Pizza Solutions

Pizza Solutions - Cheese

Quick Links:

Ninety percent of all pizza operators choose mozzarella because it works well in combination with other cheeses and stretches beautifully.

Mozzarella used in conjunction with provolone, cheddar or parmesan creates a nice blend of flavor and color enrichment.

Mozzarella

Ovens

Cheese Blends

Pizza Solutions Home

Mozzarella

In pizzerias across the country, the debate surrounding the merits of low-moisture whole milk mozzarella vs. low-moisture part-skim rages on.

Types of Mozzarella

Low Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella, LM/PS:

Made from part-skim milk and the moisture is reduced by the manufacturing process. Low-moisture part-skim mozzarella was originally created to reduce oiling-off on pizza.

What operators prefer about LM/PS:

Will take more meat toppings without adding additional oil from the cheese.
Carry-out and delivery operations opt for part-skim because it holds better and retains a full, yellow color for a longer time.

What operators don’t prefer about LM/PS:

Doesn’t melt or cover as well as low moisture whole milk or whole milk mozzarella.
Tends to harden as it cools, giving the pizza a plastic bite.

Low Moisture Whole Milk Mozzarella, LM/WM:
Made from whole milk, the moisture is driven low by the manufacturing process. Used widely as a premium cheese, especially on East Coast and higher quality independent operators.

What operators prefer about LM/WM:

Because of the greater amount of milk fat, LM/WM has a slightly creamier flavor then LM/PS.
Shreds or slices easier than whole milk.

What operators don’t prefer about LM/WM:

Oils-off more then LM/PS.

Whole Milk Mozzarella, WM:

Made from whole milk and higher moisture. Quite soft and ages quickly. Used widely as a premium cheese, especially on East Coast and by higher quality independent operators.

What operators prefer about WM:

Whole milk mozzarella melts quicker than part-skim.
Blends better with pizza sauce.

What operators don’t prefer about WM:

Because of a higher fat content, it will oil-off more than part skim-fat.
More difficult to process than part-skim.

Top of page

Cheese Blends

Most blends contain mozzarella as the main cheese plus one to three secondary cheeses. Mozzarella (or Provolone) provides the foundation and stretch while the secondary cheeses provide the flavor accent and color enrichment.

Surveys show that the most common blends are (in order of popularity):

Mozzarella and Provolone
Mozzarella and Cheddar
Two Mozzarellas (LM/PS with WM OR LM/WM)
Mozzarella, Provolone and Cheddar typical ratio of 80-10-10.)

Two-Cheese Blends, or Mozzarella plus one:

• Mozzarella and Monterey Jack

• Mozzarella and Parmesan or Romano

• Mozzarella and Swiss or Gruyere

Four and Five-Cheese Blends:

• Mozzarella, Provolone, Cheddar and Parmesan

• Mozzarella, Provolone, Asiago and Parmesan

Top of page

Ovens
Deck ovens:

Work well for most applications and typically run at temperatures of 400-500 F.
Typical bake time is 10-20 minutes, depending on temperature.
Longer baking times may be needed in order to fully bake the crust.
*Recommend using lower moisture mozzarella (either LM/PS or LM/WM).

Conveyor/ Impinger ovens:

Most widely used style of oven in the pizza industry.
Provides an intense blast of hot air as pizza moves through a conveyor rack.
Bake pizza 5-10 minutes at high temperature of 450-650 F. *Recommend using higher fat cheese (LM/WM or WM) that melts quickly.

Brick or stone oven:

Because pizza is best cooked from the bottom up, stone works well.
Stone holds heat on the surface better than metal, thus less heat loss during cooking.
*Recommend using lower moisture mozzarella (either LM/PS or LM/WM).

Convection oven:

Work well for pizza and Italian dish applications and typically work at lower temperatures of 400-450 F.
Typical bake time is 10-15 minutes, depending on temperature used.
Suitable for all types of mozzarella, however, high-moisture cheeses may run off the crust more than low-moisture cheese.

Top of page