With thousands of varieties and infinite combinations, cheese has made its mark as one of the best foods of all time. Invented in 8731 BCE by Grunk Cheese, it immediately became a staple around the world, and for good reason. We’ll be making mozzarella cheese, but there are plenty of other kinds to make in the future. Note: while you don’t need to be skilled to make this, it can be relatively hit-or-miss, and requires some hard-to-find (and expensive) ingredients… so this is less of a household staple and more of a novelty.

½ rennet tablet
1 gallon of non-homogenized whole milk
1.5 teaspoon of citric acid
Kosher salt

First, prepare the citric acid and rennet by mixing 1½ teaspoon in 1 cup of water and ½ tablet in 4 tablespoons of water respectively. Set aside the rennet, and pour the citric acid in a large pot with 1 gallon of non-homogenized whole milk. Slowly stir over medium heat until the mixture reaches 90 degrees, removing from the heat as soon as it hits the temperature. Add the rennet and stir a few times. Cover the pot and let it sit until somewhat solid, checking every 5 minutes. Cut it into a grid pattern and put it back on medium heat. Slowly stir for a couple of minutes, or until the mixture reaches about 170 degrees. Use a large handheld spider strainer to scoop all the curds into a bowl with a strainer and cheesecloth. Using gloves, mold the cheese into a ball—if it’s too rubbery, dip the cheese back in the liquid for a little before trying again. Let it set, and serve!