Milk is the most important ingredient in cheese making. Selecting the BEST milk will determine the success of your cheese. As a general rule, unprocessed milk (raw/ unpasteurized) is the best milk to use. However, all milk sold in stores in Canada and most of the USA is pasteurized by law. Therefore, because most of us are Urban Cheese Makers and might not have access to raw milk, we need to use the next best thing: Non Homogenized milk. Non-homogenized milk is milk that has been pasteurized, but has not undergone the blending process. Because it has been less processed it is a stronger milk and can withstand the transformation from a liquid to a solid in a relatively short period of time. This is particularly important when making fresh Mozzarella, because it only takes 30-60 minutes to make and therefore the transformation is taking place extremely fast. The Fat content of your milk also matters! Our recipe is based on using a specific range of milk fat (+/-3%-+/-4%) if your milk fat content is well under 3% or well over 4% the PH level will be be off and you will get ricotta. For high fat milk, like buffalo milk, double the ingredients. Low fat milk such as skim, 1% or 2% rarely work when making mozzarella.High quality milk will produce high quality cheese. Low quality milk will most often give you ricotta or no cheese at all. Let’s learn about what is high quality milk vs low quality milk. Please keep in mind, I’m providing education about milk in the context of CHEESE MAKING :)High Quality Milk: Is milk that has been the LEAST PROCESSED. This can be cow, goat, sheep, buffalo etc.1. Fresh, Unpasteurized or Raw milk (they all mean the same thing). In Canada this is illegal to buy or sell in stores. But it falls under the category of high quality milk. So it belongs on this list.2. Non-Homogenized milk (often referred to as WHOLE milk) However, it does not mean the milk is automatically non-homogenized just because it says whole. Makes sure it says Non-Homogenized on the label. Homogenization is not the same as pasteurized. It is pasteurized milk that has been further processed to break up the fat globules so that the structure of the milk is bound together. To put it another way, the cream is no longer separated from the milk, which is why the consistency of non-homogenized milk has visible floating cream globules in it. Which is also why it is so great for cheese making because it has been processed less than other conventional milks.3. High Fat, Grass-Fed and the fresher, the better (don’t use close to expiry). High fat milk, like 3.25% and above is milk that has also been less processed than conventional milk, which means there are more proteins and bacteria that gives you a stable milk. Using grass-fed cow’s milk also allows for more stable milk from a diet richer in nutrients. This milk will work well with any ‘slow’ cheese (meaning cheeses that require an active bacteria and calcium chloride as ingredients). However, this milk choice becomes less reliable when making ‘fast’ cheeses such as fresh mozzarella. It is okay to use, but the percentage of success goes down.Low Quality Milk: Is milk that has been the MOST PROCESSED. Skim is not "more processed" than homo milk. All milk going into processing (ie island farms, dairyland) is first separated giving skim milk and fat. The fat is homogenized and then added back at the appropriate % as the milk is pasteurized to give skim, 1%, 2% or homo milk. All are processed in the same manner.1. 2%, 1% & Skim milk. These milks lie at the top of the low quality list mostly because you can make cheese with them if you are making a cheese that comes with active bacterial cultures and calcium chloride. You can use these milks to make some fresh cheeses like mozzarella and ricotta, but the success percentages are very low. You would have to be an expert cheese maker or use altered recipes that include bacterial cultures. These conventional milks have been pasteurized, homogenized and skimmed several times over leaving a product very low in nutrients and bacterial which makes it much more difficult to form cheese.2. Lactose Free milks. If you are not using ultra-pasteurized milk you can attempt to make cheese, however, because it is milk that has been processed and treated the results can be inconsistent.3. Ultra-Pasteurized (UP) or Ultra-High Temperature (UHT) milk. These milks are treated with extreme heat and cold. These processes denature the milk completely to the point where it lasts unnaturally long periods of time allowing for easier transport and longer shelf-life in the store. You cannot make cheese with these milks.