England Cheesemaking, Leeners, and Roaring Brook Dairy.

Like I said, I’m not going to write out every single detail in here. I am by no means a pro; this was my first try, and I think it would be a little rude if I just stole the exact directions from someone else and posted them here! However, there’s a great video from Ricki Carroll, who makes a cheesemaking kit, and a very detailed tutorial on Instructables.com.



1. In two small bowls, you mix up a solution of DISTILLED OR BOTTLED water, rennet and citric acid. Citric acid is in the larger bowl, rennet is in the smaller one, if you were wondering.



2 . Put a gallon of milk on the stove over medium-low heat. You aren’t supposed to use ultra-pasteurized milk, so check the labels! No Horizon brand milk!



3. When the milk reaches a certain temperature, you slowly stir in the citric acid. After a few more minutes and a few more degrees, you slowly stir in the rennet. At this point, I was having major wiggage over the gross and awesome shit that was happening. And since I’m kind of stupid, I tasted it. The vommy chunks just taste like ricotta, not that exciting.



4. After the grossy chunks start getting big, you take them out with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander. The goal is to get out as much whey (clearish liquid) as possible, while also treating the curds as gently as a newborn baby.



5. Once a bunch of whey isn’t dripping out, you stick the big ball of curdled shit in the microwave for about a minute. You kneed the dough for a couple of minutes, draining the whey that comes out, until it’s one solid, shiny mass.

6. At this point, you microwave it a little bit more, stretch the mozzarella like taffy, and sprinkle it with salt and seasoning. Unfortunately, I managed to burn the FUCK out of my hands. I really don’t understand how I’m the only one getting burned by stretching hot sticky cheese, but nobody else seems to be complaining about it. Anyways, I passed on this step, since I was recovering still. Handle with care, guys.



Even though mine didn’t look very pretty due to the lack of stretching, it tasted delicious. The texture was odd. I’m guessing this was due to the lack of stretching. It was a little rubbery and just odd. But for a first try at cheesemaking, I don’t think it was too terrible!



I made a pizza with it and again – odd. It didn’t really melt. It tasted yummy, but I kind of like my cheese to melt!

Anyways, I highly recommend trying it out, especially if you have kiddies (or you yourself act like a ten year old – such is the case with me). Just don’t let them pull on the hot cheese!