# Mozzarella Observation/Question



## BlueHeronFarm (Feb 9, 2007)

I have had "cheese failure" a couple times when making the 30 minute mozzarella and it looks like every time I had total curd disintegration, I started with milk that was not cold from the fridge.

Anybody have a scientific explanation and/or similar experience?

I wasted two gallons yesterday (well, the pigs enjoyed it) when starting with warmer milk. Does it maybe need to spend more time ripening with the citric acid before renneting if I start at a higher temp?


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## Julia (Jan 29, 2003)

BlueHeronFarm said:


> I have had "cheese failure" a couple times when making the 30 minute mozzarella and it looks like every time I had total curd disintegration, I started with milk that was not cold from the fridge.


At what point, BlueHeronFarm? Before you cut the curd, after, when you tried to stretch?

I need more information to make a suggestion.



BlueHeronFarm said:


> Does it maybe need to spend more time ripening with the citric acid before renneting if I start at a higher temp?


If you're talking about Ricki Carroll's 30 minute mozz, it doesn't ripen at all, ever, because there is no starter added. The citric acid takes the place of the lactic acid normally produced by the starter---that's why it's so bland. It's a short cut that cheats you of flavor, but gets you a stretchy Mozz every time.

I forgot to add that I spent years making Mozz and other cheeses with milk warm from the morning milking. I'd just strain it into the cheese pot, and go from there. It was always the best cheese I ever made. So unless I don't understand what you mean by "warm", there's something else going wrong and the warm issue is a red herring.


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## prairiegirl (Nov 2, 2004)

I'm not familiar with Ricki Carroll's recipe. But, I've been reading Mary Jane Toth's recipes and I plan to try her recipe for Quick Mozzarella Cheese this week.
It says to start with cool milk. I'm not sure what that is, but since the milk is then brought to 88 degrees, I was thinking about 45-50 degrees to start.

I'm afraid I'm not much help with your questions, but I'm very interested in what the experts have to say. I'll report back once I've given this recipe a try on Thursday.

prairiegirl


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## Julia (Jan 29, 2003)

prairiegirl said:


> It says to start with cool milk. I'm not sure what that is, but since the milk is then brought to 88 degrees, I was thinking about 45-50 degrees to start.


What they're trying to tell you there is to not add the citric acid to hot milk, such as milk that has just been pasteurized and not yet cooled. If you do add the citric acid to very warm or hot milk, it'll make ricotta, and end your mozz session right there.

On the other hand, if you add the citric acid to cold milk, it won't dissolve terribly well. Blood heat's best.

Just one of those tricky bits in cheesemaking.


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## BlueHeronFarm (Feb 9, 2007)

Julia said:


> What they're trying to tell you there is to not add the citric acid to hot milk, such as milk that has just been pasteurized and not yet cooled. If you do add the citric acid to very warm or hot milk, it'll make ricotta, and end your mozz session right there.
> 
> On the other hand, if you add the citric acid to cold milk, it won't dissolve terribly well. Blood heat's best.
> 
> Just one of those tricky bits in cheesemaking.



Aha. I was pasteurizing and then bringing down to around 70-75 or so- then adding citric acid, bringing to 88. so not hot milk, but warm. ...and I got ricotta. Horrible, messy, small-curd ricotta.

The disintegration was after the curd cutting, in the "slow stir" phase to release whey from the curds.


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## MARYDVM (Jun 7, 2004)

Another question - I have tried a couple of different shortcut mozzarella recipes, and both produced cheese with a very high melting point. In order to get the cheese to melt, the food had to be too hot to eat. By the time it cooled enough to eat the cheese was chewy and rubbery. Is this typical of shortcut mozzarella, or is something not being done properly that creates this texture? What's the best mozzarella recipe you know?


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## Julia (Jan 29, 2003)

The temperature Mozz melts at (and how stretchy it gets) is a function of how much acidity is in the curd. How much acidity develops is, at least partly, dependent on how high a Somatic Cell Count you have in the milk at that moment. Somatic cells have a buffering effect that wrecks havoc with all cheesemaking. Late lactation milk, and milk with subclinical mastitis have higher SCCs.

Practically speaking, what this means is you have to make adjustments to the cheese recipe depending on the milk you're using that day. If you're just barely getting enough stretch (and this sounds like your issue, MARYDVM), you need to add more citric acid to your next make, and track how stretchy that Mozz is. If you add too much citric acid, you'll find the Mozz tends to be too soft, and loses its shape even when refrigerated. Then you back off on the citric acid.

All cheese recipes are subject to this, because, whether you realize it or not, milk varies in composition over time. Not enough for you to taste it, usually, but enough to affect your cheese. That's where the art comes into play. Recipes are only a guideline, and assume you know how to tweak it for your circumstances.

My favorite Mozz recipe adds thermophilic starter and lipase powder to the citric acid, because I'm all about flavor. 30 minute Mozz is very much factory cheese, and it tastes like it, but using a citric acid based recipe really improves your chances of getting good stretch. Traditional Mozz recipes (that only use the lactic acid produced by bacteria) are tricky and tempermental, and often fail. But when they work, they taste the best.


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## prairiegirl (Nov 2, 2004)

Julia said:


> What they're trying to tell you there is to not add the citric acid to hot milk, such as milk that has just been pasteurized and not yet cooled. If you do add the citric acid to very warm or hot milk, it'll make ricotta, and end your mozz session right there.
> 
> On the other hand, if you add the citric acid to cold milk, it won't dissolve terribly well. Blood heat's best.
> 
> Just one of those tricky bits in cheesemaking.


Julia, thanks for clarifying the temp for me.

BlueHeronFarm, hope you don't mind if I ask another mozzarella question here, but someone else might be interested, too.

Can I use lipase powder when making the quick mozzarella recipe? 
I have some and would like to add it, but I'm not sure when.

prairiegirl


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## Julia (Jan 29, 2003)

prairiegirl said:


> Can I use lipase powder when making the quick mozzarella recipe?
> I have some and would like to add it, but I'm not sure when.prairiegirl


Sure, add it when you add the citric acid.


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## BlueHeronFarm (Feb 9, 2007)

It's funny-- I have found that my "customers" (in quotes, because I most definitely do not sell cheese yet....) prefer the bland flavors. They like the creaminess more than the "flavor" and I have won over people who swear they don't really even like cheese. Same with my chevre.

I bought lipase, but have yet to use it in any of my cheeses that I "don't sell" -- I like real, flavorful, complex cheeses, but the masses, they love sweet, cream-flavored nubian-style fresh cheese. 

But I will still hound you, Julia, for help as I learn more about REAL cheese. (Even if only for my own consumption)  Thanks.

And PG - ask away. I love this forum - we all learn from each others' questions.


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## jerzeygurl (Jan 21, 2005)

i quit using rikkis recipe due to the off and on success i had with it( no aparant cause)

i do the long version now with success


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## prairiegirl (Nov 2, 2004)

I made mozzarella a couple of days ago. I used M.J. Toth's recipe for quick mozzarella. I don't know how quick as it took me a couple of hours.LOL 
It turned out great. When we first tried it that night I thought I brined it too long, but we had it on pizza burgers last night and it was fine. It melted good, too.

Yes, I'm a mozzarella maker. What dairy delight is next for me?LOL

Julia, thanks for the tip on using the lipase. 

prairiegirl


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