Last weekend, all over the country, 30 groups of FOOD52ers gathered together to make mozzarella from scratch at our very first Make Mozzarella Potluck – and we couldn’t be more grateful. 

Our associate editor!

Are you going to a #makemozzarella potluck this weekend? (Are you hosting one?) If not, remember that the California Olive Ranch Tasting Set is 36% off in the FOOD52 Shop and that we're pleased to announce an Olive Oil Tasting Kit Giveaway!

Last October, the FOOD52 community came together to celebrate the release of our cookbook -- and the subsequent potlucks were quite the festive events. We love it when our digital community gets together in the real world, and we want to do it all over again: we're thrilled to announce our Make Mozzarella Potlucks, sponsored by California Olive Ranch and scheduled for the weekend of April 20, 2012.

Learn more about the potlucks and how you can join!

We've asked you to get together and host mozzarella-making parties the weekend of April 20th (find a party near you here) -- and now, our Associate Editor Kristy Mucci shows you how it's done! Read on below for her step-by-step tutorial (and recipe!) for making mozzarella at home.

I am by no means a cheesemonger. Before we talked about writing this post, I'd only ever made ricotta. So, being thorough, I decided to make mozzarella enough times to feel comfortable sharing a method. I've been practicing in the FOOD52 kitchen, and in my own kitchen, for months (I like to be really thorough). For a while I thought I could make it happen witout rennet, but I tested my theory and know better now. You need rennet. You also need citric acid powder. Luckily, those things are easy to locate. If you can find non-homogenized milk, I suggest you use that -- and please, stick to whole milk. The rest is really easy and fun, and if I can do it, anyone can. 

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