Mozzarella in the kitchen: 5 mistakes we often make

2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20

With fresh stretched curd cheese mistakes are always around the corner. Ever since we decide to bring one to the table buffalo mozzarella or one fiordilatte braid (cow's milk). For instance, serving it as soon as it has been removed from the fridge: the cold kills the roundness of the taste and destroys that good taste of fresh milk.

But also making it stand in the fridge for more than a day: there are those who even say that the cold should never feel it, and I agree.

I envy a lot those who live from Rome down and can delight in the mozzarella of the day. In Milan, my city, it is much more difficult and, even more so, the day you buy mozzarella you eat mozzarella.

Or, it is used for cooking, often subjecting it to the heat of cooking. In this case, there are other i 5 errors not to commit. Do you want to know them? I'm here on purpose.

1. Use the hoax

Wasting the Campania PDO specialty in the kitchen, or the excellent Apulian cousin, should be the last resort.

Not only because it is infinitely appreciated more naturally, but also because, compared to fiordilatte, it is richer in water and therefore risks soaking the preparations and forming unpleasant ponds.

There are, of course, some precautions (see following points) if you still want to garnish your margherita at all costs without watering down the tomato or soaking the pasta.

More simply, you prefer fiordilatte. Compared to buffalo it is drier, more compact and also cheaper and, if of good quality, it gives excellent results.

Instead, stay away from all those industrial loaves that have a pizza printed on the package: they are often far from being able to be defined mozzarella (in fact, many report a generic indication of "cheese") and even those that can bear the name are industrial products with a flat flavor and dubious consistency.

Also warning you of pre-cut and rapè mozzarella, vegan "rice" ones, I'm not even talking about it, right?

2. Choose it very fresh

Even the cow's milk, just out of the dairy, is very humid. You have already understood that this richness of liquid, which is what intrigues when tasting it raw, giving you succulent morsels, is deleterious in recipes.

Better then that the mozzarella you add to the gnocchi alla sorrentina, put on pizza or even in crudaiola pasta, is already a few days old, let's say 2-3: it will be drier, equally fresh and tasty.

3. Do not dry it

Whatever the recipe, mozzarella should be your first concern, cut it (see next point) and let it drain the operation that precedes all the others.

You can put it in a colander, on a bowl, and squeeze it gently with your hands. Among other things, if you are creative, with this technique you will recover an interesting "milk" to be used in sauces and broths.

Or, spread the pieces on a paper-lined cutting board, dabbing with more paper.

Essential techniques especially if you go to the oven with layered preparations, such as parmigiana, in which the excess liquid would drip to the bottom, drowning everything in a whitish sea.

4. Cut it with the square

This is my obsession: at home, the mozzarella is chopped by hand, resulting in irregular frays that in the same bite will offer a bit of "crust", that is the more compact outer part, and a bit of a soft and juicy heart.

Especially in raw preparations, as in the aforementioned crudaiola, I find the perfectly squared cubes a bit fake.

I even chop the caprese mozzarella by hand which I mix with tomatoes with irregular touches for a shabby-chic faux casual effect that is very pleasant to see.

5. Burn it (and let it cool)

I know that among you there are those who find irresistible the part that sizzles and becomes hazelnut on the edges of the dishes. But at that point, it could be any cheese because mozzarella has lost all its distinctive features.

Instead, as is often said, in pizza it should be added only in the very last minutes of the oven. In long-cooking pies, put it inside rather than spread it on the surface. Avoiding in any case to make it darken, brown too much or, least of all, burn.

On the other hand, how good is it still white, warm and racy? At least how sad it is when it cools and is rubbery. Especially if it was cooked in the open.

Let me explain: hard and dry mozzarella on cold pizza can hardly be chewed. The one between the layers of a pan is still softer thanks to the sauces and juices of the other ingredients.

And in fact, no one disdains (me first) a slice of parmigiana left over from yesterday. Even if there is no comparison with the pleasantness of freshly baked cheese.

If, however, you plan to serve the dish even cold, make sure you do not use large and thick slices in which the chewing gum effect would be amplified. Rather, small and well distributed pieces: in this case, they certainly perform better.