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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Recipe 6 12 14 18 Mozzarella Troubleshting Mozzarella Whole Milk Ricotta Marinated Mozzarella Appetizer 0more recipes online page 14 page 6 page 18
before you start THIS KIT CONTAINS Citric Acid* Cheese Salt* (( Vegetable Rennet Tablets** store in: *the freezer Thermometer **a cl, DRy Place Butter Muslin (fine-weave cheesecloth) Recipe Bklet Check the contents of this cheese kit. Your kit includes citric acid, tartaric acid, vegetable rennet tablets, salt, a thermometer, and butter muslin. Please contact us if anything is missing or open. Prepare the milk or cream. This kit can be used with cow milk or goat milk, whole or reduced-fat, to make mozzarella or ricotta cheese. Cream or half-and-half can be used to make mascarpone cheese. Do not use ultra-pasteurized or UHT milk or cream. Prepare the utensils and containers. Use stainless steel, glass, or enamel containers and utensils. Everything must be perfectly clean, with no soap or fd residues. When cleaning the containers and utensils after making cheese, rinse them first in cold water to remove all the milk particles, then wash and rinse as usual. Read all the instructions. 5LET S GET STARTED There are some special differences in the instructions depending on what kind of milk is used and whether a microwave will be used for some steps. If you get lost or confused by any of the instructions, please contact our customer support representatives. We are always happy to help! 7what s that smell? 4 Fermented fds often have a sour but clean aroma and flavor. Never consume anything that smells or tastes unpleasant. If your ingredients aren t performing as expected, don t throw them away! Contact customer support for help: www.culturesforhealth.com 5Let us help 5
MOZZARELLA YIELD: approx. 3/4 lb This mozzarella recipe takes just 30 minutes to make, but it might take some practice. This is a fun project to do with kids! What You ll need MOZZARELLA Ingredients: 1 teaspn cheese salt (optional) One gallon cow or goat milk 1¼ cup cl, chlorine-free water 1½ teaspn citric acid ¼ rennet tablet Supplies: o o A large pot, big enough to hold one gallon milk o Thermometer o Colander Slotted spn (not plastic) Long knife Microwaveable bowl (if using a microwave to stretch the curd) or a small pot (if using the stovetop method to stretch the curd) Rubber gloves (optional) Large bowl of water, placed in the refrigerator and large bowl of water, placed in the freezer, before beginning 7
instructions for making mozzarella 1 Dissolve ¼ rennet tablet in ¼ cup water. Wrap the rest of the tablet in plastic and store it in the freezer. 2 Mix 1½ teaspns citric acid into 1 cup water; stir until the citric acid is dissolved. Pour mixture into the large pot. 3 Add 1 gallon milk to the pot. Stir vigorously with the slotted spn while heating the milk to 90 F (88 F if using raw milk). 4 Take pot off the burner. Slowly stir in the rennet with an up-and-down motion of the slotted spn for approximately 30 seconds. 5 Cover the pot and let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. If using raw milk, let sit for 10 minutes. Check the curd at this point. It should lk like custard, with a clear separation between the curd (solid) and the whey (liquid), If the curd is t soft or the whey is t milky, let sit for a few minutes more. 6 Cut the curd with a knife that reaches to the bottom of the pot. 7 Put the pot back on the stove and slowly heat it while stirring the curd with the slotted spn. If using raw milk, heat to 90 F. If you re using pasteurized milk, and you re going to use the microwave to stretch the curds, heat it to 105 F. If you re using pasteurized milk, and you re going to use the stovetop to stretch the curds, heat it to 110 F. 8 Take the pot off the burner and stir slowly for 2 to 5 minutes. More stirring will make a firmer cheese. next: stretching the curds with either a microwave or water bath o 8 STEP 5 9
10 instructions for making mozzarella (Continued)? 9? USING A MICROWAVE TO STRETCH THE CURDS 9a. Ladle the curds into a large microwavable bowl and drain off the whey. Use rubber gloves if you like. Don t press t much. 9b. Microwave for one minute, then fold the curds gently into the center of the bowl, draining off more whey. Add 1 teaspn salt (optional). 9c. Microwave for another 30 seconds. The curd should be 160-170 F now. If it isn t, microwave it for another 30 seconds. 9d. Stretch the curd by pulling it like taffy until it is soft and shiny. The more you work the cheese, the firmer it will be. USING A STOVETOP WATER BATH TO STRETCH THE CURDS 9a. Heat a pot of water to 185 F. Ladle curds into a colander, folding them together gently toward the center and draining off the whey as you go. 9b. Dip the colander containing the curds carefully into the hot water a few times, then use the slotted spn to fold the curds back into the center of the colander until they become stretchy. This will happen when the curds reach 160-170 F. 9c. Remove the curds from the colander and stretch them like taffy. If curds do not stretch easily, return them to the pot. At this point add cheese salt, if desired. Then stretch the curd by pulling it like taffy until it is soft and shiny. The more you work with the cheese, the firmer it will be.? 10?? 11? Form the cheese. Form the stretched curd into one large ball, or a few smaller balls. Braid it, make it into a log, or roll it into a number of sticks. Be creative! Cl the cheese by submerging it in the bowl of refrigerated water. Leave 15 minutes, then put into the bowl of ice water. This cling step is important to keep the cheese from becoming grainy. TIP: Make ricotta using the whey from making mozzarella! Find instructions online: culturesforhealth.com STEP 9a STEP 10 STEP 9D/C 11
