THE MILK TO USE The very best mozzarella is made from the milk of water buffaloes however if you cannot get hold of any regular cows milk will be fine. Also you should also try to get raw milk from a farm store or dairy. THE RECIPE 3 teaspoons of citric acid 2 1/2 gallons milk 3/4 teaspoon liquid rennet THE METHOD Dissolve the citric acid in 1/2 cup cool water and add to the milk. Warm the milk to 88 degrees and add the rennet mixed with 1/4 cup water. Stir gently for about a minute then let sit for 15 minutes for the curd to form. CUTTING AND COOKING THE CURD Using a stainless steel knife, cut the curd into approximately 1/2 inch cubes. Cut across the top from side to side and then cut through the curd at an angle to slice the columns of curd into smaller chunks. Set the pot into a basin or sink full of hot water and slowly raise the temperature of the milk to 98 degrees while stirring the curd gently for 15 minutes, cutting any large pieces up with your spoon. Continue to stir the curd for 20 minutes longer DRAINING THE CURD Line a large colander with butter muslin and slowly pour the curds and whey into it. It is a good idea to save the draining whey for making ricotta cheese, adding to soups, or feeding to pets or chickens. Allow the curds to drain for 15 minutes then tie up the ends of the cheesecloth and hang over the sink to continue draining for another 5-10 minutes or until the dripping has stopped. IS IT CHEESE YET? Cut the mass of curd into 1/2 inch slices and cut the slices into strips. Put about 1/4 of the curd strips into a microwave-safe bowl and zap it until the curds start to melt and get gooey. Remove the cheese (it is now cheese!) from the microwave and, wearing rubber gloves because this stuff is hot, begin pulling it like taffy. Keep working the cheese until it is smooth and shiny then form it into a ball and put the ball in salty iced water. Keep doing this with the rest of the curds until you have 4 balls of cheese in the cold water. The cheese is ready to eat as soon as it is completely cool. Mozzarella cheese freezes beautifully and will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Once you taste this home-made delight, you will never be able to eat the plastic kind again. Please go to cheesemaking.com for more info if you need it.

30-minute Mozzarella Makes 3/4 to 1 pound cheese 1 1/2 tsp citric acid dissolved in 1/4 cup cool water 1 gallon pasteurized whole milk 1/4 tsp liquid rennet (or 1/4 rennet tablet) diluted in 1/4 cup cool, unchlorinated water 1 tsp cheese salt (coarse, noniodized flake salt similar to pickling salt; do not use iodized salt) Slowly heat the milk in a stainless steel pot to 55 degrees. While stirring, add the citric acid solution to the milk and mix thoroughly. Heat the milk to 88 degrees over medium-low heat. The milk will begin to curdle. Gently stir in the diluted rennet with an up-and-down motion for 30 seconds. Then let the milk sit still while heating it to between 100 and 105 degrees. In about 5 to 8 minutes, the curds should be pulling away from the sides of the pot. Turn off the heat. The curds will look like thick yogurt and have a bit of shine to them, and the whey will be clear. If the whey is still milky white, wait a few more minutes before turning off the heat. Scoop out the curds with a slotted spoon and put into a 2-quart microwavable bowl. Press the curds gently with your hands, pouring off as much whey as possible. Microwave the curds on high for 1 minute. Drain off all excess whey. Gently fold the cheese over and over (as in kneading bread) with your hand or a spoon. This distributes the heat evenly throughout the cheese, which will not stretch until it is too hot to touch (145 degrees inside the curd). You may want to don rubber gloves at this point, as the cheese will be extremely hot to the touch. Microwave two more times for 35 seconds each; add salt to taste after the second time. After each heating, knead again to distribute the heat. Knead quickly until it is smooth and elastic. When the cheese stretches like taffy, it's done. If the curds break instead of stretch, they are too cool and need to be reheated. When the cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into small balls and eat while warm. Or place them in a bowl of ice water for half an hour to bring the inside temperature down rapidly; this will produce a consistent smooth texture throughout the cheese. Although best eaten fresh, it can be stored in the refrigerator at this point. Note: If you are using store-bought milk, and your curds turn into the consistency of ricotta cheese and will not come together, switch brands of milk. It may have been heated at the factory at too high a temperature.