Storing mozzarella in oil

[wind_magic]

I really hope this post doesn't get lost in provisioning, but I guess I will post it there since that is what the forum is for.

I read somewhere that mozzarella can be stored unrefrigerated if it is kept in oil, what say you ? Pizza just isn't the same without it.

[sailingdog]

Many cheeses can be stored in oil. Some cheese do better than others by doing this... they do have to be completely submersed though.

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Many cheeses can be stored in oil. Some cheese do better than others by doing this... they do have to be completely submersed though.

I'm really tempted to try it to see how it works, but I don't want to get food poisoning either!

[trailblazer1229]

Originally Posted by wind_magic

I'm really tempted to try it to see how it works, but I don't want to get food poisoning either!

Give her the old smell test. Wet mozzarella (typically in water...although I guess you could use oil) will give you the rancid smell long before it starts to mold.

[RichH]

You can buy mozzarella already in oil from specialty cheeze shops ... but its usually Italian made mozz. made from buffalo milk .ie. the 'good' mozzarella.

[hellosailor]

When you put up cheese in oil, do you have to take precautions against botulism, i.e. boosting the acidity?

[klubko]

We had mozzarella and cheddar in olive oil for about 6 months in the tropics. The trick is to sterilise the jars and instruments by cooking them for a minute or two. Then let the jars cool down, cut up the cheese with sterilised knife, the fill the jars with cheese and oil. When you want your cheese, you sterilise a fork or spoon and take out only as much as you need.

[hellosailor]

"The trick is to sterilise the jars and instruments by cooking them for a minute or two."
That's where I get worried about home recipes. There are critters that will survive WAY more than a minute or two in boiling water, or even two minutes in an autoclave.
"Bacteria, however, are not as easily destroyed. The bacteria, Clostridium botulinum produces a spore that makes a poisonous toxin which causes botulism. This spore is not destroyed at 212° F. In addition, bacteria thrive on low acids in the absence of air. Therefore, for a safe food product, low-acid foods need to be processed at 240° F. This temperature can only be achieved with a pressure canner."
from Presto®: Pressure Canning Introduction which echos a number of government and university sites.
I made the mistake of putting up some garlic on oil once. Fortunately the pretty colors made me throw it out untasted, apparently garlic and naything else dug out of the ground can be guaranteed to have botulism spores in it. I know, good fresh mozzarella has just come out of a long hot water bath, but I'd really hate to be really ill at sea.

[wind_magic]

Originally Posted by klubko

We had mozzarella and cheddar in olive oil for about 6 months in the tropics. The trick is to sterilise the jars and instruments by cooking them for a minute or two. Then let the jars cool down, cut up the cheese with sterilised knife, the fill the jars with cheese and oil. When you want your cheese, you sterilise a fork or spoon and take out only as much as you need.

Thanks Klubko, and everyone.

I think what I have decided is to stick with the hard cheeses which I already store without problems, and try to learn to like olive oil on pizza instead of mozzarella. Since I don't use olive oil on pizza I might like it, I really don't know, I am going to give it a try soon and see. Apparently olive oil is a traditional thing to put on pizza instead of cheese, who knew.

[bljones]

wind, just buy mozza as you need it- it's not like you are going to be worried about pizza while in your second week adrift in the Sargasso. But, if you do get a hanking for pizza halfway between Hawaii and Perth, EEVO and garlic makes a more than adequate substitute.
I'd be more worried about the longevity of your pizza dough ingredients than the cheese.