A question about a recipe: Mozzarella

Kristy is the Associate Editor of Food52.

added about 1 year ago

I did test with both the tablets and the liquid. I didn't see much of a difference between batches, I prefer the tablets because I think they are clean, precise, and easy to store. I'm sure very fresh milk makes a better mozzarella, as all fresh ingredients make for better food.

I don't see any reason you can't use your copper pot to boil salty water. I've actually poured the hot salty water into a large mixing bowl and that has worked perfectly (if you're out of pots). And, yes, you can definitely reuse the hot salty water for more batches of mozzarella.

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ChefOno added about 1 year ago

Don't use the copper pot! Copper is toxic and will leach into your food under certain conditions, especially in the presence of an acid.

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Kristy is the Associate Editor of Food52.

added about 1 year ago

Can't you use the copper pot to boil the water and transfer it to a large mixing bowl?

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ChefOno added about 1 year ago

Hmmm… Excellent question, just the kind that intrigues me.

Experiment: In a glass vessel, dissolve a relatively large quantity of salt in a small quantity of tap water and bring to a boil. The quantity of salt is not important, we're only testing theory, not attempting to quantify the results. The glass vessel is important to exclude any reaction between the copper and other metals. Drop a (lightly) tarnished penny into the solution and observe.

Results: Within seconds the penny begins to brighten.

Conclusion: Don't cook in copper.

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