Fantabulously Easy Under an Hour Fresh Mozzarella

Name: Fantabulously Easy Under an Hour Fresh Mozzarella
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 1 ball, 8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1/4-1/2 rennet tablet (some brands of milk like 1/2 tablet to make curds); 1/4 cup water, bottled PLUS; 1 cup water; 1 1/2 teaspoons citric acid; 1 gallon whole milk, not organic and not ultra pasteurized; 1 teaspoon cheese salt (more or less) (optional)

Submitted by Secret Agent

"This is so yummy and easy to make! You can be eating fresh mozzarella within an hour of starting the recipe! Why pay $10.00 a pound for fresh mozzarella when you can make it lickety split! Best if eaten the same day or within 24 hours of making. Pour the whey back into the milk jug and use it to cook your oatmeal, make bread and muffins with, add into soups! DON'T use organic or ultra-pasteurized milk OR chlorinated water as it will not turn into mozzarella! You can find citric acid and rennet tablets in your health food store. Have fun! NOTE: cook time is total time from when you add the milk until you are finished. WAIT! don't throw the whey away - make Recipe #427121 in just a few minutes!"

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photo by Secret Agent

Ready In:: 35mins
Ingredients:: 6
Yields:: 1 ball
Serves:: 8

ingredients

¹⁄₄ - ¹⁄₂ rennet tablet (some brands of milk like 1/2 tablet to make curds)
¹⁄₄ cup water, bottled PLUS
1 cup water
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons citric acid
1 gallon whole milk, not organic and not ultra pasteurized
1 teaspoon cheese salt (more or less) (optional)

directions

Dissolve the rennet in the 1/4 cup of bottled water and set aside.
In a large pot pour one cup of filtered or bottled water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of citric acid stirring to dissolve.
Pour in one gallon of whole milk and heat to 88° over a medium burner.
When your thermometer reaches 88° remove the pot from the heat source and add the reserved rennet mixture, stirring for 30 seconds.
Let the curds set for 5 to 8 minutes. At this point I will press my hand down on the curds so gently to see if there is a clear yellow whey liquid - if not let it sit for another 2 or 3 minutes.
With a long knife that reaches the bottom of your pot start cutting the curds north to south and then east to west into one inch cubes.
Scoop out the curds carefully and ladle into a quart sized plastic bowl which is microwave safe. Press the curds and drain off the whey.
Microwave on high for one minute and pour off the whey.
Quickly knead the curds into a ball with your hands (wear kitchen gloves since the curds will be increasingly hot) or a silicone spatula. Pour off the whey.
Microwave again for 30 seconds and quickly knead with a silicone spatula, pouring off whey. It's starting to get hot at this point so don't use your hands.
Microwave a third time for 30 seconds and quickly knead with a silicone spatula and pour off the whey.
The cheese should be nice and shiny and quite warm and nice and stretchy so wear gloves and knead and stretch the cheese like taffy. NOTE: I make the recipe with a silicone spatula and not my hands. I stretch and knead against the side of the bowl with excellent results and no scalded fingers. Add cheese salt at this point if you want. Separate into smaller balls if desired.
Drop the ball into ice water to cool.
Wrap in plastic wrap and eat within 24 hours. For best taste eat the same day.
Some folks like to make a brine to keep the cheese balls in but I think it is best stored in plastic wrap and made the same day you want to eat it.
When you become proficient you can add in yummy things at the same time you salt; try sun-dried tomatoes, basil, parsley, what suits you. You can roll prosciutto into it and slice it for a party.
Save your whey for Recipe #427121! It will only add a few minutes to your kitchen time!

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Secret Agent

Hello Zaars and Zaarinas! Thank all of you who tried my 'memory' recipes and left such nice reviews and for taking such lovely pictures. I do appreciate your comments. My pet peeves about cooking are recipe reviews where the reviewer says, "I made the recipe exactly as written EXCEPT yada yada yada" and I don't like suggestive names or titles such as, "Better Than Sex". I don't know why anyone would eat anything that is 'sinful' or 'decadent' since decadent is described as being decaying. Also, PAP-RI-KA only has 3 syllables. VINAIGRETTE is pronounced vin-a-grette, not vinager-ette. It's mas-car-pone not mars-ca-pone. And I don't like cutesy adult baby talk,,, or metro chic names like delish, nutrish, yummo, sammy, BAM! Oh well, I make as many, or more, faux pas as the next guy especially in ASL! Things that crack me up are: DH Fred from youtube.com Nick, my nephew Fish and Poi song as performed by PoiBoi My possum recipe per the song on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVvL4-srt6U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpbyM8k7e2Q wow this is good! my Doggie Little Yellow Petey Bird on youtube My BFF's. all of them and there are so many! and my little Sister Mary Beth. She has MS and Lupus and a great attitude. <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/PAC08Main.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/adoptedspring08.jpg">

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