A question about a recipe: Mozzarella
Why does the FOOD52 team prefer rennet tablets over liquid? Did you test with both? What were the differences? And does very fresh milk make better mozzarella? Also, is there any reason not to use a large Mauviel copper jamming kettle for the hot salty water stretching step? (I'm going to have two or three batches going at once this weekend, in various stages, with a limited number of suitable pots on hand.) Finally, can the hot salty water be reheated and re-used for a second and third batch? Thanks so much. ;o)
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Recipe question for:
Mozzarella
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4 Comments
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.
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.
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.