Pizza Cheese, Not Just Mozzarella

Doesn’t a cheese pizza sound satisfying? Pizza is one of America’s favorite dinners. With such fast-paced lives, ordering a pizza solves many dinner problems. Without a doubt the most admired cheese to use for pizza is mozzarella. This cheese originated in the Naples region of Italy and was first made from water buffalo milk. Original mozzarella was of very high moisture content, and had a short shelf life. However, there are several storage secrets that can help your mozzarella have a longer and fresher shelf life.

Today there are several different types of mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella might be the most recognized. It comes as balls of cheese packed in water. This cheese has a different texture and taste than regular mozzarella and can also be used on pizza. It is too soft to grate and will only stay fresh for a few days. Fresh mozzarella is also known as scamorze.

Are you game for a little adventure? Venture from your typical mozzarella and use provolone, cheddar, Romano, parmesan, feta or Swiss on your pizza!

Provolone – Non-smoked provolone has a nutty flavor, creamy texture, and is easy to grate and use. Smoked provolone has a more robust, smoky taste. Provolone can be used by itself, or in a combination with mozzarella.

Cheddar – From white to orange, from mild to sharp, cheddar is a good cheese for pizza. Cheddar melts well, but does not ‘stretch’, so it is always used in combination with mozzarella or provolone. The more cheddar you use in the blend, the milder it should be. The sharp varieties can dominate the flavor of the pizza, so use them sparingly.

Romano & Parmesan – Two cheese most often used dried and grated over pasta dishes, they can be used on pizza for added flavor. Their flavor can be quite robust, especially the dried and grated kinds, so use accordingly. Parmesan is also available as fresh, and can be sliced or grated. Fresh parmesan has a better all-around flavor for pizza than the dried.

Feta – Feta cheese is a cheese that is cured in brine, and is many times sold in small tubs of brine. It is an excellent cheese to use in combination or all by itself for pizza. Its salty, earth flavor holds up well after baking.

Swiss – Swiss is a very flavorful, salty cheese that not everyone likes used on pizza. it can add a great accent to a pizza, but as it is such a strong flavor should be used in a mixture of no more than 10% Swiss. Swiss can get rubbery after melting, another good reason to use it only sparingly and in a mixture of other cheeses.

Monterey Jack – This cheese is a good one for pizza, best used as a mixture of no more than 30% with other cheeses. Good quality Monterey Jack cheese has many small holes in it.

Muenster – A semi-soft cheese with a great flavor that can be used as an accent on pizza. Grates with difficulty. It can be sliced thinly and put on the pizza.

These are but a few of the alternatives to just plain old mozzarella cheese for pizza. Try other kinds, and see what combinations you can come up with that you like the best. When using other varieties of cheese, remember that as a rule of thumb it is best to blend them with mozzarella or provolone to see what they will taste like. Buon appetito!