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For Mozarella, you'll want a thermophilic culture because it acidifies more quickly. Otherwise you'll be there all night (and maybe all of the next day too!) Cheesemaking.com recommends ta61 from Choosit but I think thermo B from Biena is popular too.

The reason you can get away without a pH meter is that the starter is souring the milk slowly over time. With quick moz, you add acid directly and so the pH is what that acid sets it at -- it won't shift after that. Some people mistakenly think that rennet sours the milk, but it doesn't -- it curdles the milk using a very different mechanism. When you add acid directly, you have to hope that you got the pH right. Then you make the curds and if you've got it wrong there is nothing you can do. With a starter culture, the milk is slowly acidifying over time. Even when you make the curds, the curds are still acidifying over time. You can just take a piece of the curd, put it in hot water and see if it stretches. If it doesn't, then you wait for 30 minutes or so. If it does, then you are good to go. The starter culture will always acidify the curd through the point where it will stretch. So as long as you test it every once in a while, it will definitely, 100% for sure stretch at some point. When, you won't know. It might take 2 hours or it might take 8 hours (so clear your schedule), but it will definitely happen.

With a starter, a pH meter is still useful because then you have some idea of how long you are likely going to have to wait. If it's gotten down to 5.5, then you know that you'll be able to stretch it soon. Also you don't have to do a stretch test. Once it gets down between 5.1 and 5.3, it will definitely stretch. But you don't need a pH meter because you can just do a stretch test every once in a while (that's how they did it before they had pH meters after all!) With acid, if you don't add the correct amount of acid before you start it just won't work. So you need to have some way to measure the acid to make sure that you got it right. Of course, you can just get lucky with the amount of acid and this happens for a lot of people, but it won't be consistent.

Thanks. I have greatly enjoyed learning the process at home. Even some of the early disappointments were enjoyable to some degree. I would strongly recommend starting with simple ones like cream cheese and goat cheese to get an idea for the process. Plus they don't require real aging so there is immediate gratification.

My cheese cave is just a tiny little mini-fridge I got for free from a friend. I use one of these to regulate the temp. You simply plug the fridge/freezer into it and based on your settings, it controls the power to the fridge. For humidity, just a glass of water in there is the best I can do.

Hi, welcome!
I recommend a little reading, your local library should have these books, https://gianacliscaldwell.com/books/ https://www.amazon.com/Home-Cheese-Making-Recipes-Homemade/dp/1580174647 , both are good to start with.
Gavin Webber's YouTube channel is excellent and shows many useful techniques.
If a local cheesmaker does day courses, they are really good for getting a feel for things, nothing like hands on ;)
Have fun!

If you're looking for books, I would really recommend "Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking" (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Artisan-Cheesemaking-Home-Scale-Producers/dp/1603583327).

I have this book as well as "Artisan Cheese Making At Home" (http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Cheese-Making-Home-World-Class/dp/1607740087).

I must say, I much prefer the former; it contains tons and tons of science that the second one doesn't get into. I don't think its abundance of information is crippling, though - I found it easy enough to skip over the parts that were too technical at first, starting out with some of the easier cheeses; but when I started understanding the basics, there was more in-depth material to look through.

Also, the recipes in the first book are more like general guidelines that help define the style of the cheese while affording you more creative control. The recipes in the second book are much more rigid and, I thought, less intuitively organized. (For example, in the first book, there is a section on white mold-ripened cheeses, which are all pretty similar in fundamental ways. In the second book, the cheeses are lumped into "Easy", "Intermediate", etc, which I don't find as useful an organizing principle.)

I have a bit of history with automatic stirrers, for the same reason...I'd rather do anything else than stir for ages, lol. Having an automatic stirring tool helps in everything from making fancy dulce de leches (my cow & goat-milk recipe takes 45 minutes of constant stirring!) to ice cream bases to reductions that take a long time to whatever else you don't want to stir for really long periods of time, like risottos or certain types of cheeses, yogurts, and other milk-based products.

