MOZZARELLA
When chefs, restaurant owners and foodservice operators look for Mozzarella they choose California. The state is the nation’s number one producer of Mozzarella for a reason. Customers can count on quality that starts with real milk, sustainably produced by real California dairy farmers.
Make It Mozzarella From California
Low-Moisture Mozzarella is a mild, white semi-firm cheese in whole milk and part skim varieties. It is commonly used in cooking, especially pizza, because of its excellent melting properties. While technically a fresh cheese, this Mozzarella is commonly grouped with semi-hard cheeses because of its firm texture.
Fresh Mozzarella, usually made from whole milk, is typically packed in water. It has a delicate fresh milk flavor and a soft creamy and smooth texture. This white cheese is often used in salads or marinated for an appetizer. It comes in a range of shapes including balls, logs and knots.
Pizza Cheese is a lower cost, higher moisture content Mozzarella-blend alternative. The benefits of pizza cheese include providing an ideal melt, longer shelf life, and superior reheat as it maintains a creamy, white appearance. Used in almost two-thirds of pizzerias, it still can contain Real California Mozzarella as part of its 100% real cheese blend.
Mozzarella attributes
Available Forms
Fresh Mozzarella
ADVANTAGES: Fresher taste and high moisture texture compared to other Mozzarella forms; wide variety of shapes and sizes
DISADVANTAGES: Higher cost and shorter shelf life than other Mozzarella forms
Mozzarella Blends
ADVANTAGES: Shredded varieties more convenient; provides consistency in the mix; lower labor costs; broader flavor choices
DISADVANTAGES: Reduced control of blend ratios; higher cost and loss of melt performance compared to loaf Mozzarella
Diced Mozzarella
ADVANTAGES: Portions consistently to control use and cost; ideal form to achieve thicker layer of cheese on pizza
DISADVANTAGES: Slightly less coverage than shredded mozzarella; possible to see under-melt of cheese in certain menu applications
Loaf Mozzarella
ADVANTAGES: Performs better and gets softer than shredded form; more flexibility for different menu applications; less expensive per pound than shredded and diced
DISADVANTAGES: Increased time and labor to shred; potential for clumping because of lack of anti-caking agent
Shredded Mozzarella
ADVANTAGES: More convenient and saves on back-of-house labor costs; versatile for different foods: like other forms, maintains a long shelf life
DISADVANTAGES: More costly; does not portion as consistently and some loss of melt performance compared to loaf Mozzarella
Part Skim Versus Whole Milk
PART SKIM | WHOLE MILK | |
---|---|---|
FLAVOR | Fresher dairy notes | Buttery richness |
BROWNING | Larger, darker blisters | Lighter colored blistering |
SHREDDING | Cold shred provides best piece definition | Pieces clump due to higher fat |
STRETCH | Good stretch, but snaps easily | Long, thin stretch—like pasta—hence pasta filata name |
OILING OFF | Less fat, less oil release | More fat pools oil |
MELT | Lower fat means less flow | Melts quicker, flows easier |
TEXTURE | Firmer, harder to chew | More fats makes the chew easier |
See the Difference
Oil Content
HIGHER OIL
LOWER OIL
Melt and Coverage
LESS
MORE
Stretch
LESS
MORE
Blistering
HIGH MOISTURE
LOW MOISTURE
Age Performance
AGE | MELT | FLAVOR | BODY | AFFECT |
---|---|---|---|---|
5-6 Days | Extreme browning to burning, shred strands visible after baking | Salty, dry, milk | Very firm: Excellent shredding, tough and chewy when baked | Poor |
8-10 Days | Medium browning, few shred strands visible after baking | Light, buttery taste | Firm: Shreds easily, slightly chewy when baked | Good |
14-28 Days | Light browning, no shreds visible after baking | Buttery taste | Firm: Shreds and slices well, good stretch, soft with some chewiness when baked | Excellent |
30-39 Days | Light to medium browning, no shreds visible after baking, increasing coverage | Buttery, creamy taste | Very firm: Slightly soft, fair stretch, fair shredability, slightly chewy when baked | Good |
50+ Days | Heavier browning, with increasing blister size. May be runny or oily. | Buttery, creamy taste | Soft: Little stretch, not tough or chewy when baked. Difficult to shred or slice. | Fair to Poor |
Refer to pack date for optimal age. Also, note that aging windows may change depending on manufacturer.