Why won't my mozzarella curds come together?

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by Kelsey

If you were trying to make mozzarella and you ended up with a bunch of rice-like curds that won't stick together, this is an example of curds not coming together properly.

This can be caused by

  • Improper temperatures
  • Using UHT (Ultra High Temperature) pasteurised milk (see suitable milks here)
  • Your curds got too hot when you were preparing for the stretching stage
  • Or they didn't get hot enough.

The temperature of the curds before stretching should be 71-77°C (160-170°F). 

Unfortunately it's not fixable, BUT it is edible!

Drain, salt, and use like ricotta or cottage cheese. It's delicious with fresh fruit or sprinkled on salad!