Randy Chandler
Many cheeses stretch when heated, including mozzarella, gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster, and gruyere. But what makes some cheeses stretchy and others not? Stretchy cheeses are made with thermophilic cultures, which require heat to activate that texture. The stretchiness of warm mozzarella comes from the relaxing of proteins when heated.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for stretchiness | Made with thermophilic cultures |
| Examples | Mozzarella, triple cream, gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster, gruyere |
| Reason for loss of stretchiness | Acid breaks down calcium and protein |
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What You'll Learn
- Mozzarella is the stretchiest cheese
- Stretchy cheese is made with thermophilic cultures
- Acid breaks down the protein structure in cheese, making it less stretchy
- The protein structure in cheese relaxes when heated, making it stretchy
- Other cheeses that stretch when heated include gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster, and gruyere
Mozzarella is the stretchiest cheese
Mozzarella is made with thermophilic cultures, which means heat is required to activate its texture. When it is heated, the proteins relax, creating its signature stretchy texture. This happens naturally in mozzarella and artificially in processed cheese due to sodium benzoate. Without this pulling process or the addition of sodium benzoate, proteins "denature" or clump up when heated, causing oil to separate.
Mozzarella is stretchier than other cheeses that melt when heated, such as gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster, and gruyere. It is also stretchier than cheeses that are high in acid, such as feta or cottage cheese, as acid breaks down the protein structure that gives cheese its stretchiness.
Mozzarella's stretchiness is most noticeable when it is used in dishes like lasagna, where it essentially liquifies. However, its stretchiness does decrease over time, with fresh mozzarella stretching the least, mozzarella aged for around two months stretching the most, and older mozzarella losing its stretchiness.
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Stretchy cheese is made with thermophilic cultures
Mozzarella is the stretchiest cheese, followed by gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster and gruyere. However, the stretchiness of cheese depends on its age. Older cheeses lose their stretchiness over time as acid breaks down the "ladder" of calcium and protein. Cheeses that are high in acid from the start, such as feta or cottage cheese, won't stretch either.
The ability of cheese to melt and flow is determined by two large forces. "Think of a wooden ladder," says Dean Sommer, cheese and food technologist at the Center for Dairy Research in Madison, Wisconsin. "It has two long rails held together by multiple shorter rungs. In cheese, the rungs of the ladder represent calcium and the rails represent the protein structure."
When there is a lot of acid, "the strands of proteins stick together like two magnets sticking together," says Sommer. "The proteins can’t slip by each other because they’re so tightly bound by electromagnetic forces." This is why a layer of ricotta in a lasagne looks the same after cooking as it did before, while the mozzarella on top essentially liquifies.
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Acid breaks down the protein structure in cheese, making it less stretchy
Stretchy cheeses are those made with thermophilic cultures, which require heat to activate that texture. Mozzarella is a good example of a stretchy cheese, as its proteins relax when heated. This happens naturally in mozzarella and artificially in processed cheese due to sodium benzoate. Without either the pulling process or the addition of sodium benzoate, proteins "denature" or clump up when heated, causing oil to separate.
However, acid breaks down the protein structure in cheese, making it less stretchy. This is why older cheeses lose their stretchiness over time. Cheeses that are high in acid from the start, such as feta or cottage cheese, also won't stretch. According to Dean Sommer, a cheese and food technologist, when there is a lot of acid, "the strands of proteins stick together like two magnets sticking together... The proteins can't slip by each other because they're so tightly bound by electromagnetic forces." This results in a loss of stretchiness and meltability.
Mozzarella, for example, is stretchy for the first two weeks after it is made, but after two months, it becomes less stretchy and more like soup. Other cheeses that stretch when heated include Gouda, Cheddar, Havarti, Muenster, and Gruyere.
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The protein structure in cheese relaxes when heated, making it stretchy
Mozzarella is a prime example of a stretchy cheese. Its stretchiness comes from the natural relaxing of proteins when heated. This process happens artificially in processed cheese due to the addition of sodium benzoate. Without either the pulling process or the addition of sodium benzoate, proteins in cheese will "denature" or clump up when heated, causing the oil to separate.
Other cheeses that become stretchy when heated include Gouda, Cheddar, Havarti, Muenster, and Gruyere. However, not all cheeses stretch when heated. For example, older cheeses tend to lose their stretchiness over time as acid breaks down the protein structure. Cheeses that are high in acid from the start, such as feta or cottage cheese, also do not stretch well due to the acid causing the protein strands to stick together tightly.
The ability of cheese to stretch or not is determined by two large forces, according to Dean Sommer, a cheese and food technologist. He uses the analogy of a wooden ladder to explain this concept. In this analogy, the rungs of the ladder represent calcium, while the rails represent the protein structure. When the cheese is heated, the rails (protein structure) become flexible and can stretch, while the rungs (calcium) hold the structure together. However, if there is too much acid, the protein strands will stick together and the cheese will not stretch.
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Other cheeses that stretch when heated include gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster, and gruyere
Stretchy cheeses are made with thermophilic cultures, where the heat is required to activate that texture. Mozzarella is the stretchiest cheese, but other cheeses that stretch when heated include gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster, and gruyere. This is due to the relaxing of proteins when heated. It happens naturally in mozzarella and artificially in processed cheese due to sodium benzoate. Without the pulling process or the addition of sodium benzoate, proteins "denature" or clump up when heated, causing oil to separate.
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Frequently asked questions
Mozzarella is the stretchiest cheese.
The stretchiness of mozzarella comes from the relaxing of proteins when heated.
Yes, many cheeses stretch when heated, including gouda, cheddar, havarti, muenster and gruyere.
Acid breaks down the "ladder" of calcium and protein in cheese, causing it to lose its stretchiness.
No, the stretchy texture of mozzarella only occurs when it is heated.
