How to Make Mozzarella Cheese (2 ingredients: Milk and Vinegar)
Once you learn how to make mozzarella cheese using leftover milk and white vinegar, it's time to say goodbye to store-bought mozzarella.
Equipment
- kitchen scale or measuring cups
- Food thermometer
- Microwave
- microwave safe bowl
- food handling gloves
- Large Pot
- fine mesh strainer
- spatula or spoon
Ingredients
- 1500 g whole milk (1.5 liter or 6 cups of milk; Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk)
- 80 g white distilled vinegar (4% - 6% acidic; ⅓ cup; Can be substituted with an equal amount of lemon juice)
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a large pot. Heat the milk over medium heat, stirring gently to prevent scorching, until it reaches about 50°C/122℉. Use a thermometer to monitor the temperature.
- Once the milk reaches 50°C/122℉, quickly add the white vinegar to the hot milk, remove the pot from the heat. Stir gently for about 10 seconds, you will observe curds forming and separating from the whey .
- Cover the pot with its lid, let it sit undisturbed for about 10 minutes.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the strainer to drain the whey. (You can save the whey for making breads, pancakes, and cakes.)
- Use a spoon or spatula to gently press the cheese in the strainer to remove excess whey.
- Transfer the cheese into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it on high heat for 1 minute.
- Remove the bowl from microwave, drain any released whey; the cheese should be too hot to handle at this point. Use a spatula or spoon to stir and fold the cheese, working towards a smooth texture. When the cheese cools slightly and is manageable, wear food handling gloves and use your hands to stretch it until it becomes smooth and stretchy
- When the cheese becomes too hard to stretch, microwave it on high for an additional 30 seconds to soften it and restore its pliability. Continue stretching the cheese until it can be shaped into a smooth ball.
- Fill a large bowl with cold water and add ice cubes to make an ice bath. Place your homemade mozzarella cheese ball into the ice bath. Make sure that the cheese pieces are fully submerged in the ice water.
- After the cheese has completely cooled down (in about 15 minutes), remove it from the ice water bath. Use kitchen paper to tap dry the cheese's surface. You can now enjoy this homemade mozzarella cheese immediately or use it in your favorite recipes.
- To store homemade mozzarella cheese, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.