My first (failed) mozzarella

That's not really what mozz is supposed to look like. Hmm.

Not everything works the first time

I followed the directions, I swear. Ricki Carroll writes good recipes, and she won't steer you wrong. But, some things just don't work the first time. I learned a few things.

ONE: Organic Valley gallons are sold as pasteurized. But I'm betting they are actually ultra-pasteurized, because of this:

The curd is supposed to look like custard. Not ricotta.

TWO: I used apple cider vinegar instead of citric acid powder. This has never caused problems in making whey ricotta, and it shouldn't (theoretically) in making mozzarella either. But I did stray from the recipe.

THREE: I kept going anyway. It works ok on a pizza, as long as you are willing to break out the cheese grater.

The resulting cheese is firm and dry. It didn't stretch the way I think mozzarella is supposed to. I never achieved "smooth and satiny" although I got it to stretch at least well enough that the curds didn't break.

Next time I'll try just plain milk from Country Fresh or something. No fancy organics. Sigh. At least making cheese from conventional milk will cost less than buying the cheese itself.

Yield: 13.8 oz plus some terrible ricotta from the whey (runny and too acidic)