Mistakenly Melty Mozarella

So here's a question for my cheesemaking friends:

At my urging, a family member recently made a mozzarella using Ricki Carroll's starter kit.  She and her husband used whole milk, but used a different process for heating than the microwave shortcut (not exactly sure what they did...but they were trying to be "more traditional" about it). 

She served the cheese last night at a dinner party, and after it came to room temperature, it was almost melted.  It had the consistency of the inside of a brie or camembert... It was a gooey blob!

She made the cheese about ten days earlier, and had kept it in the fridge, sealed in plastic wrap.

Upon tasting, it was obvious to me that they didn't add enough salt.  I'm thinking that since salt helps expel moisture from the curds, without enough salt it had too much moisture remaining.  But would that be enough to cause it to melt at room temperature?  What else might cause this cheesy conundrum?

Cheese-Making Workshop in Your Home

In support of IKAR's annual fundraiser, I'm offering an...

Organic Cheese-Making Workshop and
Artisanal Wine & Cheese Tasting!

Indulge in an evening of decadence and deliciousness! Andrew Wilder and Matty Sterenchock will come to your home - along with organic milk, cheesemaking supplies, three bottles of wine and a mitxure of hard and soft cheeses - to show you step-by-step how to make a mozzarella and a lemon cheese, while we enjoy together some fine homemade and California wines and delectable locally and domestically-made artisanal cheeses.

If you're in the LA area and want to play, bid on the auction!
(Bidding closes Jan 24, 2010 at 11:00 PM PST)

Update:  The auction has ended with a whopping $175.00 bid!  Woohoo!

Where to start?

I received an email this morning from Bonnie, an aspiring cheesemaker:

I was looking at your "I make cheese" website and think it's awesome. I wanted to ask you - when you first started making cheese, what equipment did you start out with? I am a bit reluctant to shell out the money for cheese presses, etc. unless I know I want to become serious about making cheese at home. I'd love to get some insight from you and would be very appreciative if you'd be willing to share your knowledge with me.

...and here's my (rather rambling) answer:

I'd definitely suggest you start with some of the softer cheeses that don't need a press...that way you can try your hand at it, see if you like it--and eat the cheeses a lot sooner!

Are you familiar with Ricki Carroll's book? If not, it's worth starting there. It's a bit daunting at first (especially when you see how many steps are involved in the recipes), but when you break it down into the individual steps it's actually fairly easy.

I'd say go for a 30-minute mozzarella first. The only things you'll need:=

• 5-quart (or larger) pot (Stainless steel is best, but any pot should be okay)
• large microwavable bowl
• mixing spoon
• dairy thermometer (gotta read accurately between 55 and 88 degrees)
• citric acid
• rennet
• cheese salt

Make sure you also check out Ricki's mozzarella starter kit.

By the way, the mozzarella is an AWESOME party trick. Show up at a friend's house with a gallon of milk and the other ingredients (make sure you bring your thermometer), and spend 30 minutes in the kitchen and voila! fresh homemade mozzarella. Can't beat it!

Rosemary Focaccia & Fresh Mozzarella

Click image for a larger view

In a stroke of karmic genius, Sarah brought over a Focaccia dough that she whipped up a few minutes before leaving her house. I had been planning on making a 30-minute mozz (considering this was Sarah & Stephen's first time making cheese, I wanted them to actually get to sample something... four months is too long to wait to sneak a taste!)...

While we were working on the Gouda, she let the focaccia dough rise a bit, and sprinkled on some rosemary and a few other spices (I was so busy with the cheese... salt? pepper? that might have been it).

The bread was absolutely incredible, and the mozzarella was pretty durn good too (I've finally learned how to "salt to taste"... meaning: "Add more salt, stupid!")

We sliced up an organic Roma tomato, and opened a bottle of Curtis Roussanne that I had been saving for an afternoon such as this, and... voilà! Deliciousnessosity!

1 Gallon Trader Joe's Organic Whole Milk
1/4 tsp. Citric Acid, dissolved in 1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. Double-Strength Vegetarian Liquid Rennet, dissolved in 1/4 c. water
Approx. 2 tsp. Cheese Salt
(No lipase this time...I think I prefer it without, as the lipase seems to add a somewhat skunky flavor, IMHO)

(Note to self: Get focaccia recipe from Sarah!)

Superbowl XLIII Caprese

Caprese Salad with fresh 30-minute Mozzarella = Best party trick ever!

Quite possibly my best Mozzarella yet; the lipase and a bit of extra salt definitely helped kick it up a notch.

1 Gallon Ralph's Organic Whole Milk
1/8 tsp. Lipase powder, dissolved in 1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. Citric Acid, dissolved in 1/4 c. water
1/4 tsp. + 3 drops Double-Strength Vegetarian Liquid Rennet, dissolved in 1/4 c. water
Approx. 2 tsp. Cheese Salt
Vine-Ripened Tomatoes
Fresh Basil
Drizzle of Olive Oil

My First Cheese: 30-Minute Mozzarella

So, my buddy Sean twisted my arm and convinced me to start blogging my cheese making activities. Here we go!

This photo show the results of my first attempt at making cheese, about two months ago. It's a 30-minute mozzarella, which of course took me more like 60 minutes. Nevertheless, it was quite tasty!