Pizza Cheese Combos and Choices

[bucolic_frolic]

I've been trying to replicate pizza cheese I had as a kid in NY area. Pizzerias nowadays, to my taste, only manage a hint of that flavor now and again, and because they use inferior oils, never achieve it.

I've tried many cheeses. Mozzarella was a standard, but it's too chewy/stringy, salty, and lacks that nutty sub-flavor. But for a long time I used mozzarella and monterey jack, and the combination was very good, but not authentic. I'll never use Colby on a pizza again, it just doesn't belong there.

I avoid provolone which is not a pizza cheese in my book. There are many blends of shredded pizza cheese, usually with combinations of asiago, romano, parmesan, provolone, fontina, the last of which I can't identify. To add to these combinations, romano is often pecorino romano, and parmesan is parmesan only in the US and the flavor varies widely. In Europe it's Parmigiana Reggiano - specific for region of northern Italy, copper vat process, and aging of 1-2 years. It's also a bit pricey here in the US, I've seen it for $14.99 a pound and that was 10 years ago. Is this the missing ingredient?

Kraft pizza blend is a bit closer than the rest of the pizza pre-mix crowd, bit it's still not there.

Oh, and the oil flavor? Extra virgin olive oil is the only choice. Sprinkle black pepper on the top.

Pecorino Romano didn't fit the bill. It was too salty, and too white, lumpy, it just didn't match the texture of pizzeria cheese.

So I'm probably onto my next ensemble of asiago, parmesan, and mozzarella, which is a new combination. If that proves a closer approximation, I'll probably spring for parmagiana reggiano in the next rendition.

Unless of course someone here has the slightest idea of what I'm talking about.

[RockRaven]

1. Based on what I've seen on YouTube and no real-world experience making pizza in NYC...

I have been told that the thing to do is use a little bit of finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano first and then the major player, shredded full-fat low-moisture mozzarella, on top.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. Will give it a go. "The" flavor never did hit the palate first.

[The Polack MSgt]

2. This is a bit too close to some reviews from my job interviews

too salty, and too white, lumpy, it just didn't match ...

On the real pizza/cheese subject tho - After I moved to the St Louis area, I had to come to terms with Provel, which is provolone mozzarella and mild white cedar blended together.

It is NOT the flavor you're looking for - But have you tried some low moisture provolone mixed with Mozzarella?

[bucolic_frolic]

5. It's an interesting idea because Provolone was always in a mix of others, not

a dedicated component. Taking notes here.

As for your job interviews, I suppose it's better than too cheesy and easy-peasey?

[The Polack MSgt]

9. Heh.

I'm a bit cheezy to be sure

[Kali]

3. Have you gone full obsessive and tried

different brands of mozzarella? Because there sure are differences.Big ones.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Now THIS is an original idea

There are different sub-culture mozzarella's? wow. National, regional, house brands all have 100% mozzarella - full, part-skim, low-moisture to name 3.

I know Kraft is richer, creamier, with more flavor than midwest house brands and regional repackagers. I don't bother with Giant house brand, I don't like their cheese.

When I use Monterey Jack I'm aware the flavor is good, but compared to mozzarella, M-J is on the sour side.

Unfortunately most deli's are closed due to coronavirus. In supermarkets for example.

And at $15 a pound, how do I know I'm getting genuine Parmagiana-Reggiano? Certificate of Authenticity? Scannable chip?

[Kali]

8. if I'm not mistaken

jack cheese is a form of cheddar.

or go all out and try making your own fresh mozzarella!

https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-make-mozzarella-cheese/

(lots of recipes and videos on line)

[bucolic_frolic]

7. Thanks for the pointers to Move My Cheese!

30 years and I'm still experimenting!

Maybe the taste buds don't react the way they did back then, or the olive oil ain't what it used to be, or it's a subtlety of tomato sauce. My sauces are on the salty side, and it's possible way back when it was a bland subset of ingredients with just a hint of sugar. Subtracting spices and salt can lead to cheese that emerges rather than being smothered.

