making mozzarella

so...making mozzarella is easier than making ricotta.  easier, i say!  you don't have to heat the milk to as high a temperature because the rennet separates the curds and whey at a lower temperature.  at least, that's what i've decided rennet's purpose is.  (rennet is traditionally made from calf stomachs (GROSSNESSSSSSS), but the cheesemaking kit that becky got me for christmas has vegetable rennet tablets, which pleases me.)

so...heat the milk, add rennet, heat it a little more.

as soon as you add the rennet, this happens.  magic!!

scoop out curds.

microwave for 90 seconds, kneading occasionally with a spoon (it's too hot to do it with your hands) and pouring off excess whey.  add salt and keep kneading.  mozzarella!!!

now, this was not the most delicious mozzarella i've ever eaten.  it was good, but i'd have to take grocery store fresh mozzarella over this.  i'm not sure why mine didn't turn out as well as i'd imagined it would, but one possibility is that i kneaded it too long.  the directions said that the more you knead it, the firmer it gets.  i saw this as a plus, since it was pretty runny initially, but i may have kneaded too much, resulting in the firmer cheese that i ended up with.  hmm.  perhaps i will try again at some point and knead it less.

all in all, though, a delicious dinner!