Are Fresh Mozzarella and Regular Mozzarella the Same? (2024)

FAQs

Can you substitute fresh mozzarella for regular mozzarella? ›

Spoiler alert: it doesn't matter if you choose fresh mozzarella or low-moisture mozzarella – both are tasty and a great addition to your recipes. We would top almost anything with grated low-moisture mozzarella.

Factory-made processed mozzarella is lower in moisture, has a longer shelf life, and is easily sliced, cubed, or grated. It is most often used in cooked dishes because it really does melt better than fresh mozzarella.

The main difference between mozzarella cheese and pizza cheese is that pizza cheese uses low moisture content and has more shelf life compared to the other. It's also a blend of more than one cheese, more popularly mozzarella and provolone.

Fresh mozzarella, handmade in smaller batches from whole milk, has a much softer, buttery texture and a delicate flavor.

Feta cheese, Cotija cheese, paneer cheese, and halloumi cheese are all good substitutes for mozzarella that will not melt. Feta cheese can be eaten fresh, like mozzarella, and doesn't require any cooking to bring out the salty and tangy flavor of the cheese.

Use fresh mozzarella that is vacuum packed not water packed. If it is packed in water the final dish will be more watery. As the mozzarella cools, it will start to harden so try to use a dish that will keep the heat. Or simply pop back in the oven for a few minutes so that the cheese can melt again.

Fresh mozzarella is the perfect cheese to use on pizzas. You can throw away the store bought shredded cheese, and start using this traditional cheese beloved by Italians worldwide. Not only will your pizzas taste good, but your homemade pizzas will look amazing too!

Use Fresh Mozzarella

Mozzarella is a prime ingredient in just about any lasagna. But if you use shredded mozzarella out of a bag, you're sacrificing a lot of the taste that you could potentially get out of this cheese. Shredded pre-packaged mozzarella doesn't have much of a rich dairy flavor.

Make sure you dry or drain fresh mozzarella for at least 15 minutes before using it on your pizza, and be sure to tear it into smaller pieces. It has a great fresh-milky flavor, but it needs that extra step of time and care to ensure your pizza retains its good structure and flavor!

For pure meltability, nothing beats low-moisture mozzarella. While fresh mozz exudes water as it melts and becomes more soupy than melty, The best low-moisture mozzarella should stretch and stretch, yet still remain dry enough that the pizza crust remains intact.

Is fresh mozzarella a good melting cheese? ›

Mozzarella: Capable of melting into a stringy, smooth texture, mozzarella possesses a mild flavor that blends well with other flavors in dishes. Low-moisture mozzarella and fresh mozzarella are among the most popular melting cheeses to use in recipes for pizza and pasta dishes.

About the Cheese

BelGioioso's award-winning Fresh Mozzarella is now available in a lower moisture formula, perfect for traditional margherita pizza and other gourmet pizzas. This special formula for pizza is similar to the cheese used by Pizzaiuoli in Italy.

Squeaky mozzarella—and off textures in general—are almost always a result of overheating milk and/or curd. Take care to heat the milk and curd to the specified temps in your recipe. Do not let cut curd cook for extra time in hot, or heating, whey.

The room temperature milk didn't get absorbed into the cheese as easily, while the hot milk actually ended up cooking the mozzarella further, resulting in a tough, rubbery, squeaky texture around the exterior.

What type of mozzarella is best for pizza? In general, low-moisture mozzarella is our go-to for pizza. We recommend avoiding the pre-shredded stuff when you can. Pre-shredded mozzarella generally has additives like potato starch to give it a longer shelf life and to prevent pieces from clumping together.

The term mozzarella derives from the procedure called mozzare which means "cutting by hand", separating from the curd, and serving in individual pieces, that is, the process of separation of the curd into small balls.

The main reason that your mozzarella is not melting is probably due to the moisture content of the cheese. If it's too high, it will just leak liquid into the pizza and not actually melt. You also need to consider the fat content of the mozzarella. Higher fat levels will help the melting process.

Fat and calories aside, the main difference between whole-milk and part-skim mozzarella is that the whole-milk version melts better, while part-skim browns faster. Neither is better; it really depends on what you want your cheese to do. As for fresh vs. aged, again, it's a matter of preference.

One thing to consider is the type of mozzarella you use. The softer and milkier your cheese is to begin with, the more it will melt and run, while firm varieties, usually those that have been salted, will retain more of their shape. Both types work well here.

Add cooked pasta, 1/2 ladle of pasta water and mozzarella, toss gently until completely combined on medium heat for 1-2 minutes until mozzarella starts to melt. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan Cheese if desired. Serve immediately.

How do Italians eat fresh mozzarella? ›

When presented with mouth-watering fresh mozzarella, many Italians don't hesitate to eat it with their bare hands. Fresh mozzarella is delicious just as it is, or with a bit of salt and pepper, basil or fresh marjoram or oregano, and topped off with a good extra virgin olive oil.

