Making Mozzarella Cheese (and Transglutamacurd...?) - Part 2

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***IMPORTANT NOTE: Some sections of this video are sped up due to time restrictions. They are sped up between 150 - 200%.***

In the following video you will see us making American-Style Mozzarella Cheese. American-Style means that it is the version of mozzarella most of us consider to be "pizza cheese," although it is much fresher and tastier!

In addition to making a normal pot of mozzarella cheese we are going to do a transglutaminase experiment with cheese and the Activa YG for dairy applications.

We are running side-by-side the exact same setup for making mozzarella cheese, although the red pot will also contain some transglutaminase.

Based on my research I found that transglutaminase supposedly increases the yield of cheese being made. Note in the cheese recipe below I make notes, especially at the end, about the addition of the transglutaminase. Please disregard that if you are just making mozzarella cheese.

Recipe: Homemade American-Style Mozzarella Cheese

CONTINUED FROM CHEESE VIDEO 1

5. Cut curd into ½ inch strips with long bladed knife by inserting knife straight down at edge and running it in straight lines parallel to each other. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat. Rotate 45 degrees and repeat. Rotate 90 degrees and rotate. Essentially cutting small triangles.
6. Warm the curds and whey over low to medium heat stirring gently to keep curds separated until the temperature reaches 108F. Hold at 108F for 35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes gently to keep curds off bottom of pot. While this is happening sterilize your towel by boiling in water for 5 minutes. Hang to cool and dry.
7. Collect curds by pouring through the bar towel stretched over a colander. Save the whey for ricotta if you wish, otherwise whey can drain down sink.
8. Let sit and drain for 15-20 minutes.
9. Break up curd and add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix thoroughly.
10. For small mozzarella balls see step 14. For large mozzarella balls, place 1 cup of salted curd into 2 cup measure or glass bowl and microwave on high for 45 seconds.
11. Pull cheese away from bowl with back of fork and knead to distribute heat.
12. Place back in bowl or measure and heat in microwave for 10-15 seconds more.
13. Stretch and fold as many times as your hands can handle (this stage is HOT!) and then shape into a soft ball.
14. ALTERNATIVE TO LARGE MOZZARELLA BALLS: Place ¼ - 1/3 cup salted curd into 1-2 cup measure or glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Follow steps 11-13.
15. Place balls of mozzarella into brine overnight.
16. Next day -- Rinse mozzarella balls and pat dry. Store in airtight container for up to a week.

Music: "Gwai on 45 (Arab Strap Remix)" by Mogwai, from their album "Kicking A Dead Pig"

Concept, Writing, Direction, and Production: Rob and Jason
Camera: Rob, utilizing an HD CANON Vixia HF100
On-Screen Demonstrations: Rob and Jason
Video Editing: Rob
Voice-Over Written and Recorded: Jason
Recipe Development: Jason

Enjoy this video as well as our many other videos!

www.youtube.com/procrastinationpics


I'd also like to thank my new found spice haven at My Spice Sage. High quality spices at really cheap prices!

Check them out at www.myspicesage.com

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[ProcrastinationPics]

So, we learned something interesting in our quest here and after I contacted Ajinomoto. Our failure in this experiment was in our calculation of the weight percentage for TG addition. We should have been calculating this based on the calculated weight of protein in the milk rather than the milk itself.

[thepopester1987]

So it increased the yield, but it obviously has to come from somewhere right?

My money is on the TG picking up some extra milk proteins from the Whey like albumin, making it an unmeltable cheese. I bet if you repeated the experiment and tried to make ricotta with they whey afterwards, the results would be miserable compared to the normal Mozza's whey.

[ProcrastinationPics]

@thepopester1987: Yes it did increase the yield. The TG aids in the binding of proteins together so yes it is essentially gathering extra proteins from the milk as the curd forms. So, I would agree with your hypothesis on the ricotta. The melting characteristic though has to do with us probably using too much TG to begin with. According to Ajinomoto: Activa YG (the dairy TG) aids in melt restriction in processed cheeses so it has to be used in a fine balance to increase yield.

[ProcrastinationPics]

@thepopester1987: We plan on doing more experiments with this in the near future, but time is tight for the next few months. So probably not until November or so. But, we do have some other projects we are working on at the same time. So check back often for new and exciting HD videos!

[cyanmanta]

Mozzarella that won't melt... Trendsetting string cheese, perhaps? I can't see it working well on a pizza.