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| What is the difference between the Fresh Mozzarella Curd and our Traditional Fresh Mozzarella? |
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• How it is made. The Curd is made by directly acidifying milk with an acid to achieve a pH of 5.2 (necessary for stretching and stringing the curd.) Our Traditional Fresh Mozzarella is made the old-fashioned method by adding cultures and rennet to the milk to form a curd that is then matured slowly until it reaches a pH of 5.2. For our Traditional Fresh Mozzarella there is only a small window of opportunity during which the curd can be successfully stretched and formed because 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. However, for the cheese made from the directly acidified Mozzarella Curd, its pH remains constant and unchanged from the moment the acid is added to the milk.
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| • The taste. The Mozzarella that is made from the Curd will taste like fresh milk, but it will have less flavor than our Traditional Fresh Mozzarella. This is because there is no lactic acid development coming from the cultures during the maturation process. |
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• How the cheese melts. When heated the Mozzarella made from the Curd will become soft, but it will not melt and become oozy and stretchy like our Traditional Fresh Mozzarella. It will be great for salads, but not for pizza. This is because it has been made by directly acidifying the milk rather than by traditional method using cultures and rennet.
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| • Lactose vs lactic acid. The lactose in the milk remains in the Mozzarella made from the Curd. In our Traditional Fresh Mozzarella the lactose is consumed and converted to lactic acid as the curd matures. |
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| How do you stretch the Mozzarella Curd? |
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| Remove the Curd from the plastic bag. Cut the Curd into thin strips, almost like shavings. Place them in a bowl and pour hot water (about 180F) over them. Stir them around using a long-handled spoon until they start to form a mass. Stretch them by lifting them up out of the water repeatedly using a long-handled spoon until you can pull them like taffy. Continue to pull and stretch them until the Curd is a uniform, shiny mass. Shape the cheese into balls and immerse the warm balls in cold water (1 gal cold water mixed with whey, the yellow liquid, from the plastic bag.) |
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| The Mozzarella Curd is not intended to replace our Fresh Mozzarella – it’s still “The Best” in flavor, texture and melting properties. The Curd is an alternative for customers who want to economize and want to do the stretching and stringing themselves. |
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