Do I need special gloves for mozzarella stretching?
I'd like to pick up some gloves for stretching mozzarella. I've seen gloves sold for just this on specialty sites like thebeveragepeople.com and thecheesemaker.com, but I can't tell if they're just a generic product sold as something specific. Is there something generic that will work equally well for (1) hot temperatures and is (2) food safe? I'd like to be able to buy it on Amazon in particular.
Best Answer
There is no requirement for specific gloves so far as I know. Gloves themselves aren't actually even necessary. They do however keep your hands clean, and they keep any nasties that could be on your hands or arms out of the cheese. When I make mozz for my family I usually just use my clean bare hands. If I was making to sell I'd most likely use food service gloves with a little butter on them to prevent sticking during stretching, similar to when you're pulling taffy.
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How do you make mozzarella more stretchy?
My mozzarella cheese won't stretch! Jerri's answer Acidity is the key for the stretch in mozzarella. Not enough or too much acid will result in hard curd floating or disintegrating in the water. The pH of your slab needs to be between 5.0 and 5.2 for it to stretch well when kneaded in hot water.Why is my mozzarella not stretching in pizza?
You may be using a low-moisture, part-skim mozzarella, which doesn't have the stretching characteristics of a good whole-milk mozzarella cheese. I say "good" because even among whole-milk mozzarella cheeses, there are some that are better than others.Why is my mozzarella not stringy?
165f(73.8c) water is about the minimum temperature needed to stretch mozzarella curds.How to Make Mozzarella: professional vs. homemade with Gaetano Sorrentino and Davide Civitiello
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Answer 2
The reason why Beverage People and Cheesemaking.com recommend medium neoprene gloves is that they do protect you from the heat for a short time (as in, less than a minute), while still allowing you to get a fairly good grip on the cheese. The neoprene gloves which you link to are fairly standard; search on "neoprene gloves" on Amazon and you'll be presented with lots of options.
However, these will still be somewhat clumsy compared to just using latex or nitrile gloves or your bare hands so if you can stand the heat, you shouldn't use the gloves.
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