Bitter cheese is normally caused by two things;

The cheese was not drained enough. Or the cheese was not salted enough.

Choose the Right Cheese

Some creamy, mild cheeses also stretch into strings instead of melting which is why you rarely see a mozzarella-based soup. The best cheeses for soups are high in moisture and have a lower melting point, such as medium to sharp cheddar, fontina, Gruyere and Swiss.

Emiko Davies, author of Florentine and our resident expert on all things Italian (mozzarella falls under her purview), agreed that there's no need to change the liquid right away: Simply keep it in the liquid it came in (if you want, you can transfer it to a lidded bowl or a small airtight container where it will be at ...

Most of the time, if you see some mold, you can just cut it off—about an inch around and below the mold spot, if you want to be really rigorous about it—especially if you're working with a harder cheese. Still grossed out? Throw it out.

Whenever you need to grate or slice a soft block of cheese, stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes before you go to use it. The texture will firm up and be so much easier to grate—and will save you from an intense arm workout!

“The dominant brands in most pizzerias are Galbani and Grande,” Tung confirmed. “Depending on style of pizza and what we're going for, we've used both for different things.” But it also comes down to personal preferences as well.

Jerri's answer Acidity is the key for the stretch in mozzarella. Not enough or too much acid will result in hard curd floating or disintegrating in the water. The pH of your slab needs to be between 5.0 and 5.2 for it to stretch well when kneaded in hot water.

This unique cheese melts beautifully, with a delicious distinct, smoked flavor.

BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella is also available in a slicing loaf. Made to order, our new Fresh Mozzarella loaf slices and melts beautifully for sandwiches, paninis, lasagnas and pizzas.

Can you shred fresh mozzarella? ›

Freezing mozzarella before grating means you can shred it evenly and also makes sure the cheese isn't "slipping and sliding all over the box grater and you run less of a risk of slipping up and accidentally grating yourself," points out Riley Wofford, Associate Food Editor.

Fresh mozzarella is typically sold in a liquid bath (brine, whey or water) which helps the cheese retain hydration and shape. It's mild and slightly sweet with a distinct milk flavor. The creamy texture is much softer than mass-processed mozzarella.

Mozzarella is often served too cold, so you hardly taste anything. Put the slices of mozzarella on a plate, and put the plate on a bowl of hot water for a few minutes. This will soften the mozzarella and bring out the flavor. It will even work with cheap mozzarella.

Mozzarella has a soft, silky, milky and mild flavour. It's considered one of the healthier cheeses, due to its high levels of calcium, protein and iron (and low portion of fat and sodium). That famous cheese stretch, when you pull a slice of pizza and the mozzarella is hanging off.

Papa John's uses a high-quality 100 percent Mozzarella proprietary blend and Dominos uses 100 percent Mozzarella (not a blend), according to spokespersons with Dominos and Papa John's. Why Mozzarella?

Fresh mozzarella only takes a few minutes to melt, and once it melts if it continues to sit on the pizza as it bakes, the cheese will start releasing moisture.

This is it. Whenever I make pizza using fresh mozzarella as a topping I just shred it and it always melts in the oven (260ºC) in just a few minutes. As others said, it will be better if drained some of the water before using the cheese.

What type of mozzarella is best for pizza? In general, low-moisture mozzarella is our go-to for pizza. We recommend avoiding the pre-shredded stuff when you can. Pre-shredded mozzarella generally has additives like potato starch to give it a longer shelf life and to prevent pieces from clumping together.

For pure meltability, nothing beats low-moisture mozzarella. While fresh mozz exudes water as it melts and becomes more soupy than melty, The best low-moisture mozzarella should stretch and stretch, yet still remain dry enough that the pizza crust remains intact.

How do you make fresh mozzarella less watery? ›

All you need to do is to place the mozzarella cheese on a folded piece of paper towel. Add another folded piece of paper towel on top, and let it dry for at least 15-20 minutes. You can leave it longer, but then I recommend placing the cheese in the fridge until you're going to use it.

Cook in preheated oven for 7-8 minutes or until mozzarella melts.

To slice soft cheeses like mozzarella, try using unwaxed, unflavored dental floss. Slide the floss under the cheese, cross the ends at the top, then pull the floss tight to slice through the cheese.

Freezing mozzarella before grating means you can shred it evenly and also makes sure the cheese isn't "slipping and sliding all over the box grater and you run less of a risk of slipping up and accidentally grating yourself," points out Riley Wofford, Associate Food Editor.

If you aren't going to eat your mozzarella right away, I recommend you buy it unsalted and put it in a bowl of water with a teaspoon of salt. (Salted mozzarella in water becomes mealy and mushy.) Cover the bowl to protect it from outside flavors and refrigerate it—it will last several days.