The Whey Ahead

Having made three batches of mozzarella cheese with my own fair hands, it is time to take stock of my progress and consider issues arising.

None of my six cheeses was flawless, it must be admitted, but I was encouraged by each's general appeal and deliciousness. Unexpectedly, home-made mozzarella costs no more than decent deli-counter cheese, since a $6 gallon of raw milk yields about a pound of cheese, which may be had at the supermarket for about $3 per 8 oz. ball (and let's not forget the whey  - so useful for simmering rice and potatoes and feeding prosciutto pigs, should I ever decide to venture into ham production). Domestically-created cheese is purer than the mass-produced variety, too, when made with beautiful local milk and the minimum of additives, and bragging rights are beyond measure. Although perfection is ever a worthy goal, I believe in this instance my diligent efforts will be doubly rewarded. Not only will I feel insufferably virtuous, but we'll all have peerless formaggio to boot.

There are two broad methods and recipes to consider, each yielding very different results:

• Jeff Potter's Witch's Cauldron Method, which requires lipase and calcium chloride in addition to the other common ingredients; continuous stirring after the addition of the rennet at 88 deg F; two kneading sessions (before and after the addition of the salt); and microwaving to the final temperature of 135 deg F.   
• the Cheese Queen's Wait and See Method, noted for the absence of lipase and calcium chloride; the instruction to walk away from the pot after the 88 deg F addition of rennet; one kneading session (described as gentle, rather than vigorous); and use of a water bath (rather than a microwave) to the final 135 deg F.

I am comparing these approaches along four metrics: ease of method; aesthetics of process; taste of final product; and texture of final product. My goal at the end of the analysis is to have a working method guaranteed to produce perfect cheese with minimum fuss.

Are you sitting comfortably? Here we go!

Ease of method
Wait and See, as the name implies, is by far the simpler of the two procedures (except for the water bath at the end, which was a pain and had no discernible value other than, presumably, its historical distinction). For my next batch, I will employ the Wait and See method until the cheese reaches 100 deg F in the pot, then finish it in the microwave.

Aesthetics of Process
The Wait and See method proves its worth in this arena, as well. Compare its results (below left) with those of the Witch's Cauldron after the rennet has caused curd formation:

... and when the cheese has been drained from the whey (Wait and See is on the left, again):

There is no contest, really: not only is it easier to wait and see, it's prettier, too.

It is possible that the method is not the only difference here, although there is no doubt in my mind that excessive stirring serves only to destabilize creamy curd production. Ingredients also have a role to play. When I went to order my chemicals from the Cheese Queen, I attempted to add calcium chloride to my shopping cart, only to be met by a very stern warning: "Do NOT use Calcium Chloride when making Mozzarella. It will keep the curds from stretching." The purpose of calcium chloride, apparently, is to provide a firmer curd - counter-productive when the object of the exercise is soft, moist, delectable mozzarella, I'm sure you will agree. In addition, the release of calcium is the whole purpose of the final stretch - therefore, its addition by chemical means is counterproductive. Jeff is silent as to why he includes calcium chloride in his recipe - a rather odd omission from the King of Kitchen Geeks, in my opinion. I will omit calcium chloride from all future cheese production.

Taste of Final Product
This is where Jeff really wins out with his inclusion of lipase, which is particularly important as a flavour-enhancer when vegetarian rennet tablets are used (it has something to do with the way lipase 'cleaves' the fats in the milk, although Jeff does not elaborate). The cheese produced using his ingredients had a much fresher - dare I say it? - grassier flavour, like the taste of fresh milk only more so. The Cheese Queen's cheese was, regrettably, mild almost to the point of insipidness. Granted, the Jersey cows who donated the raw milk for this production are on silage at the moment and their milk may be more flavourful when they move out to pasture in March. I can't wait that long, and will be adding lipase to all my future batches.

Texture of Final Product
This is by far the most problematic of my evaluation metrics, since there was a good deal of disagreement chez Fractured Amy as to which cheese emerged victorious in this regard. Certain members of the family who shall remain nameless preferred the homogeneous creaminess of the Wait and See version (below left), whilst others expressed a superior liking for the moist fibers of the Witch's Cauldron.

This may not figure in the choice of method, since I am convinced sliceability vs. shredability are not artifacts of component ingredients or stirring characteristics, but rather the length of and energy applied to the final stretching. In other words, the more you stretch the cheese, the stringier it becomes. I do not believe this decision needs to be made until the last stage of the process - and the choice will necessarily fall to the whim of the casara, who will happily accept a small honorarium for consideration of diners' preferences.