• Fill your stainless steel pot with your 1 gallon of milk
• Dissolve 1/4 of the rennet tablet into 1/4 cup of warm water and stir.
• Put on a burner at medium-low, so to slowly increase the temperature of the milk to 91-95 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Once the milk has reached this temperature, add in your 1.5 teaspoons of citric acid. Stir slowly for about 30 sec.- 1 min. You will notice the milk start to curdle and that's exactly what you want to see.
• Remove the pot from heat and slowly stir in the dissolved rennet mixture (the rennet and water). Making sure to reach the bottom of the pot - for about 30 sec. to 1 min.
• Place the lid on the pot and set your timer for 25 minutes.
• While you wait, heat up 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of sea salt on the stove. Bring to a boil, dissolve the salt and then cool down in the fridge. This will be for cheese brine for later.
• After 25 minutes, remove the lid and you should see 2 things: the watery hot whey and the forming curd. (You know like Little Miss Muffet) ;)?
• Take a clean butter knife and slice the curds into squares. This grid-like pattern just makes the curds easier to remove.
• Prepare your stainless steel strainer by placing it inside a bowl and covering it with cheesecloth.
• Use your slotted spoon to scoop the curds into your strainer, covered in cheesecloth. Try to drain as much of the whey out before placing it in the strainer.
• Tie up the cheesecloth hang up (using a cupboard handle or knob) so the whey can seep out for about 30 -45 minutes. I use our banana hook that's up underneath our cupboard to hang my cheese cloth ball on.
• After the whey is pretty drained out, remove the cheese from the cloth into a bowl. Gently breaking it up so it looks like cottage cheese.

Balling up your Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

• Boil up 1 quart of hot water to 170 degrees F and pour it around the edges of the cheese to heat it up, 1 cup at a time.
• Mixing and stretching with your hands or a clean wooden spoon. Kneading like bread. Pour out the access water and add more hot water to keep melting down the cheese until it is smooth and shiny.
• This technique of stretching can be seen here! You may be tough, but it's going to get hot for your hands, so some folks like to use these thermo gloves.
• For the classic look of a smooth mozzarella ball, you can mold the cheese into large balls or smaller balls. You can also make a loaf or strings.
• Once you shape the cheese, place it in the cool water+salt mixture that you made while you were waiting for the milk to curdle back in step #7.
• You can add a bit of ice to cool this water down if it is still room temp- we want it cool.
• To store, pour a cup of brine water in a ziplock bag or an airtight container with the cheese to keep it from spoiling. Your new mozzarella is good in the fridge for up to 1 week. You'll know if the cheese has gone bad if it smells like rotten milk. Toss it to your chickens. ;)