String cheese is a slice of mozzarella cheese and its stringy characteristic is built into the way this particular cheese is made. Mozzarella is part of a group of cheeses collectively known as pasta filata or stretched curd cheeses.
This category of cheeses is one in which the curd is cooked and then allowed to mat while it cools. They can be kept this way for some time before the next step. In fact, some home cheesemakers will buy ready-made cooked mozzarella curd at their local deli so they can make the final step at home.
This final step includes breaking up the tangled curd and soaking it in a hot water bath. If the curd has not been salted, salt is added during this step by immersing it in a hot salt water bath. The water has just boiled, as a result, this can be quite a warm workout.
The hot water softens the mozzarella curd and, although it is soft, it can be handled and stretched to shape. You'll know when it's ready to shape when the cheese develops its signature stretch. This is called working or stringing the جبن الموزاريلا (Mozzarella cheese).
The easiest way to do this is to add a cup or two of curd at a time to hot water. You'll let the curd heat for a few moments in the hot water, then squeeze to see if it's ready to go. If it's still a little hard in the middle, you're not ready yet. While they soften, use a large perforated ladle to constantly move them around the container.
Note: Some people like to soften the curds in the microwave and work them that way. This is certainly an effective way to do it, however, using the hot water method results in a better texture of "fresh" mozzarella. Using the microwave can leave the cheese a bit rubbery.
Don't let the curds sit too long in the hot water ... they will go stringy on their own and the cheese will go bad.
From this point, work the curd very gently so that the cream does not separate from the cheese. Working the curd means folding the cheese dough over on itself repeatedly. As you work, the cheese will begin to stretch, and it is this method that you want to use, the stretching method, rather than the "kneading" method.
Stretch it by holding the piece of curd at one end and allow gravity to stretch the cheese, grasping it with the other hand. It's a bit like taking out the caramel. You will see that the cheese becomes smooth, satiny, and very elastic. Put it in the warm water one more time, and then put it in a mold or you can make your own cheese or cheese balls by wrapping pieces of the worked cheese in plastic food wrap, tie with twine like making sausage between each log or ball of cheese.
When using the cheese, the stringiness will still be quite evident. As you can see, the marketers did not "invent" the string cheese ... instead, they recognized an attractive feature and marketed it correctly. String cheese ... you'll never see it the same way again.
