You've Probably Been Using The Wrong Type Of Mozzarella For Homemade Pizzas
There's a time and place for greasy carryout pizza a la Domino's or Papa John's, but there's also a time and place for a homemade pie. It's simple enough to make that even a total beginner can pull it off, it's often healthier, and it's totally customizable — you can choose everything from the type of crust you use to the sauce to the endless topping options. While the above tend to vary based on personal preference, there's one thing that appears on almost every pizza — cheese. Specifically, mozzarella cheese.
Maybe you grate fresh mozzarella or layer on thick slices of the creamy deliciousness atop your pie. Regardless of how you apply it, you actually may not be using the right type of mozzarella. That's right — there's an easy way to make your homemade pizza that much better. And it all has to do with the cheese you pick out at the store. Hint: It's not the kind you're probably used to grabbing.
Low-moisture, whole milk mozzarella is the best for pizza
Sure, those balls of fresh mozzarella cheese floating in water are the perfect combination of salty, creamy, and chewy when you bite into them. But they don't fare so well on pizza — according to Reddit users, the high water content of regular mozzarella can turn your pie into a slimy, soppy mess. Yuck. So how do professional pizzerias do it? In the same Reddit thread, some in-the-know pizza fans revealed that most places use low-moisture mozzarella cheese. This provides the same flavor and texture without the sogginess.
"According to the FDA, low moisture mozzarella must have a moisture content in the 45 to 52% range, while regular mozzarella can be as much as 60% water," Serious Eats explains. Others also recommend opting for whole milk mozzarella cheese over any kind made with skim milk. Whole milk cheese will melt better and smoother than its lower fat counterparts.