TroubleShting Mozzarella Q. The mozzarella curd never formed a solid mass. It lks like ricotta. Why? Q. My mozzarella curd is very hot and still isn t stretching. What s going on? A. Q. A. There are two primary causes. First, it is important to be sure the curd was allowed to sit and fully form before cutting the curd. Do not disturb the milk at all while the curd is forming. Second, using hightemperature pasteurized milk can cause this issue. Be sure to check the label. When in doubt, or if you continue to have curd problems, try a new brand of milk, preferably a local brand since those brands are generally less processed. The curd disintegrated while heating. What s causing that? There are two primary causes. First, be sure the curd was fully formed (see above). Second, some brands of milk are more acidic than other brands and require a small recipe adjustment. Try again and reduce the citric acid to 1 teaspn. A. Q. A. Due to structural differences between brands of milk (usually due to processing differences), adjusting the ingredients may be necessary. In this case, start over with a new batch and increase the citric acid to 1¾-2 teaspns. It may take several adjustments to find the correct amount of citric acid for the milk you are working with. Cheesemaking is a bit of an art form! My mozzarella is very dry. What can I do differently? Next time, skip the step where the curd is heated to 105 /110 (step 7); or decrease the amount of citric acid to 1¼ teaspns; or take care not to stretch the mozzarella as much and cover it immediately with cold water once the stretching process is complete. Q. A. Why isn t my mozzarella curd stretching after I microwaved it? Your microwave may not be hot enough. Try putting the curd back in the microwave up to three more times at 30 seconds each to warm the curd sufficiently. If your ingredients aren t performing as expected, don t throw them away! Contact customer support for help: www.culturesforhealth.com 5Let us help 12 13
Whole Milk Ricotta Whole Milk Ricotta YIELD: approx. 13/4-2 lb Ricotta is traditionally made with the whey left over from other cheeses, including mozzarella (see our website for instructions). However, you don t need whey to make delicious ricotta: this whole milk ricotta is sweet, creamy, and an excellent choice for first-time cheesemakers. What You ll need Ingredients: 1 gallon milk 1 teaspn citric acid (more if using raw milk) 2 tablespns heavy cream Salt to taste Supplies: o o o A pot big enough to hold 1 gallon of milk A large spn for stirring Cking thermometer o Colander o Ladle Butter muslin Large bowl Rubber band or twist-tie o Twine 14 15
instructions for making Whole Milk Ricotta 1 Pour milk into the large pot. 2 Add citric acid (and salt, if you are using it). Stir to combine. 3 Slowly heat milk to 195 F-205 F. Stir often to avoid scorching. 4 When milk starts to curdle noticeably, turn off heat and allow to set for one hour. Do not stir. 5 Line the colander with butter muslin. Place colander over a large bowl. 6 Ladle curdled milk gently into the lined colander. Bring the corners of the muslin together and tie them. Hang this bag of muslin containing the cheese off of a cabinet handle with the large bowl underneath to catch the whey. Drain for 30 minutes or longer. 7 Place the curds in a bowl and add heavy cream. STEP 6 8 Refrigerate for up to a week covered. Ricotta may be frozen. find these recipes online Spinach Ricotta Dumplings Spinach Ricotta Pie 9Want more? We have dozens of recipes, how-to videos, and articles for beginners and cheesemaking pros online: www.culturesforhealth.com
marinated mozzarella appetizer marinated mozzarella Appetizer This always disappears quickly at parties. Serve with fancy tthpicks. What You ll need Ingredients: 1 batch mozzarella cheese, cled and cut into ½-inch cubes ½ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespns chopped sun-dried tomatoes 1 large clove garlic, minced fine 1 tablespn chopped fresh parsley 1 tablespn finely chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspn dried) 1 teaspn chopped fresh thyme (or slightly less than ½ teaspn dried) Salt to taste instructions 1 Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 3-4 hours up to overnight. Let come to rm temperature before serving. Olive oil may congeal overnight in refrigerator, but will liquefy again at rm temperature. 18 19
Want more? m Dozens of ebks, videos, & expert tips on our website: www.culturesforhealth.com R Cultures for Health 2016