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The “Gratest” Thing Since Sliced Pizza by liz thorpe | photo by romney carus0

Having grown up in the Pizza Capital of the United States (that would be New Haven, Connecticut) I have long-standing opinions on what makes a proper pizza. Chief among these are the default assumptions that pizza means “red pie” (tomato sauce) and that cheese on pizza means an evenly melted, gloriously stretchy, ever so slightly browned layer of molten goodness, ensuring milky, salty flavor with every bite, at least until you reach the crust.

It wasn’t until I was in my 20s, working in the food business and traveling to Europe, that I learned of differing expectations in the Pizza Capital of the World (that would be Naples, Italy). There, the pie was red but the cheese was delicately softened disks of fior di latte (flower of milk, aka fresh, hand-pulled cow milk) mozzarella, or, even better, gently softened rounds of mozzarella di bufala di Campagna (fresh mozzarella made from buffalo milk). People ate their pizza with a fork and knife, and the texture of the crust was soft and chewy, almost like Indian naan. The pizza of my childhood and the pizza of my travels both relied on mozzarella, but the mozzarellas were radically different and so, too, were the pizzas. To appreciate cheese on pizza, you have to start with mozzarella. It’s because of pizza that nearly half of the 30 pounds of cheese the average American eats each year is mozzarella. It’s the most consumed cheese in the U.S. — and that’s because it’s the cheese we put on our pizzas. But not all mozzarellas are created equal, and your pizza won’t be either. American pizza is typically made with low-moisture mozzarella. It’s sold in the dairy depart- ment of the supermarket. It’s available in whole-milk, part-skim and skim versions and often comes pre-shredded in bags. The best-known brands are Polly-O, Kraft and Sargento. Cheese people are quick to point out that low-moisture mozzarella is considered inferior to “real” or “fresh” mozzarella — the smooth, white, half-pound balls typically sold in deli departments under the brand names Rio Briati or Galbani. And for fresh, uncooked eating purposes, this is true. If you’re making a caprese salad or slicing mozzarella to enjoy alongside prosciutto and olives, there’s no comparison between the bland, salty chew of a low-moisture mozzarella cube and the delicate, milky freshness of a fresh mozzarella round. When it comes to heating and cooking, however, you have to consider more than You Have to Startwith Mozzarella

flavor. Fresh mozzarella contains 60 percent water, versus low-moisture mozza- rella’s 45-52 percent. Buffalo mozzarella looks and behaves a lot like fresh mozza- rella. It’s typically sold in a container and packed in water, so the moisture content is even higher, as is the fat content. Buffalo milk is nearly twice as fatty as cow milk and has a stronger, grassier flavor. Which of these mozzarellas makes a better pizza really depends on the kind of pizza you prefer to eat. The qualities that make low-moisture mozzarella pretty boring to eat raw make it exceptional when heated. Less water and more age mean it grates and shreds easily, and melts into an even, stretchy layer that blankets an entire pizza. The higher salt content contrasts with the sweetness of tomato sauce, and the resulting slice is what most of us think of when we think of pizza. Fresh mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella and even the cream-enriched cheese burrata become smooth and oozy under heat, but they form individual moments of cheesiness across a pizza’s surface. Additionally, that high moisture content puts you at risk for soggy pizza. A soft, floppy center crust is part of what distinguishes Neapolitan-style pizza, and this is due in large part to the fresh mozzarella that’s used. But should you try to blanket your pizza with fresh mozzarella, you’ll wind up with a wet, soggy slice that can’t be picked up. I love the interlude of fresh mozzarella on pizza. When I go this route I keep my toppings extremely simple — a restrained smear of homemade sauce from in-season tomatoes and a sprinkling of shredded basil as the pizza comes out of the oven. To manage sogginess, I add the cheese halfway through the bake so the crust has time to establish itself. And most important, I prepare myself for a pizza that’s not going to have an even layer of cheese across every bite. The cheese is more like a topping and less like a foundational element of the pizza. But, truth be told, 90 percent of the time when I make pizza (and it’s become

a Friday night staple in our house) I use low-moisture mozzarella, because I want cheese on the whole darn thing. Fat carries flavor and it also ensures even, layered melting, so treat yourself to whole-milk mozzarella and skip the part-skim and skim versions. Also, though it’s a bit more work, I’m a big advocate for buying mozza- rella by the block and grating it at home. Pre-shredded mozzarella is coated with starch-based anti-caking agents, and these tend to brown faster and form a crust on the pizza. Cheeses for Branching Out An obvious question about making pizza is, “Since there’s no shortage of mozzarella pizza in the world, what can I branch out with?” And this is where making pizza at home can be really fun. You may not have a brick oven that cooks your pie perfectly in three minutes, but you can experiment with toppings and flavor combinations that aren’t readily available at restaurants. Varying the cheese is the easiest way to do this. Cheeses for Melting Several styles of cheese will behave like low-moisture mozzarella and deliver a smooth, even layer of melted cheese, with the added benefits of more or different flavors. Provolone , like mozzarella, is what’s called a pasta filata cheese. When the cheese is being made the curd is dipped in hot water, and pulled and stretched to develop a smooth, elastic, even texture. Since provolone is aged for longer than fresh or low-moisture mozzarella, you get a first cousin in terms of texture but you also get a deeper, saltier, more developed flavor. Provolone often has beefy notes, and I find it pairs especially well with roasted red peppers and spice, be that a sprinkling of chili flakes or rounds of Calabrese salami. Taleggio is one of my favorite melting cheeses. I’ve written about using it for grilled cheese and mac and cheese. It’s my go-to for cheese grits. And I love it for pizza. When you grate the cheese, don’t cut the

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