For troubleshooting tips & FAQs, see the section at the bottom of the page. 

Your shipment includes:

- Our handmade, cultured mozzarella curd, shipped frozen (store in the freezer upon arrival).  When you're ready to take the class, take out of the freezer and put in a bowl of cool water on the countertop to thaw.

Real cultures and quality milk are what make our curd so special. We are the only creamery to offer cultured, fermented curd to consumers. The result of this natural process creates unsurpassed flavor and texture!

What you will need (this will be covered in the video as well):

- 2lbs. Kosher or Sea Salt

- 1 gallon of cool water

- Kitchen string/butcher's twine

- Approx. 1 gallon of 190° water (using a programmable kettle, or a pot of water on the stove just below boiling)

- Large spoon or paddle (metal or wood)

- 1 large bowl for stretching 

- Colander/strainer over a large bowl

- Bowl of cold water for cooling off your hands!

Ready to start?  

You can find your class video below - feel free to watch it as many times as you would like!  Owner and cheese expert Rynn Caputo will teach you all about provolone, then lead you through the process step-by-step.  When we are done, you'll have created your own aged cheese!

If we've made you a stretching pro and want to order more curd (or any of our other cheeses), use coupon code BACKAGAIN10 for 10% off!

How soon do I need to watch the video and use my kit?   The curd will be shipped to you frozen, and should be stored in the freezer when it arrives.  It will need to be thawed (either in the refrigerator overnight or in a bowl of cold water on the countertop for an hour or so).  As this is a naturally fermented product, once thawed, it should be used the same day for best stretching results (upon thawing, the fermentation process continues and will alter the outcome of your stretching.)

How much provolone will this make and how long is it good for?  Each pound of curd will yield about a pound of finished cheese (it will lose some moisture/weight depending how long you age it).  And as an aged cheese, it is good until you use it! (it will just continue aging!)  Provolone is a great slice-and-eat cheese, perfect on sandwiches, and is a great addition to a pizza! 

What is curd?  They are the solids that remain after the milk is coagulated and the whey is removed. Curd simply means “unfinished cheese.”  In cheddar, for example, it would mean that the curds have not been pressed or aged. In the case of mozzarella it means that the curds have not yet been stretched.

What does ‘cultured’ mean?  This means we make our cheeses in the traditional way, using cultures - or bacteria - to start a natural fermentation process. This is different from the industrial cheesemakers who use vinegar or citric acid to coagulate the milk to make it appear to look like cheese (thereby leaving a high level of lactose in the cheese).

Are your cheeses pasteurized?  Yes, all of our cheeses are pasteurized at a low temperature to preserve the quality and natural flora of the milk as much as possible.  By federal law any cheese aged less than 60 days must be pasteurized. 

Can I freeze my finished cheese?  Freezing will change the consistency of cheese, so we don't recommend freezing the finished product.

My curds were partially thawed or warm when I received them.  That’s ok!  As a fermented product, the curds are essentially shelf stable.  For more information on this, read here.  

The curds are not coming together after I add the hot water - no ‘strings’ are forming. There are two possible causes for this:

1. You may have too much water in the bowl.  You want to just cover the curds with the hot water - if they have too much room to swim around, they won’t meet up with each other. Your water is not hot enough.  

2. Pour off as much of what you have in the bowl as possible, and add another dose of 190° water to just cover the curds.

I’m not getting the ‘waterfall’ stretch to come together.  Similar to the above issue, you probably just need more (or hotter) water.  Pour off some of the water and give it another shot of that 190° water.  If you get a tear or hole in your ‘waterfall’, just return the cheese to the bowl of water to warm up a bit & try again.  You can add a little more hot water if the bowl is cooling off too much.