Post by trebello on Aug 29, 2015 2:42:29 GMT
We had a great time making mozz (string cheese) today. We used the 30 minute Carroll recipe, which can be found in her book, or almost anywhere online. My kid (12) is homeschooled, so we used it as our Friday project.
Summary: this is a very straightforward recipe. We did buy some thick latex gloves that will be dedicated to cheesemaking. I would warn anyone about the possibility of latex allergy, should I be nice enough to share any of the product. The kid had a good time learning more about cheesemaking and the role of temperature. She had more fun stretching it and forming it into her favorite shapes. I divided the curds into two bowls, as I wanted caraway seeds in mine, and the kid did not.
From a science standpoint - this is a great project to discuss proteins, and enzymes (and enzymatic activity). And even for fairly young kids, if they have gloves, they can really enjoy making all versions of their own string cheese. I did save the whey, and did the super-lazy person version of ricotta. I did not add any extra milk. I was really just trying to recover a little of what I knew went into the whey. My investment of 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (twice as much as I should have added - blame it on the glass of wine) turned into a reasonable cup or so of a ricotta/mozzarella product, as I didn't carefully skim the tiny curds. But any way I use ricotta will probably involve mozzarella anyway, so I don't bother. I view the ricotta as bonus.
I post these silly reviews not to reflect how cheesemaking should be, but to encourage beginners like me to decide it is worth a try. I do welcome all suggestions.
Theresa
Summary: this is a very straightforward recipe. We did buy some thick latex gloves that will be dedicated to cheesemaking. I would warn anyone about the possibility of latex allergy, should I be nice enough to share any of the product. The kid had a good time learning more about cheesemaking and the role of temperature. She had more fun stretching it and forming it into her favorite shapes. I divided the curds into two bowls, as I wanted caraway seeds in mine, and the kid did not.
From a science standpoint - this is a great project to discuss proteins, and enzymes (and enzymatic activity). And even for fairly young kids, if they have gloves, they can really enjoy making all versions of their own string cheese. I did save the whey, and did the super-lazy person version of ricotta. I did not add any extra milk. I was really just trying to recover a little of what I knew went into the whey. My investment of 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (twice as much as I should have added - blame it on the glass of wine) turned into a reasonable cup or so of a ricotta/mozzarella product, as I didn't carefully skim the tiny curds. But any way I use ricotta will probably involve mozzarella anyway, so I don't bother. I view the ricotta as bonus.
I post these silly reviews not to reflect how cheesemaking should be, but to encourage beginners like me to decide it is worth a try. I do welcome all suggestions.
Theresa