Servings: 1lb of mozzarella makes approximately 12 string cheese sticks
Author: Kresha Faber
Ingredients
Any amount of shredded mozzarella
A pot of salted, steaming (NOT boiling) water
A pair of rubber gloves, optional, but HIGHLY recommended
A plate to hold finished string cheese sticks OR a bowl of ice water
Instructions
Dump the shredded mozzarella into the hot water and let it sit until it melts, 1-2 minutes. Be sure the water is NOT boiling!
Pull out approximately 3 tablespoons of melted cheese with a fork or slotted spoon.
With your hands, stretch the cheese as many times as possible until the cheese begins to harden, 10-15 seconds. The cheese will be extremely hot - rubber gloves will help significantly.
Continue to stretch until the cheese turns glossy. At about this time, the cheese will begin to break instead of stretch. Fold or stretch the cheese to your desired length and roll or fold lengthwise to make into a stick and so at least one side of the string cheese is as smooth as possible.
Place each finished string cheese on the plate and let them cool at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Alternatively, pop them into the ice water as you finish them until all string cheese sticks are completed. (I find string cheese made with part-skim mozzarella blocks tend to become dull in luster when finished in ice water, so I prefer to cool them slowly at room temperature.)