Homemade “Thirty Minute” Mozzarella

60 Minute Microwave Mozzarella
Best made with pasteurised 2% Vital Greens milk (not ultra pasteurized) at first, and then work toward using whole milk or raw milk, if you are so fortunate

Kitchen Tools:

• 6-8 litre stainless steel pot
• large slotted spoon
• colander or seive
• 2 litre microwave safe bowl
• measuring spoons
• precise digital thermometer from 80 to 120 degrees F

Prepare Work Area:

• sanitize all surfaces, pots and utensils
• have counter and stove top free of food
• get out clean cloths (all dirty ones away)

Ingredients:

• 4 litres 2 % Vital Greens (local farm) milk
• 1 cup cool water
• 1 1/2teaspoon of citric acid
• 1/4cup cook water
• 1/4rennet tablet or 1/4tsp liquid rennet (1/8 th teaspoon if using the liquid rennet from Bosch Kitchen Centre in Edmonton)

Instructions:

1. Crush 1/4 tablet of rennet and dissolve in ¼  cup of cool, unchlorinated water; set aside
2. Add 1½  tsp. citric acid to 1 cup cool unchlorinated water
3. Add the citric acid solution to the empty cold pot
4. Pour cold milk into your pot quite quickly to mix well with the citric acid; this will bring the milk to the proper acidity to stretch well later (IMPT)
5. Heat this milk to 90°F, stirring constantly: the longer it takes to reach the 90F, the better the quality of the cheese (IMPT)
6. Remove the pot from the burner, and slowly add your rennet (which you prepared in previous step) to the milk (IMPT) immediately stirring in a top to bottom motion for approx. 30 seconds, then stop
7. Cover the pot, and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes
8. Check the curd: t will look like custard, with a clear separation between the curds and whey around the side of the pot (if too soft or the whey is milky, let set for a few more minutes)
9. Cut the curds into a 1″ checkerboard pattern with a butter knife reaching all the way to the bottom of the pan
10. Place the pot back on the stove and heat to 105F, stirring the curds slowly with your ladle  and keeping them separate; work to not break them down
11. Take off the burner and continue slowly stirring for 2-5 minutes: more time will make a firmer cheese
12. Scoop or gently pour curds into a sieve, pushing out the whey, gently
13. Transfer the cheese into a microwave safe bowl (if the curd is too soft at this point let sit for another minute or so)
14. Press this curd gently with your hand, pouring off as much whey as possible. (reserve this whey to use in cooking)
15. Microwave the curd on HI for 1 minute
16. Drain off all whey
17. Quickly work the cheese with a spoon or your hands until it is cool enough to touch (rubber gloves will help since the cheese is almost too hot to touch at this point)
18. Microwave 2 more times for 35 seconds each, and repeat the kneading as in the last step
19. Drain off all of the whey as you go
20. Knead quickly now as you would bread dough until it is smooth and shiny
21. Add salt
22. The cheese should be soft and pliable enough to stretch like taffy
23. Form it into a ball and drop into ice water to cool and refrigerate wrapped in plastic
24. Best the same day as made

Note after #5:

• as you approach 90°F, you may notice your milk beginning to curdle slightly due to acidity and temperature