You can buy citric acid in the spice section of the grocery store or online.
It’s okay to use your favorite brand of milk for this. You don’t need to buy special milk.
Don’t turn on the burner until the next step.
It’s best to use a food thermometer. If you don’t have one, just turn off the burner when the milk feels warmer than room temperature but not hot.
Wait until just before you use the rennet tablet to break it up. This preserves the quality of the rennet.
Don’t stir continuously because the milk needs time to set. It will start separating into clumps and liquid, which is supposed to happen.
At the end of the 12 minutes, check for clumps of milk floating in a thin liquid. It might look similar to cottage cheese or dumplings.
Typically, this takes about 5 minutes.
If you want to save the whey, place the colander in a bowl so you can collect the whey.
You can buy cheese curds at a cheese shop or online.
If you’re making pasta, just use your pasta water so you don’t have to boil an extra pot of water.
Set the rest of your cheese curds aside for later.
If you prefer to measure out your salt, you might use 1 tbsp (17 g).
Be careful while handling hot water so you won’t accidentally burn yourself.
As you stir, the curds should start sticking together. However, don’t worry if they don’t because this may take some time.
Dip your hands in cool water if they start feeling hot. You might also do this before you put your hands in the warm water, especially if you’re sensitive to heat.
You don’t need to be precise with how much salt you add to the water. You just want your water to be a bit salty so your cheese has flavor.
Your mozzarella ball should look like the kind you buy at the store when it’s finished. It’ll be a solid, fist-sized white ball.
Your cheese should stretch similarly to how melted cheese stretches, but don’t stress too much about how your cheese looks. You’re going to be cutting it into small pieces anyway.
Add more salt if you like salty burrata.
You don’t need to add a precise amount of salt. If you’re worried about estimating it, add 1 to 2 tbsp (17 to 34 g). You may need to heat your water to boiling again if it’s cooled.
This is the same process as the one you used to create a mozzarella ball for your stracciatella. However, you’ll be using twice as many cheese curds this time.
Don’t forget to dip your hands in cool water if they start feeling warm.
You don’t need to measure out your salt. Just sprinkle it over the surface of the water.
You’ll likely do more kneading cycles this time, since you’re working with more cheese curds.
If your mozzarella pulls apart, dip it in hot water and reform it into solid cheese.
As another option, you can hold the mozzarella circle in your palm while you stuff it. However, it’s easier to just use the bowl. [28] X Research source
Push down on the stracciatella with the back of your spoon if you need to compress it to make it fit.
Your burrata will look similar to a mozzarella ball when it’s closed. However, it may be more lumpy and the closure may not look smooth.
Your burrata is now ready to eat!
Don’t eat the cheese if you notice any mold or foul smells coming from it.