Good Kosher Mozzarella

[Jason Perlow]

Rachel and I had lunch at a very nice, hip Kosher italian restaurant in NJ today, one that focuses on fresh pasta and its in-house made fresh mozzarella. While we were very happy with the quality of the pasta, we have to say we were underwhelmed by homemade kosher mozzarella. It just didnt taste or feel right.

As I understand it, Kosher mozzarella differs from regular whole milk mozzarella which is made in the traditional fashion by substituting the beef rennet used for coagulation with non-animal enzyme. With the mozzarella I have had on pizzas in kosher pizza restaurants, this usually results in a cheese that melts in a goopy, plasticy and oily fashion and it does not yeild the same results as say something like a low-moisture mozzarella like a Polly-O would. The fresh kosher mozzarella I had today in an insalata caprese did not taste like milk, and it had a slippery/rubbery kind of texture when sliced as opposed to the stringiness/sponginess and roughness that a good fresh mozzarella is supposed to have.

Is it possible to make a good fresh mozzarella kosher? Is there something else about the process of making it that I don't understand? You tell me.

[slkinsey]

Hmmm... Do you know what the enzyme is that they use?

Frankly, I've always wondered why one couldn't make kosher cheese using rennet produced by bioengineered bacteria (which is where most of it comes from nowadays anyway, I am give to understand). And, of course, there's the whole deal with the fact that all milk contain's a certain amount of blood cells (aka "meat") anyway, but that's a discussion for another time.

Is it possible to make decent mozzarelly without using rennet? I don't know. Are there any decent kosher cheeses made with the substitute enzyme? There are, of course, other elements besides the enzyme at play, but if their in-house made mozzarella isn't good, it's almost a sure bet it's due to the enzyme, all other ingredients being equal.

Here is an information page on kosher enzymes that may be of some interest.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Cappiello Cheeses are good ... or so I have heard ...

Authentic, Hand-crafted cheeses.

All our products are made with the finest all natural ingredients.

Natural Hickory Hardwood Smoke.

No chemicals or preservatives are added.

All ingredients are Certified Kosher.

[slkinsey]

Hmmm... ths page seems to indicate that bacteria-produced rennet is okay, in which case there should be no barriers to making kosher cheese exactly like non-kosher (subject to the skill of the cheesemaker and the quality of the raw ingredients, of course):

Jewish kosher laws prohibit the mixing of meat and milk, making cheese produced with the enzyme rennet, which is derived from the stomach of calves, non-kosher. But rabbis have determined this enzyme, once removed from the cow and made in bacteria, can be used to make kosher cheese.

[Jason Perlow]

I would imagine the practice of using bacterial-produced rennin is not at all in common use or is in use at all for making Kosher cheese, though. Its probably one those iffy things that local rabbinates have not signed off on yet.

[Msk]

I have had fresh mozzarella made with non-animal rennet that is very good. Though it was not officially marketed as Kosher. I belive it was Hoboken Farms and sold at my local Farmers Market in NJ.

While I would not vote for it as "Best Mozz" it did pass for good stuff. I would imagine it is then possible based on the other information provided above to make quality Kosher fresh mozzarella.

Jason, what restaurant was it?

Msk

[Jason Perlow]

Its a new restaurant in Teaneck, "The Pasta Factory". Other than the mozzarella I would say everything else about the place was really good. Attractive space, attentive staff, really good fresh pasta, great bread, excellent salads.

[bloviatrix]

Jason, where is The Pasta Factory?

The best kosher mozzarella I've had came from a Syrian market that makes their own. The place is somewhere in the Deal/Bradley Beach area -- I'll have to get the name.

[Ore]

Ciao,

strange, strange, strange...

Kosher Mozz -

when making mozz, we are talking about the initial cheese curd being of kosher production. It is hard for me to believe that this restaurant is curdling its own milk to make mozz - lots of waste -

Mozz =

Cheese curd and hot water (some preffer salt, some don't!) + the knowledge of making it.

If it is made in house, the rubbery chewy texture is because it was overworked when made. That very wet, super soft mozz was made with the least amount of work, but the most amount of skill!!!

I don't think that the problem lies within the rennet. Many can argue that one cant taste the difference in fresh cheeses using different curdling agents. Kosher has to be kosher, so prob. a vegetable base!?!

But, the bread and pasta make up for it so have fun!!

Ore

[Jason Perlow]

Jason, where is The Pasta Factory?

The best kosher mozzarella I've had came from a Syrian market that makes their own.  The place is somewhere in the Deal/Bradley Beach area -- I'll have to get the name.

←

Its in a weird spot in the industrial part of town near Queen Anne road, next to the train tracks in back of a large hardware store, across the street from the post office.

[Rachel Perlow]

It's next to Goodman's True Value Hardware, 1400 Palisade Ave, Teaneck

[Placebo]

Wow- I lived in Teaneck a bar mitzvah ago - haven't heard these names in a while. Kosher mozz should be pretty easy. Chymosin, which is the active enzyme in calf rennet, can be gotten, as stated, from bacterial sources and I know that some has a hechsher because the brand we use at work is certified (as are our starter cultures). I think the stuff is more and more common these days as it makes it easier to make cheese qualify as vegetarian. Mozz should be worked very very minimally to get the right texture. Even the word "worked" probably overstates the amount of stretching that should happen. I've made batches of mozz at work that would have been kosher if we'd had the right sort of certified person standing there watching us make it.

[bloviatrix]

Jason, it occurs to me that they might be using chalov yisroel milk and that might be the problem. Technically, there should be no difference between chalov yisroel and regular dairy, but in my experience/opinion it spoils quicker and doesn't taste as good.

[Jason Perlow]

What's Chalov Yisroel milk?

[bloviatrix]

I was afraid you were going to ask that.

There are those who say that the whole process of milking the cows and preparing the milk must be overseen by a torah-observant jew in order to ensure that it's 100% cow's milk.

The thing is, because milk is so heavily regulated in the US there is a counter argument that the supervision isn't required because you know that the milk will come solely from cows.

[Jason Perlow]

Okay, but when your typical Orthodox Jew buys milk, what do they buy? Surely not that stuff, right? I mean do most supermarket milks say OU D on them or Chof-K or do they not say anything at all, but is assumed to be ok?

And I thought it was ok to drink Goats Milk and Sheeps Milk? Or is it just the blending of the different animals milk that is unkosher?

[Gifted Gourmet]

more information on your questions

just until Bloviatrix resumes her online reading ...

[Jason Perlow]

more information on your questions

just until Bloviatrix resumes her online reading ...

←

Oh man, thats really technical stuff.

[bloviatrix]

Okay, but when your typical Orthodox Jew buys milk, what do they buy? Surely not that stuff, right? I mean do most supermarket milks say OU D on them or Chof-K or do they not say anything at all, but is assumed to be ok?

←

I can't speak for the entire community, but for the most part, those who are Modern Orthodox don't hold by it. However, some of the agencies that supervise kashrut will require it.

Interestingly, GG provided a link to the Star-K web site. And dairy product you buy with a Star-K will be chalov yisroel. However, they also have a ancillary hechsher -- the Star-D (a D with a star set inside) which would contain regular milk products.