Homemade Mozzarella Cheese

I am on a mission to make everything we eat, crazy, I know.  I love to make food, prepare food, and eat food.  Preparing food is the one passion I can indulge in, so I indulge and everyone wins.  Making mozzarella is pretty easy, but does include a few steps that can be daunting.

You want your own homemade mozzarella?

 Ingredients for this recipe are: 1 gallon of milk (your choice, but do not pick ultra pasteurized Organic, pasteurized but not homogenized is good, raw is best), 1-2 teaspoons Kosher
Salt, 3/4 cup water, 1 1/2 teaspoons citric acid, 1/4 teaspoon vegetable rennet.

 Dissolve 1 1/2 teaspoons citric acid in 1/4 cup water in a non-reactive (stainless steel or
enamel dutch oven, non-stick) stock pot.

 Pour 1 gallon of milk into pan, turn burner on to medium low.

 Heat milk to 90 Fahrenheit, use a clip on thermometer.

Add 1/4 teaspoon vegetable rennet to 1 cup water. When milk has reached 90 Fahrenheit
remove pan from heat.  Add rennet mixture and stir milk slowly bringing spoon up and down
and in a circle motion for 30 seconds.  Bring milk to a stop with spoon, cover with lid and let
sit for five minutes.  Walk away people, walk away.

 Uncover milk and using a long metal off-set spatula or a large spatula cut the cheese
across and down in 1 inch increments.

 Turn burner on to medium heat and cook until it reaches 105 Fahrenheit.  Remove from stove.

 Pour mixture into colander placed in a large bowl. Spin the pan in a circular motion to drain whey from cheese curds.

 Place cheese in microwave safe bowl, microwave for 1 minute.

 Remove cheese from microwave and begin stretching and kneading the cheese and removing as much whey as possible.  The cheese is hot, we used gloves.

 Microwave cheese again for 35 seconds.

 Remove from bowl and stretch cheese and create a ball.

 The formed cheese.

Put cheese ball in ice water to cool.  You have successfully made cheese!

Enjoy!