How to Make Di Palo's Mozzarella

It wasn't too long ago that The Daily Meal tackled The Vanderbilt's blood sausage in Brooklyn: We went to the best to learn from the best -- this time for mozzarella.

At Di Palo's in Little Italy, the Di Palo family has been upholding a longstanding tradition of making fresh mozzarella. From technique to tools, it's all been kept in the family, with a history stretching back to 1910.

Brothers Lou and Sal Di Palo run the Italian foods store that doubles as a certified dairy. With help from René, a Di Palo's employee, we went behind the scenes to learn how to make their mozzarella.

They make it daily, which Lou explains is the only way. With our step-by-step how-to and a little practice, you can have fresh handmade mozzarella in about 20 minutes. Or just sit back and learn how it got from a massive curd into your Caprese salad.

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Curd, or cagliata in Italian, is the fat and protein by-product of milk that has been separated from whey. Related: Fromagers' 9 Favorite Cheeses

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Curd, or cagliata in Italian, is the fat and protein by-product of milk that has been separated from whey. Related: Fromagers' 9 Favorite Cheeses

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Comments

[sigh-ence]

02:49 PM on 12/14/2010

OM nom nom...my favorite cheese.

[ghigley]

11:16 PM on 12/13/2010

Some time ago, Emeril made some mozarella on his FoodTV show. Probably the recipe is still there. In any event, for all those asking how to obtain curd, etc., try letting your fingers do the walking. I would bet there are literally hundreds of URLs easily found with any of the common search engines. Most will have useful points on the process.

[markhass]

02:16 PM on 12/12/2010

mozzarella is mostly tastless and absorbs the tast of whatever it is used with. a little goes more than a long way.

[HappyMarsden]

07:59 PM on 12/10/2010

Oh yeah. I could really see me doing this in 20 minutes flat. All I'd need is the right connections ("See the man with the curd. To find him, look for the red, white and green cow. Remember! First, you must clack your heels).

....Well, that and the right drugs I mean.

[OakMoon Farm]

08:46 AM on 12/09/2010

OK, these guys are not "making" mozzarella. They are buying the curd and stretching it. Making it involves making the curd, too. Buy local, people, from the cheesemakers at farmers markets and direct from the creamery if you can get it.

[Anthony OReilly]

07:58 AM on 12/09/2010

The closest thing I can get to fresh store mozzarella is the big container that still has the cheese soaking in the liquid.

[kitten645]

07:13 AM on 12/09/2010

I've taken a class. It's a PITA so I understand the price you pay. Ricotta is easy. Mozzarella not so much.

[ImBarbara]

10:28 PM on 12/10/2010

I watched a show on Food Network on how to make ricotta cheese and I was surprised by how easy it is to make. That is something I'm looking forward to trying.

[Troff]

06:53 AM on 12/09/2010

so... basically you just buy it in another form, i.e. the curd?

[jubo]

05:17 AM on 12/09/2010

I might have missed it but there is no mention of buffalo milk.

I wonder why...

[Elf Lover]

06:07 PM on 12/11/2010

'Mozzarella di bufala' is made of water buffalo milk, Plain 'Mozzarella' you'll find mostly in the supermarket, or 'Mozzarella fiordilatte', is made of cow milk. You can differentiate by the color, cow milk being slightly more yellow, and the taste of course,

[jubo]

04:32 AM on 12/12/2010

How'd the Buffalo get there? A descendant of the Auroch, perhaps... or did the Huns bring them from Asia?

Cheers, off to Google...

[Alexandra Mandelis]

02:48 AM on 12/09/2010

Mmm... mozzarella is the best cheese ever. I shall never make my own because it's so complicated, but I appreciate knowing how it's made.

[kickoutthejamsMF]

01:27 AM on 12/09/2010

yeah, right...like someone's gonna do all that in their home kitchen. lol

[kitten645]

07:14 AM on 12/09/2010

Some brave souls do.

[maidenofdforest]

12:26 AM on 12/09/2010

That was cool process....I love mozarella but can't eat it often. Makes my heart beat faster and can't sleep!

[mombabytiger]

01:40 PM on 12/09/2010

That's love, not cheese.

[Ezradanielv]

03:17 AM on 12/13/2010

LOL

[Brane]

12:24 AM on 12/09/2010

Where are they getting the buffalo milk from?

[Amalek]

03:53 AM on 12/09/2010

They are starting with curd, which makes the milk someone else's problem.

[cardiaccare]

11:11 AM on 12/10/2010

Buffalos.

[Lise Stanley]

07:45 AM on 12/11/2010

LOL..

[ImBarbara]

12:15 AM on 12/09/2010

Seriously! I just posted a reply, agreeing with about the joys of fresh mozzarella and how I like to use this product and "This comment is pending approval and won't be displayed until it is approved." The cheese comments have to be filtered? What would happen to the comment after it is filtered? Maybe some of the fine people here would then discover the answer to the questions they posted "where do I find whey?"

[tootsie1]

01:18 AM on 12/09/2010

You have to heat the milk and then stir in an agent to make it curdle...then pour it into cheese cloth...it call separating the curds from the whey...I make Tofu this whey...lol

[cardiaccare]

11:12 AM on 12/10/2010

Me, too.

[Comicoffee]

11:34 PM on 12/08/2010

Where do you get curd?

[jubo]

05:20 AM on 12/09/2010

Curdistan?

[BobHiggins]

11:20 AM on 12/09/2010

That was so bad I was forced by my conscience to F&F.
Curdistan indeed.

[ImBarbara]

10:29 PM on 12/10/2010

Do you know the whey to Curdistan?

[jubo]

11:35 AM on 12/09/2010

At the doctor's?