Frederic Melton
Pizza and cheese are a match made in heaven, and for good reason. Cheese is the glue that holds a pizza together, melting to bind the toppings to the base. It's no wonder, then, that pizza and cheese go hand in hand, with cheese providing the base flavour that can be built upon with other ingredients. While there are many cheeses to choose from, mozzarella is the most popular choice for pizza, and it's this that gives pizza its signature stretch.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Taste | Mild, milky, and creamy |
| Stretch | Melts quickly, creating a glue that binds the toppings together |
| Texture | Gooey, thick, grainy, soft, stretchy |
| Temperature | Melts at low temperatures (<40°C) |
| Fat content | Provides a foundation of flavor |
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What You'll Learn
Mozzarella is the most popular pizza cheese
Cheese is an essential component of pizza, and mozzarella is the most popular variety. It is the classic pizza topping, and no other ingredient brings a pizza together quite like it. It is sometimes referred to as the "glue" that holds a pizza together. Its unique cooking and stretching process, called pasta filata, gives it its famous stringy, stretchy quality. Mozzarella is stretch-tested to achieve a minimum standard of 40cm. It also undergoes testing for baking performance, colour, and oil off. This delivers the authentic pizza experience that consumers desire.
Mozzarella is a semi-hard cheese with a flavour that ranges from mild and creamy to full-bodied, depending on maturity. Its mild, milky taste is preferred by consumers as it harmonises with other ingredients such as the base sauce, pizza toppings, or other blended cheeses. It is a versatile cheese that can be used in various dishes, and its melty, stretchy quality makes it a great addition to pizza.
Mozzarella is the base cheese in the popular Pizza Margherita, which includes fresh basil, sweet tomato sauce, and mozzarella. One of the most popular kinds of fresh mozzarella is Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, also known as Buffalo Mozzarella, produced in certain areas of Italy. It can be used both baked or fresh, and its sharp flavours and strong presence make it a classic choice.
Mozzarella's meltability and stretchability are key to its popularity. It is known for its ooey-gooey textural experience, and its ability to stretch into aromatic strands. While the block of mozzarella is considered plain in flavour, it is a favourite among pizza lovers for its visual appeal and ability to hold toppings on the base.
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It's mild, milky, and creamy
When it comes to pizza, cheese is a key ingredient that brings everything together. While there are many types of cheese that can be used, mozzarella is the most popular and classic choice due to its mild, milky, and creamy flavour.
Mozzarella is a semi-hard cheese with a flavour that ranges from mild and creamy to full-bodied, depending on its maturity. Its mild flavour harmonises well with other ingredients such as the base sauce, pizza toppings, or other blended cheeses. The light, creamy cheese melts quickly, coating the pizza in delicious gooey goodness. This melting effect creates a sort of glue that binds the toppings together, preventing them from sliding off the slice.
The unique stretch and melt of mozzarella are achieved through a special production process called pasta filata, where the cheese undergoes a cooking and stretching technique. This involves kneading milk curd in hot water, resulting in mozzarella's signature stretchiness. The stretchiness of the cheese is a key factor in the pizza-eating experience, providing that satisfying pull when you take a bite.
Low-moisture mozzarella is ideal for pizza because it melts faster than high-moister varieties, ensuring a quick and even melt. Other cheeses with high melting temperatures, like ricotta and parmesan, will not melt and cover the pizza in the same way as mozzarella, but instead contribute tasty, gooey pieces scattered across the pie.
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It melts quickly, creating a glue
Mozzarella is the most popular cheese to put on a pizza. It is a light, creamy cheese that melts quickly, covering your pizza in delicious gooey goodness. It is traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk using a special method called pasta filata, which is a technique of kneading milk curd in hot water. This gives mozzarella its signature stretch.
Mozzarella undergoes a unique cooking and stretching process (pasta filata) during its production to give it a stringy, stretchy quality. It is stretch-tested to achieve a minimum standard of 40cm. It also undergoes testing for baking performance, colour, and oil off. This delivers the authentic pizza experience that consumers desire.
Mozzarella melts quickly, creating a glue that binds the rest of the toppings together. This stops all the other ingredients from sliding off the slice. It is the glue that holds the pizza together.
The melting profile of mozzarella can be altered by changing the pH of the milk at renneting or by aging the cheese. Lowering the pH of milk at renneting and aging the cheese generally decreases the fines produced during shredding and improves meltability.
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It has great stretch
The importance of cheese in pizza cannot be overstated. It is a key ingredient that brings a pizza together. The stretch-melt quality of cheese is one of the secrets to a good pizza. This stretchiness is a result of the cheese melting on the pizza, creating a glue that binds the toppings together. This glue-like quality of melted cheese prevents other ingredients from sliding off the slice.
Mozzarella is the most popular cheese to put on pizza. It is a light, creamy cheese that melts quickly, coating the pizza in delicious gooey goodness. It is produced from Italian buffalo's milk using a special method called pasta filata, which involves kneading milk curd in hot water. This gives mozzarella its famous stretchiness. Mozzarella undergoes a unique cooking and stretching process during its production to give it its stringy, stretchy quality.
Low-moisture mozzarella is the perfect type for pizza because it melts faster than high-moisture varieties. The shred size distribution, adhesion to the blade, and matting behaviour of the cheeses are adversely affected by increased temperature at shredding. Therefore, the melting profiles obtained by rheological measurements show that better meltability can be achieved by lowering the pH of milk at renneting or aging the cheese.
While mozzarella is the most common cheese associated with pizza, other cheeses like provolone, cheddar, fontina, Muenster, and Gouda can also be used, depending on the desired flavour and stretchiness. For instance, provolone offers both stretch and flavour, while Muenster has a strong flavour but may not have the same stretchiness as mozzarella.
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Other cheeses can be used
While mozzarella is the most popular cheese to put on a pizza, other cheeses can be used. For instance, a blend of mozzarella and provolone offers both stretch and flavour. Many pizzerias use this blend, and some add provolone to their mozzarella for that signature pizzeria taste. If you're looking for a more nuanced flavour, you could try a blend of mozzarella and Muenster, or mozzarella with sharp cheddar and provolone.
Ricotta is another option. It is a light, fresh, and slightly sweet cheese often used in both savoury dishes and desserts. Unlike mozzarella, ricotta does not melt much, so you'll be left with formed pieces of cheese scattered across your pizza. Parmesan is similar to ricotta in that it has a high melting temperature, so it won't melt and cover your pizza like mozzarella. Instead, it stays in tasty, melty pieces.
Goat's cheese is a white, creamy cheese with a mild and earthy flavour. It can be quite overwhelming, so it's best used sparingly on a pizza, but it does add something special.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese is important in pizza because it brings all the other toppings together and creates a foundation of flavour.
Mozzarella is the most popular cheese to put on pizza because of its light, creamy flavour, and its ability to melt quickly.
Other types of cheese that can be used on pizza include ricotta, parmesan, goat's cheese, cheddar, fontina, muenster, gouda, provolone, stracciatella, fior di latte, gorgonzola, and vegan cheese.
Mozzarella undergoes a unique cooking and stretching process called pasta filata, where the cheese is kneaded in hot water, giving it its signature stretch.