For anyone looking for a turnkey solution, KitchenAid makes a gadget that does this (albeit for $400). It's called the KitchenAid MultiCooker with Stir Tower:

https://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KMC4244CA-Candy-Apple-Multi-Cooker/dp/B00UL3K6VE

It worked pretty decently...I had one for about a year. My only real complaint was that the bowl size was only like 4 quarts. It did have a 12-hour timer though, which was nice. I ended up trading it out to another chef buddy for a different gadget & settled on the Gourmia GST210 Stiriffic automatic stirrer:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GSLYSRK

It fits on my Instant Pot, with a bit of finagling. Unfortunately they don't appear to make them anymore, so you either have to go third-party Amazon or find one on eBay, Don't bother with the cheapo "Robo Stir" from "As Seen on TV" (sold under various brand names), that thing is complete junk & is totally weak. There is, however, an interesting model called the StirMATE for $60 on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/StirMATE®-Smart-Pot-Stirrer-Rechargeable/dp/B076HH4WZM/

Not sure if it would be strong enough or not for cheese-making, as the design looks pretty cheapo, but might be worth a shot...reviews look pretty decent!

http://imgur.com/a/kb5cK

This took 4 separate pots (1 Gallon Milk Each x4 Pots) all at once juggling each one as perfect as I could to keep the colors segregated until the end. I used a simple Stir-Curd Cheddar Recipe.

I used all non-artificial natural food coloring made from vegetables. ( https://www.amazon.com/Watkins-Assorted-Coloring-Yellow-Green/dp/B01E6OLE64/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1498365311&sr=1-1&keywords=natural+food+coloring )

The curd was a bit wet and ricotta like, so i needed to up the temperature from 100 degrees to 110 degrees to help dry the curd a bit better before pressing it.

Once I had 4 different colored curds from the food coloring, I mixed them all together and then pressed it as one cheese.

Hoping it turns out well after aging.

That book is great and is where most of my recipes come from now, but for starting out I'd try this guy

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1615640096/ref=pd_aw_sims_6?pi=SL500_SY115

These are a little easier to follow and I think provide a better base for understanding than the artisan book, which I view as the step up "intermediate" guide. Both books are extremely helpful though

Technically probably the same but it is liquid and food grade.
Here is an Amazon link
Calcium Chloride (Liquid) - 2 oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064OLZEG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_bRSJAbV25Y7B8

Hope that helps.

I bought this guy:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07477NMF4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It works great but the clip is more made for a grill rather than the side of a pot. I figured out a way to hang it off my kitchen cabinet for cheese making and the cord on the probe is plenty long enough.

I also have to say that it is fabulous for smoking a brisket, if you want something that serves more than one purpose and are into that kind of thing.

You need to read a real book about cheesemaking before you go any further. A lot of people consider Rikki Carroll's "Home Cheese Making" to be a bible for starting out in the process, and it's pretty simple to understand.

Here is the reality: incompetent cheesemaking can make you very, very sick. It requires holding milk at temperatures where pathogenic bacteria thrive and they can cause serious foodborne illness or, in certain circumstances, death. Especially since you are interested in aged cheeses, it is very important that you gain a basic understanding of how the process works chemically so that you can monitor your critical control points to prevent yourself getting sick. (You absolutely don't have to be a scientist or understand everything down on the molecular level, but you do need some basics.)

It is exciting to start out, but as a matter of safety and as a matter of you being able to make successful cheese, you should not be considering making any kind of ripened cheese yet if you don't even understand what the differences between rennet and culture are. You also want to get at least a minimal understanding of how you control specific bacteria, yeast and mold to influence your aging process, and what to look for when things go wrong. Dairy aging is not to be fucked with if you like your gastrointestinal system exactly the way it currently functions.

Grab a book and learn about how all the factors work together, and in the meantime try something low risk, such as a recipe for quark or queso fresco, that you will be eating the same day you make it.

Cool! Hope I didn't sound critical. Here are some recommendations I've gotten that look good so far:

Cheesemaking.com
http://amzn.com/B004CFAWPC

Recipe from http://www.amazon.ca/Mastering-Artisan-Cheesemaking-Home-Scale-Producers/dp/1603583327/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1426111672&sr=8-3&keywords=cheesemaking (not affiliate link)

I think it came out pretty well, not much you can tell from a photo I guess. Tastes good!

This is the only cheese I have made other than feta, I am brand new to this.

I put one of these in my fridge and it works perfectly. Also a humidifier and humidity controller.
This is a useful guide

I'd like to join the drunk shopping friends group. I have bought:

• A Chemistry Set - No not like in a box, like legit enough gear to make a small lab. Chemicals etc. Never used.
  
