String Cheese - Batch 15 (I'm not getting any better at this)

1) 12:35 pm ~ 1/4 tablet rennet in 1/4 C of chlorine free water.

2) 12:35 pm ~ 1 1/2 T citric acid in 1 C of chlorine free water. Pour citric acid solution into 1 1/2 G pot.

3) 12:39 pm ~ Pour 1/2 G of LW Dairy Whole milk (dated 8/12/11). Stir vigorously. Add 1/2 G of LW Dairy 2% Milk (dated 8/21/11) and continue stirring.

4) 12:40 pm ~ Heat milk to 90 degrees Fahrenheit while stirring continuously.

5) 12:46 pm ~ Milk is at 90 degrees. Turn off heat, add rennet solution slowly while stirring up and down.

6) 12:46 pm ~ Cover pot and let sit for five minutes.

7) 12:52 pm ~ Check curd. It was not great, but was forming.

8) 12:53 pm ~ Cut curd. I cut larger 1/2 inch cubes than the last batch.

9) 12:57 pm ~ Heat curds and whey to 110 degrees while stirring slowly.

10) 12:57 pm ~ Remove heat and continue stirring for 2-5 minutes.

11) 1:02 pm ~ Pour off whey into other (shorter) pot.

12) 1:04 pm ~ Ladle remaining curds into cheese-cloth lined colander. Fold curds gently as you drain whey.

13) Continue folding until the curds are more dense and have less moisture.

14) 1:05 pm ~ Heat whey bath to 175 degrees.

15) 1:10 pm ~ Put on gloves and start folding the curds in the bath to get them to stretch. The water seems too hot to actually get the curds to that temperature. Maybe, I need new (or better) gloves. I don't know if I ever really got the curds to that temperature. The water was at that temp, and the outside of the curd ball got to the right temperature. But, I never got it really very stringy.

16) Remove from whey bath and stretch while adding salt. I don't know how to get salt added at this stage. The salt is granular and doesn't get into the cheese but instead looks like a salted pretzel.

17) Keep stretching and adding salt.

Maybe, I have been in too much of a hurry on the last two batches. But, I seem to have lost whatever touch I may have had on some of the earlier batches. I can definitely get mozzarella, but making it stringy, salty, and the right texture is still just luck on my part. It keeps tasting like mild farmers cheese with a funny texture and moisture content. Only 17 batches to go in my kit.