The last time we were buying supplies to brew beer, I spotted a mozzarella kit on the shelf. Homemade mozzarella? Yum! In 30 minute? No way!

It’s surprisingly easy to make if you can find the right milk. While straight-from-the-dairy milk is recommended, not everyone has access to such a luxury. Pasteurized milk works fine, ultra-pasteurized milk does not. And other than trial and error, there doesn’t seem to be a way to tell the difference. Borden, Hill Country Fare, and HEB brand have not worked for me. Kroger brand milk has worked fine.

We usually buy handmade mozzarella at HEB for 9.99/lb. It’s cheaper at Costco but The Foodie Groom thinks that cheese tastes “off.” So for the price of a gallon of milk and less than a dollar per batch of other supplies, you get super fresh, heavenly mozzarella cheese. In about 30 minutes.

I picked up this kit and followed these instructions. (You actually don’t need a kit if you can find citric acid and rennet tablets.)

We have never gone through so much milk in such a short period of time. But it’s tomato season, and grilled pizza season, and slice a chunk of cheese off of the log and eat it plain season. Did I mention that it only takes 30 minutes to make?