Simple and Impossible

Boiling the milk


Cutting the curds and taking their temperature


The whey


The curds


The cheese


Impossible is the wrong word- people have been successfully making mozzarella for hundreds of years. But for this hillbilly, it did not come easy. I followed the directions, I actually took temperatures, and I still ended up with rubbery cheese.
It was somewhere around the time when I was supposed to reach into the 135 degree water and start pulling the curds when I realized I should have bought the rubber gloves they recommended. I kept thinking, Come on! Do Italian Nonna's really put on plastic gloves to pull their mozzarella? Either yes, they do, or they are even cooler and tougher than I thought before. That water is fucking hot. My hands became pink and tender immediately, and I couldn't handle pulling the curds while my hands melted into skin glue. So I threw the curds back into the water hysterically and ran my fingers under cold water. I think this is when I failed.
Next time, I will have gloves ready so I can get in there like a tough guy and get that cheese done!
Does anyone have any tips for making creamy and tender mozzarella?