Kamil Perry
Pizza is a beloved dish across the globe, with its endless variations, flavor combinations, and cooking methods. One of the most important aspects of a good pizza is its cheese, and many pizza lovers enjoy the ooey-gooey, stretchy cheese that comes with a hot pizza. While mozzarella is the most popular pizza cheese, other varieties like Wisconsin brick cheese, provolone, and Provel cheese offer a gooier, smokier experience. To achieve the ultimate gooeyness, some chefs even use an ice cube hack, where ice cubes are placed on the dough before baking, creating a starchy sauce that blends with the cheese to form a gooey delight.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cheese Type | Mozzarella, Provel, Provolone, Wisconsin Brick, Cheddar, Fontina, Gouda, Jack, Muenster, Raclette, Parmesan, Asiago, Velveeta, Processed American, Romano, and more |
| Cheese Blend | A unique blend, often specific to the pizza shop |
| Dough Type | Sourdough, cool-rise dough, and other standard pizza dough |
| Dough Preparation | Dough is stretched out and flattened into a 10-12 inch circle |
| Ice Cube Technique | Involves placing 2-3 ice cubes on the dough before baking to create a gooey, starchy sauce |
| Baking Technique | Baked in a wood-burning oven or a standard oven |
| Toppings | Spicy sausage, hot peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, bell peppers, black olives, onions, anchovies, and more |
| Crust | Thin, cracker-like, and sturdy |
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What You'll Learn
Mozzarella is America's favorite pizza cheese
Mozzarella is America's favourite cheese for pizza. It is a versatile, mild, creamy, and slightly tangy cheese with a soft and stretchy texture that makes it perfect for pizza toppings. When melted, mozzarella becomes delightfully gooey and stringy, creating the ideal cheese pull when stretched. This unique textural experience, combined with its subtle flavour, makes it a popular choice for pizza lovers across America.
Mozzarella's gooeyness is a result of its high moisture content, which allows it to melt smoothly and evenly. The cheese's elasticity contributes to its stretchiness, creating those long, messy strands that pizza enthusiasts crave. When baked atop a pizza, mozzarella transforms into a deliciously gooey layer, adding a delightful texture to the overall pizza experience.
The technique used by pizza parlours also plays a crucial role in achieving the perfect gooey cheese. Pizza places typically remove the pizza from the oven, cut it, and immediately transfer it to a closed box. This helps retain heat and steam, keeping the cheese warm and moist. The pizza is then placed in an insulated bag for delivery, further preserving its warmth and gooey consistency.
While mozzarella is the star cheese, some pizzerias blend it with other varieties, such as provolone, to enhance the stretch and flavour. This combination offers the best of both worlds: the stretchiness of mozzarella and the added depth of flavour from the complementary cheese. However, for those who prioritise gooeyness above all else, any type of cheese can be used to create a melted, ooey-gooey experience on pizza.
In summary, mozzarella's mild flavour, soft texture, and exceptional gooeyness when melted make it the ideal choice for pizza in America. Its versatility, combined with the expertise of pizza parlours in handling and delivering their pies, ensures that mozzarella consistently delivers the ooey-gooey, stretchy cheese experience that has captured the hearts of pizza lovers nationwide.
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Provel cheese is gooier and smokier than mozzarella
Provel cheese is a blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheeses with liquid smoke added. It has a low melting point and a gooey, buttery texture. Its smokiness and tanginess are often compared to mozzarella, with the former being more pronounced in Provel. Provel is a processed cheese, and its distinct smokiness is attributed to the liquid smoke flavoring added during processing. This gives it a unique flavor and aroma that sets it apart from other cheeses.
Mozzarella, on the other hand, is known for its mild, creamy flavor and gooey, stretchy texture when melted. It is a popular choice for pizza due to its ability to form those delightful, messy strands that make eating pizza a fun and indulgent experience. However, mozzarella lacks the smoky quality that Provel possesses.
The gooeyness of Provel cheese is attributed to its low melting point and soft, buttery texture. It melts easily and evenly, creating a deliciously gooey layer on pizza. In contrast, mozzarella has a higher melting point, resulting in a stretchier, stringier texture when melted. While mozzarella provides an enjoyable gooeyness, it does not match the level of gooeyness that Provel cheese offers.
Provel cheese is a regional specialty, predominantly found in St. Louis, Missouri, and rarely sold outside of this region. It is the traditional topping for St. Louis–style pizza, which is known for its thin, cracker-like crust and generous toppings. The gooeyness and smokiness of Provel complement this unique style of pizza, creating a harmonious balance of flavors and textures.
In conclusion, Provel cheese stands out for its gooey texture and smoky flavor, offering a distinct sensory experience that differs from the milder, creamier mozzarella. While mozzarella is versatile and widely loved, Provel adds a unique twist to pizzas, especially in the St. Louis region, where it holds a special place in the local cuisine.
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Ice cubes can be used to make gooier pizza
Pizza is a beloved dish across the globe, with endless variations, flavour combinations, and cooking methods. While some like it crispy and loaded with toppings, others prefer a gooey cheese pie.
