"This is how the Mozzarella Company in Dallas, TX makes their mozzarella."
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To make our mozzarella we coagulate farm-fresh milk by adding selected bacteria (called cultures) and rennet (an enzyme that reacts with the lactic acid that is produced by the milk) so that our milk soon resembles a vat of white jello or yogurt. Once coagulated we manually pull cheese knives through the milk to cut the curd into soft, little pieces. Immediately upon being cut, a cloudy yellow liquid called whey begins to come out of the curds.
Because milk is mostly liquid, eventually there is a lot of yellow whey and a smaller amount of curds. (In fact it takes one whole gallon of milk to make two half-pound balls of mozzarella.) When the curds are mature we stretch them in hot water using a paddle to become a smooth and satiny mass of fresh mozzarella. (This is where the art of cheesemaking comes into play because there is only a small window of opportunity during which the curd can be successfully stretched and formed since the development of the lactic acid cannot be stopped...if the cheese is stretched before the pH reaches 5.2, the cheese is tough and inferior. If the pH falls too low, we have lost the cheese completely.)
Next we pinch off balls of fresh mozzarella that weigh about 1/2 lb each and toss them into cool water to chill. Once chilled the balls are either briefly immersed in a brine or packaged in governing liquid which keeps them very moist. Our mozzarella is a fabulous melting cheese and is great in salads, on sandwiches and pizzas, with meats, and just plain. Because we vacuum package our fresh mozzarella it stays fresh for about 3 weeks. It can also be frozen and later defrosted in the refrigerator.
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Published with permission from Mozzarella Company in Dallas, TX.
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