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August 01, 2008

This is why the list never gets shorter!

The research list!

So, I knock one item off the list (the corn) and before I know it, another has been added.

The most recent being cheese.

Last year when I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver I was as keen as to try making my own Mozzarella.

Only problem was is that I didn't own my own thermometer and the candy thermometer one friend had only started at higher temperatures than what I was after. After a little research at the time, I came across a few online places that sold cheese thermometers (there was nothing available in my town) - but I was loathe to spend a lot of money on a thermometer specifically for one job and didn't know how keen I'd for a long-term investment.

However, tonight I went to one of those upmarket kitchen-ware parties and they had just the thing. A thermometer with a probe that ranges right through all temps, good for going in the oven, good for just taking the room temperature and also a timer - I like multi-purpose.

So, while I wait for it to arrive I will ensure I have all the ingredients I need to finally give this a go.

3 comments:

emmani said...

Hi Nikki, that's about as far as I've got too! I'm just standing in the kitchen making yoghurt, using my new brass thermo I got from ebay. A great site to use is:

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Cheese_course/Cheese_course.htm

It's quite technical the way he teaches but the general theories are there, I'm at number 3, soft cheese, I've got the cultured buttermilk frozen in cubes, and the veg rennet from ebay, my next problem is a bigger saucepan with a thick base - expensive!

Good luck, I look forward to seeing how it all goes.

Nik said...

Thanks Emmani, I'll check it out, looks interesting!

Marlon said...

Ah - very interesting. Have just read the two mozzarella recipes you guys have - and they are really different from mine. The recipe I have doesn't use a microwave at all, but I can't make it go very stretchy. I'm going to try the microwave version and see what happens! I'd really like some decent stretch!!