If you're a fan of the latter, you'll be pleased to know that there's a simple trick to achieve the perfect gooey cheese pizza at home—ice cubes. That's right, incorporating ice cubes into your pizza-making process can take your homemade pizza to new heights. Here's how:
First, prepare your favourite pizza dough recipe, ensuring it's well-kneaded and has risen sufficiently. Stretch out the dough and place two to four ice cubes on top. You can also place them around the edges. Then, bake the dough in the oven at the highest temperature, typically around 500°F, before adding any other toppings. As the ice cubes melt, they create steam, which keeps the dough moist while forming a crispy crust. This results in a tender, airy interior and a perfectly crisp exterior.
Once the crust is baked, remove the pizza from the oven and add your desired amount of grated cheese. Pop it back into the oven, and as the cheese melts, a gooey, cheesy sauce forms. The ice cube hack is especially effective if you're making a cacio e pepe pizza, as it creates a creamy sauce similar to the one in the classic pasta dish.
So, the next time you're craving a gooey cheese pizza, don't be afraid to get a little cool with your dough and give the ice cube trick a try! Your taste buds will surely thank you, and your guests will be left wondering your secret.
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Soft cheeses melt faster than harder, more aged cheeses
Pizza is a beloved dish for many, and a perfect pizza often comes down to the cheese. A good melting cheese is typically a younger, fresher, softer cheese. Harder, more aged cheeses tend to become grainy or oily when melted.
Mozzarella is the most popular pizza cheese, known for its mild, creamy flavour and gooey texture. It is a soft, stretched cheese that becomes stretchy and oily when melted, making it ideal for a cheese pull. Fresh or low-moisture, it is extremely tame in flavour, complementing other ingredients well.
Other popular cheeses for pizza include cheddar, Monterey Jack, and provolone. Cheddar is a semi-hard cheese aged for different lengths of time, from mild to extra sharp. A younger, milder cheddar will melt much better than an aged one, as younger cheddars have higher moisture content. When melted, cheddar creates a deliciously gooey and savoury layer. Similarly, Monterey Jack has a smooth texture that melts easily and evenly, creating a gooey layer. Provolone is another stretched cheese like mozzarella, and it will become stretchy or oily when melted. It has a tangier, more aggressive kick in flavour.
To keep the cheese warm and moist, pizza places often cut the pizza immediately after taking it out of the oven and transfer it to a box, which they close to keep the heat and steam inside. They then place the box in an insulated bag. This helps to maintain the temperature and prevent the cheese from solidifying.
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Wisconsin brick cheese is easily obtainable and melts nicely
While there could be several reasons why parlor pizza cheese is gooier, one of them could be the use of Wisconsin brick cheese. Wisconsin brick cheese is easily obtainable and melts nicely, making it a great choice for pizza. This type of cheese is a Wisconsin original, also known as "married man's Limburger". When young, it has a mild flavor, but as it ages, it develops a more complex, pungent, and tangy taste. It is a popular choice for pizza due to its gooey texture when melted, adding to the overall taste and experience of the pizza.
Wisconsin brick cheese is widely accessible, especially in the Midwest region of the United States, where it is a staple in many grocery stores and specialty cheese shops. Its availability makes it a convenient choice for pizza parlors located in this region, as they can source fresh, high-quality cheese locally. This easy accessibility ensures a steady supply of cheese for pizza-making, contributing to the consistency and taste of their pizza offerings.
The melting properties of Wisconsin brick cheese are exceptional. When heated, it transforms into a gooey, creamy texture, blending seamlessly with other ingredients on a pizza. This melting quality is essential for creating pizzas with a smooth, cohesive flavor profile. The melted cheese also provides a visually appealing appearance, as it binds the toppings together, creating a sense of unity among the various flavors and textures on the pie.
Wisconsin brick cheese's melting ability is advantageous for pizza parlors as it enhances the overall sensory experience for customers. The gooey, melted cheese stretches as customers pull slices from the pie, creating a delightful cheese pull effect. This not only adds to the enjoyment of eating the pizza but also contributes to its photogenic quality, making it more likely for customers to capture and share images of their pizza on social media, potentially increasing the parlor's visibility and popularity.
In conclusion, Wisconsin brick cheese's wide availability and superior melting characteristics make it a preferred choice for pizza parlors seeking to create delicious, visually appealing pizzas. Its gooey texture when melted contributes to the overall taste, appearance, and sensory experience of the pizza, making it a key ingredient in the success of parlor pizzas.
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Frequently asked questions
Parlor pizza cheese is gooier because of the type of cheese used and the cooking technique. Traditional mozzarella is often used, which has a gooey, stringy texture when melted. Other cheeses with good meltability include cheddar, fontina, gouda, jack, provolone, and muenster. Additionally, some chefs use an ice cube hack, where ice cubes are placed on the dough before baking, creating a starchy sauce that results in a gooier cheese.
Cheeses that melt well and have good stretchability, such as mozzarella, are ideal for creating gooier pizza. Other options include Wisconsin brick cheese, provolone, and processed American cheese.
The ice cube hack involves placing ice cubes on the pizza dough before baking. As the crust bakes, the ice melts into a starchy sauce. When cheese is added and the pizza is returned to the oven, a gooey, cheesy sauce forms.
Yes, the age and hardness of the cheese can impact its melting and stretching abilities. Harder and more aged cheeses tend to be less willing to melt, resulting in lumps of semi-melted cheese on the pizza.
