Do you love cheese as much as I do? Havarti, Brie, Gruyere, Gouda, Pepper Jack, Ricotta and MOZZARELLA! And I was absolutely thrilled when I heard I got to review the 30 Minute Mozzarella & Ricotta Kit from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company!
How do you get into the cheesemaking how-to business? It all began in 1978 with Ricki and Robert Carroll of Ashfield, Massachusetts. Once upon a time, Bob moved to western Massachusetts to study at the University of Massachusetts. Ricki followed after a career in teaching elementary school art in Englewood New Jersey.
Ricki says: We were introduced to raising dairy goats by a neighbor, and with this introduction came a bit more milk than we could drink. Through necessity we discovered the many aspects of home cheesemaking. There was little information on home cheesemaking available at that time in the US, so we did research at various places across the country and in Europe, to learn about the process of making cheeses at home.
We studied under small scale cheesemakers in England, France, Holland and Canada. We promoted and taught home cheesemaking workshops and ran the business together from 1978 through 1980. We also did a good deal of research on the history of farmstead and small-scale cheesemaking and played an active part in starting the American Cheese Sociey in 1983. In 1980 I took over New England Cheesemaking Supply Company and built it into what it is today. I still teach cheesemaking classes here in Ashfield and keep the business hopping.
New England Cheesemaking has everything “cheese”. There are an amazing 75 recipes for homemade cheese in their book, Home Cheese Making. And an additional 22 books and 5 different dvds on various cheesy (hehe… didn’t think I was going to go for the pun, did you?) subjects. They offer ingredients, equipment and kits for cheese makers of all levels.
The 30 Minute Mozzarella & Ricotta Kit contains enough ingredients to make your own mozzarella 30 times!!! All you need to add is milk. Be sure you read the information on what kind of milk to use. We chose to use raw goats milk and it was DELICIOUS!
After reading through the directions, I thought it might be fun to involve the kids with all of the steps that don’t include the stove or anything hot. We set out all of the supplies that came in the kit and went to work with my little girl reading directions. My little guy added the citric acid to the milk and watched while I heated the mixture to 90F.
We added the rennet and turned the heat on low… a firm curd started forming right before our eyes!
We cut that beautiful curd up into tiny squares and drained off most of the whey (cheese lingo for the watery part!).
Then the super easy microwave part of the process. You drain and knead and stretch… (this is all explained in the easy step-by-step instructions) and then you have a gorgeous ball of mozzarella!
It was so easy and fast! My kids loved watching and helping where they could. They were so proud when we were all done! My original plan was to bake a lasagna with it… but the kids would have none of that! We ate it bit by bit on crackers, with fruit and sometimes all by itself!
This kit is wonderful. It is such a fun and delicious project! I would highly recommend it!
Note: The above pictures are taken from “More Information” tab on the 30 Minute Mozzarella & Ricotta Kit page on the New England website. The steps had the same results for us, but I found it impossible to take pictures while directing children, reading directions and stirring yummy curds!
New England Cheesemaking has offered one lucky Sippy Cup reader a 30 Minute Mozzarella & Ricotta of their own!
Be sure to check out New England Cheesemaking’s Facebook page! They are offering a discount code for all of September!
Disclosure: I received a 30 Minute Mozzarella & Ricotta Kit to enable my review. No other compensation was given. All opinions are honest and my own.
I really, really, really want to win this or I wouldn’t enter, because, for the record, I HATE the stupid rafflecopter gadget. FAR too many steps. Too little bang for the buck.
The primary reason for salting cheese is to slow down or stop the bacteria process of converting lactose to lactic acid.
“Tracking acidity development is one of the surest ways to know about the activity of your culture and to tell if it is doing the work it was intended to do” – New England Cheesemaking web site
Their book, Cheese Making made easy, has sold over 140,000 copies. BTW, I LOVE Rafflecopter!
They appeared on the Today show and it’s been uphill ever since, by the way I also love Rafflecopter 🙂
I didn’t know that cheese is almost impossible to buy in China.
Kims2312@verizon.net
Took me three tried, but I finally got the mozzerella to come out right. What I love about this is even the batches that didn’t work, I could still use (they were ricotta-ish). My advice, if you get this kit, is read the trouble shooting tips and keep trying.
I looked around the online site and found out they also have a goat cheese kit!!! Yum.
They use salt to stop the bacteria growth just like they did in the old days for meat!
The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company is right next door to me in Massachusetts.
carriedust@yahoo.com
I learned they also hold cheesemaking workshops
And I LOVE Rafflecopter….saves so much time!
That Ricki is the cheese queen 😀
Waxing is perhaps the most convenient way to protect the cheese during aging and keep the cheese moisture in the desired range
hisprincess886 at yahoo dot com
We also did a good deal of research on the history of farmstead and small-scale cheesemaking and played an active part in starting the American Cheese Sociey in 1983.
yourstrulee(at)sasktel(dot)net
“Flavor and texture are a result of the type and amount of culture you use, the quality of milk, and the process timeline in your cheese making” I don’t know why this surprised me, but it did. This explains why my taste in cheese is so particular and often expensive – only the good stuff for me!
I’d love to win this BTW, I ♥ mozzarella!!!
I also like the goat cheese kit 🙂
YUM!! I learned they have a Goat Cheese making kit! LOVE cheese!
And interesting fact about cheese, is THAT IT IS AMAZING! I so want this kits, I want to get all their kits!
First I forgot to leave my facebook name ugh (tiffany uchi..)ticklemetiffyyyy@yahoo and another thumbs up for the Rafflecopter!
Down to business…who knew cheese would be hard to find in China but then after thinking about it Ive never had any when eating Chinese food. Then again I complain about lack of cheese selection outside of the midwest.
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