I am, by no means, a great cook, though I can hold my own when presented with a recipe that calls for an intermediate level of expertise.

Despite knowing my own limitations, over the years I've undertaken a handful of kitchen projects that are about as complicated as they come. I've made pickles (and didn't die from botulism). I've brewed beer (and only about half of the bottles exploded). I've made wine (and one batch turned out fairly good).

But I've never made cheese, which is funny, considering I was born in Wisconsin, and I really like cheese.

So, while strolling the aisles of Whole Foods one day, I found myself captivated by a new cheesemaking kit.

Whole Foods Marketing and Community Relations Specialist and occasional OnMilwaukee.com blogger Autumn Faughn was kind enough to help me indulge my idea, and we set a recent morning aside to give the process a whirl.

Unfortunately, our first attempt at mozzarella was a near disaster -- the results looked a little like cheese but tasted only reasonably edible. Fortunately, each $25 box of Ricki's Mozzarella and Ricotta Kits makes 30 batches of cheese, so were inspired to slow down and give it another try.

Autumn, herself, told me not to give up.

"I've made cheese with this kit several times before and it's a good, easy lesson for the beginner interested in learning more about the cheese making process," said Autumn. "I think it's very easy, especially the ricotta recipe."

Easy for her to say!

Seriously, though, it wasn't an impossible process when we followed the recipe to a tee.

It's hard to say what we did wrong in our first attempt, but Autumn and I think we used the wrong type of pot, water or milk. The directions explicitly call for stainless steel and spring water. We used whatever pot was available in the Whole Foods kitchen, and we boiled ordinary tap water. Sadly, our curds and whey never really separated.

In take two, the results were good. Really good, actually.

We used bottled water that was chlorine free and stainless steel pots and utensils. The milk also appeared to make difference.

We had better results with Farmer's Creamery Organic whole milk. This Iowa milk is the only non-homogenized offering from Whole Foods, and it has a different consistency than the 365 Everyday Value Organic Milk we used along with it at that second session.

The Iowa milk yielded better results, but that could be because I cut the curds of the 365 Everyday Value milk a little too forcefully. That batch didn't stretch quite as well, but eventually, we created nice mozzarella balls of each.

Said Autumn, "I enjoyed the taste of the results a lot. I ate another cheese plate after you left that afternoon. It was really amazing with the balsamic glaze."

Technically, the process is 18 steps long, but basically, it involves mixing rennet tablets, citric acid and milk. When heated to 90 degrees, stirred, covered then cooled, the curd and the whey separates. At that point, it's time to cut the cheese (heh, heh) and strain the whey.

Finally, and here's the part I wasn't so good at, you use a water bath to heat the curds back up and slowly stretch and fold them until they pull like taffy. And that's it. You've just made cheese.

Making a batch of cheese isn't the easiest process in the world; in fact, you'll probably fail on your first try. The finished product doesn't taste as good as something made by experts, either, but why would it?

Realistically, I'll leave cheesemaking to artisans, though this was a fun exercise in how chemical reactions can produce some interesting byproducts. I imagine this kit would be a hit with kids or expert cooks who are looking to stretch (pun intended) their skillset.

Autumn agrees.

"Families with kids who are interested in the kitchen, food adventurers (like me), and teachers or girl / boy scout troop leaders would enjoy a kit. There's a lot to learn, you get a science lesson discovering how the citric acid curdles the milk and how the rennet works, plus you get to eat the results. Do you remember ever making rock candy from a kit as a kid? It's like that, but nutritious."

Think you're ready to give cheesemaking a try? Autumn is leading a class on making cheese from local milk on April 15 at 6 p.m. The class is $10 and will include a ticket to a sneak preview of the documentary movie, "Fresh" at the Downer Theatre on April 19.