[flotsam]

10. As a native of the "pizza corridor" (NYC to New Haven Ct)

I am fairly certain I remember your missing ingredient. In my youth my Grandmother would order pizza and always specify "a large pie" "with ska-motz". Since she was better at Italian pronunciation than at Italian spelling it would be hard to find unless you knew the word-here it is and I believe the particular blend used was of the smoked variety-Scamorza!

Scamorza (Italian pronunciation: [skaˈmɔrtsa]) is a South Italian cow's milk cheese. It can also be made from other milks, but that is less common. It is a stretched-curd cheese, in which the fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop by the process of lactose being converted to lactic acid. Artisanal cheese makers generally form the cheese into a round shape, and then tie a string around the mass one third of the distance from the top, and hang to dry. The resulting shape is pear-like. This is sometimes referred to as "strangling" the cheese. The cheese is usually white in color unless smoked. When smoked, the color is almond with a lighter interior.

Scamorza can be substituted for mozzarella in most dishes,[1] but the resulting taste will be much stronger and more dominant. It is reputed to melt better in baking. Using the smoked variety (scamorza affumicata) adds a nice background flavor in replacement of mozzarella.

Not much more:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scamorza

I'd kill for a large pie with "skamotz"!

[bucolic_frolic]

11. That's a new one on me

Sounds exotic and expensive. Why would generic pizzerias revert to such ingredients? What puzzles me is this flavor will sometimes have a hint in a local pie, but not the next time. I may have found one restaurant with consistency, but it's weak. I would call the flavor salty but flat, no bounce to the bite, almost like there's a hint of cloves in there.

But Skamorza is a tangent to pursue! "In addition, the flavour is more piquant, milky and creamy. Smoked Scamorza has a subtle, smoky flavour with a sweet, light caramel note."

Regional traditions and ingredients from the old country got stampeded by mass market mozzarella. Local family Italian restaurants knew how to keep them coming back ... but were protective of their recipes and subtleties. I think that's what's going on here.

My mom had an Italian girlhood friend, I can't really remember where her family was from, but she knew a little Italian that was different from all the rest. Mainland somewhere ... Calabria? The only example I recall is she didn't eat pizza. She called it "ah-BEETZ".

Such confusion. I'd bet most Americans can't spell let alone define "goombah".

[flotsam]

12. I expect it would be VERY pricy

It was an add-on in the early 60's. To be clear my Grandmother was both Irish and non pc and referred to these pizzas as "a good greasy Guinea pie" and though non-pc the "greasy part referred to the heavy amount of oil below the toppings on the crust, not the pizza makers. She was not heavily racist-it was just the vernacular of the times.
( the term"Guinea" is the most vile racial slur that can be used against an Italian-American. Refers to the Guinea Coast of Africa; using this slur is a very offensive way of implying that Italian-Americans are non-whites)

This was in the area of Bridgeport Ct and she used two terms-both "skamotz" AND "a-beetz". This is of course from memory and on belief-YMMV.

[trof]

13. Try Velveeta

[dem in texas]

14. Fresh Mozzarella and parmesan

Don't Use that stuff in bags unless you can't find anything else. Find good cheese, especially fresh made mozzarella and grate it yourself. Makes a big difference. Been making scratch pizza for 50 years, tired it all and found the old basics are the best.

[Saviolo]

15. My first ever job was washing dishes in an Italian kitchen

One of those restaurants that has been a neighbourhood staple for 45 years and the menu has barely changed in that time. I know that the cheese they grated to use on the pizzas at that place was Brick cheese. I think it may have been Kraft brand, but it was... 30 years ago? I don't remember super clearly. I don't think Kraft makes that "flavour" of cheese any more, but I think you can still get Brick cheese. It hails from Wisconsin originally.