Whole milk or heavy cream will work better than 1% or 2% milk. An old T-shirt will work fine as the cotton cloth. You will be working with hot liquid so adult supervision is recommended.
If you have a candy thermometer, make sure the temperature is at least 120 °F (49 °C). [3] X Trustworthy Source Science Buddies Expert-sourced database of science projects, explanations, and educational material Go to source Stir the milk continuously if heating on the stove. Have an adult help you with this step. To microwave milk, put your microwave on 50% power for about 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, microwave in 30 second increments until the milk is hot. [4] X Research source
The milk curdles due to a change in its pH. The vinegar contains acetic acid, which makes the milk more acidic and causes the protein, called casein, to unfold and reorganize into a long chain. [6] X Research source
As the milk drains through the strainer, you will see the clumps remaining on top of the strainer.
Squeeze the curds on the paper towel to get out any extra moisture.
If you want to get really into it, you can use sculpting tools. Paint and markers can also be used once the plastic is completely dry.
Wait until the curds have cooled completely before handling them.
You can add food coloring if you’d like all your shapes to be the same color and you don’t want to wait for them to dry and paint them later. Put on gloves, add some food coloring to the dough, and work it until the color is even throughout the dough. Gel food coloring works better than liquid.
Set the beads aside to dry. Check on them in a few days to make sure they are completely dry.
Once it’s dry, you can paint it or decorate it however you would like.
Once the paint is dry, you can make jewelry or play with your sculpted creations!
