Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese Making Kit

Making this REALLY GOOD cheese was a bit nerve-wracking the first time around. Add to that that I wanted to incorporate prosciutto into a log and wrap the mozzarella (maybe). It went off without a hitch and is DELICIOUS! The instruction booklet was very well done, with each step outlined and easy to follow. After buying a $3 gallon of milk for each pound of cheese, along with this kit, it saves on the cost of cheese these days - and it's fun!

I had started researching cheesemaking and decided to give this kit a go since it had everything I needed in one package. I literally just finished making the 30 minute mozzarella and ricotta cheeses. The mozarella is nestled in the fridge and the Ricotta is hanging from a cabinet knob. Both cheeses taste great, though I had hoped the yield of the ricotta would have been more. Now for the process. Easy but tedious. Stir, stir, stir. You might want to pull up a chair for this (I did). The 30 minute mozzarella was a little longer than that, but I forget to time it. All of the time is devoted to warming the milk. I guess it depends on your stove, the time can vary. I had two diffusers on the burner (natural gas) because my stove on the lowest setting can go from 0-boiling in no time and I didn't want to take that chance. Microwaving and pulling. Follow the directions and wear grilling gloves -- this stuff is HOT. I didn't follow the directions and wear gloves. I'm telling you to even though in Ricki doesn't in her 30 Minute Mozzarella video on youtube. For the ricotta, once again, stir, stir, stir. It took a while for the milk to reach 195F. Let it rest a little while and then spoon out the curd. You do not want to pour it out, those little guys are delicate. I used a mesh strainer like this one: HIC Brands that Cook Nylon Mesh Strainer http://amzn.com/B0042X9XAY I was able to pull all of the fine curd out of the whey in no time. I had tried and failed with a slotted ladle/skimmer. I didn't use the thermometer that came with the kit, instead, I opted to use one of my wireless digital meat probes. I don't understand why some reviewers had less than favorable results with this kit. They're doing something wrong or haven't read the instructions for different types of milk (the temperature, and citric acid measurements are different). I used plain old Tuscan whole milk I got on sale at Waldbaum's and everything turned out perfectly using the instructions and recipe provided in the kit (which I had seen a review where they said not to use the recipes because they are off. Nonsense, the recipes work). One thing I will say is that before you use the kit, watch some youtube videos (there are a bunch of 30 minute mozzarella) and go to Ricki's site cheesemaking.com (New England Cheesemaking Supply Company) -- there's a ton of useful info there along with the 30 Minute Mozzarella video. So, yes, I'll buy this again.

Product is great once you get the hang of making it! Directions are easy to follow! It took me four tries but it could have been the milk I was using.

Super easy! Having everything included is perfect. The only thing that didn’t come with wss some rubber gloves which I needed and did not have I however, did have some gloves from work because I’m a nurse and that worked. It’s a bit warm when you’re trying to pull it like taffy, but I was able to handle it. What’s really nice as you can add your own seasonings herbs, etc. to make it taste the way you want. Figured out the cost to price ratio buying the kids and what it cost to buy the milk, etc. and I’m saving about seven dollars a pound which is fantastic.! I recommend this and it would be a great way to involve children in teaching them how to make the cheese.

I purchased this kit because I wanted to make mozzarella (obviously) and was pricing the individual ingredients separately. With shipping the ingredients would cost more than this kit which shipped Prime, at no shipping cost. Seemed like a no-brainer to me. My first experience with making mozzarella using the kits instructions and following them exactly led to a bad experience. All the curds were just tiny slivers and I had to give up following the instructions, drain them with a sieve, then try to form them into balls. While the cheese tasted good, making it was not a good experience. So I turned to the Internet and found other instructions. The main difference being instead of "vigorously" stirring the mix while bringing it up to temp, you stir it very gently as you very slowly bring it up to temp. Stirring only enough to keep the milk from burning at the bottom. The second major difference is the 5 minute wait period in the kits instructions. The Internet instructions called for a 20 minute wait period. The differences between the two instructions may seem small, but the outcome could not have been more different. Using the Internet instructions, there were many versions all similar, so a quick search will find you a good set of instructions, I was able to make an awesome batch of mozzarella! The curds formed properly, the texture was much better, I did not make such a huge mess trying to form the shreds of curds into balls, and the taste was great. So my opinion is to buy this kit, but get your instructions elsewhere. Maybe the company will read this and update their instructions?