  
• Nike Sparq Glasses
  
  
• A violin
  
  
• Tons of pointless artwork
  
  
• This
  
  
• Actually a bunch of knives and weapons and also lots of paracord
  
  
• Multiple decks of cards for doing magic tricks
  
  
• Raspberry Pi which I haven't used WITH LED panel
  
  
• THIS??? and ill be honest im not even 100% sure what it is
  
  
• I drunk bought a guitar but that was in person and i use that but not all the recording equipment including an antares avp1 auto tuner, various audio interfaces, mixers and a mostly destroyed Pod XT Live
  
  
• A spy watch camera that broke immediately
  
  
• A wine refrigerator (Woot-off, had to cause we were playing woot off chicken where you MUST buy the next item or you are out)
  
  
• Oh and an Nvidia shield tablet that never worked right and then i got a new one and just gave it away
  
  
• A uke which I don't even remember
  
  
• Silk pajamas
  
  
• A mini projector
  
  
• A Hammock
  
  
• A 200 dollar red sox jersey as a gift to the owner of a bar i used to go to
  
  
• A 16 pound prosciutto de parma
  
  
• A 24 pack of chap stick as a gag gift
  
  
• Tyler Glamour Wash Laundry Detergent 32 Oz High Maintenance - actually this one I recommend
  
  
• A recumbant bike
  
  
• Leather working tools
  
  
• A galaxy tablet??? i dont even remember this one
  
  
• Another rasp pi which i gave away
  
  
• ANNNNND A therapearl Eye essential mask
  
  I know what you are saying "cal you are saying you were drunk when you ordered all that?"
  
  Yes, it was during a time when I filled boredom with drinking and online shopping. Also...I mean look at this crap, would you order any of it when you were sober??

A normal fridge + something like this would work excellent and would cost you half the price.

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Itc-308-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B011296704/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1526634669&sr=1-1-spons&keywords=inkbird+itc-308&psc=1

Looking at your pot there's definitely going to be a delay due to the thickness of the pot.

I use a thin stainless steel hotel pan, and I wish I could find something that would transfer the heat faster. You may want to go and find the thinnest pot you can find for your setup or just get a hotel pan. If you get the hotel pan, don't forget to get a lid as well.

If you get a slightly heavier paper towel that can hang while wet you can hang it so that the bottom is in the water and use this behind it to speed up evaporation. Or any kind of fan blowing on the surface of the water will increase evaporation but blowing air through something wet will work better. It's basically an improvised humidifier.

I used this green one for my sous vide before,it works great. You can try one out.

you can also get pot stirrers on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/StirMATE%C2%AE-Smart-Pot-Stirrer-Rechargeable/dp/B076HH4WZM

Wine fridge is one way
I have a fridge with a temperature control plug( Inkbird Pre-Wired Dual Stage Digital Temperature Controller Outlet Thermostat 110V, 1100W Heating and Cooling for Fermentation Kegerator Heating Mat ect https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015E2UFGM?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf)
With a thing of water.

I am one day going to buy a humidity sensor

I'm a beginner, too, so take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I'm going to buy this book.

Oh damn. You have a lot of stuff. I would do something akin to a camembert or brie since you have P Candidum for the rind. Or a creamy Bleu with the Roquefort culture.

You can skim some of the cream off the top and make it into creme fraise and then make something called cream fraise brie.

I've got this book: https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Artisan-Cheesemaking-Home-Scale-Producers/dp/1603583327

and this book: https://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Cheese-Making-Home-World-Class/dp/1607740087/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=FE9XYH23F30GN46DCRTP

...at home. Do you want me to try to pull some bloomy rind recipes for you? Shoot me a PM. I'll be home later and can look for you. I don't mind doing a bit of transcribing or I can just take a picture of a couple recipes and send em your way.

Here's the book I started with: http://www.amazon.com/Home-Cheese-Making-Recipes-Homemade/dp/1580174647
I started with quest fresco.
Unfortunately, ultra pasteurized milk is the norm now & even though dairies are required to label it as such, I suspect they don't. I've had lots of problems with milk labeled as normal pasteurized so, if you don't live near a good dairy farm, you might want to try using goats milk or raw milk which is now available at some markets like Whole Foods.