What's ACTUALLY the Best Pizza Cheese?

[@thecrow5450]

Love that you’re incorporating testing with commercial equipment. Please do more for us pizza dorks.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Glad to hear you like it! I wasn't sure if most people would find it helpful or not.

[@matias6093]

@@CharlieAndersonCooking as another pizza dork, please keep it up! your channel its amazing!

[@Hylean_Way]

@@CharlieAndersonCooking Hi Charlie, I know your channel has focused a lot on pizza, but I was wondering if you could do a series on doner? Specifically that impossibly soft doner bread that’s used in German style doner sandwiches. Andong and Ethan Chlebowski both have videos going over doner sandwiches and they both found the bread so cloudy and soft they assumed it was something they were doing in the industrial process to get it like that. I was hoping with your skills you might be able to crack the code on that 😅

[@annunacky4463]

I gladly join the dorkettes. Been working on my pizza game for a decade. Still learning…

[@BigSnipp]

Pizza dorks, unit!

[@zimmejoc]

make America GRATE again. Buy block cheese, not cellulose filled preshredded cheese

[@Gnam1600]

i never buy shredded. no pizzaria in their right mind would serve that.

[@PicSta]

Charlie, you became my number one go to pizza channel. Your deep dive investigations in the big pizza world, and all the testing, busting some myth about pizza. That's fantastic and also meets my passion for pizza since decades.

[@scottt5484]

Most pizzerias on the East Coast use Grande brand cheese from Wisconsin. Its not available retail. If you can get your hands on some you will notice the difference. They have something called East Coast Blend which is 50/50 whole milk and part skim. Gold standard for pizza cheese. A lot of pizzerias use Grande.

[@eliasortega4334]

Wisconsin brick cheese for the win

[@RealFakePizza]

Thanks for the video! It's well-detailed and nicely animated as always. However, IMO, something seems off with your dough. The middle part should be thinner, and the crust should be puffy and airy. Have you tried using less yeast and perhaps lower hydration?

[@ThreeToesofFury]

brilliant...i reallllllllllly appreciate you doing all this work and sharing your findings! im forever on the quest to make amazing pizzas at home and the small tweaks and considerations (such as here with temperature vs cheese type variant) makes a huge difference. Thanks Charlie!!! Happy cooking!!!!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you, I'm glad to hear you find it helpful!

[@fvazquez64]

Hey Charlie! I've been baking pizza and bread for more than 15 years and there's nothing like enjoying a self made pizza, the problem I always struggle with is with the cheese... I live in Mexico and I've tried several brands and types of cheese, but saddly I can´t say that I'm happy with my results... today I bought an italian burrata and after the experiment I will share my findings with you... Thanks for sharing your experience!!

[@indiefansexplode]

You know your stuff man. Watching this while I eat home made pizza :)

[@clintmclaughlin2152]

Thanks for providing some solid grounding to understanding the “why we do it this way” with cheese and temps.

[@robbiesarris9072]

Id also recommend spiking your cheese blend with a hard cheese for flavor. Parm is good but pecorino romano is amazing

[@Demetrios-h7p]

I have been using this combo: dash of Pecorino on the simple tomato sauce once spread on dough; one third each of Monterey Jack (excellent melting and flavor-boosting tanginess), whole milk low moisture mozzarella, and Buffalo mozzarella, then sprinkle of Grana Padano or Parmigiano over the top; I have found that sprinkling good Greek, Sicilian, or Calabrian oregano within the cheese mix instead of the tomato sauce works a certain magic with the cheese.

[@justinlardinois3828]

Whole milk low moisture mozzarella used to be hard to find in my area (Northern California) but for the past few years Safeway has carried it from Galbani. Great brand, definitely recommend it.

[@Picit-13]

loving your journey Charlie!! Best of luck!!!

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you!

[@vector222]

I'm actually a pretty big fan of the Walmart "full" moisture whole milk mozzarella. Its flavor is better than their low moisture whole milk (which I still use as well) but it's not dripping wet like Bel Gioso.

[@sandhill9313]

Bel Gioso is WAY down on my list of fresh mozz, any of the tubbed in water offerings at essentially any grocery is better than Bel Gioso, which is a shame as they are a GREAT cheese company 🤪

[@CharlesVanNoland]

I'm able to get close with a stone, it's definitely better than the oven alone, but yeah - I really gotta get a steel. I also found that cooking on the rack one lower from the top keeps the cheese from disincorporating as quickly, and gives the crust more of a chance to crisp up on the bottom. I haven't tried lower than that. I also need to figure out a better dough recipe because my gut always feels bloaty like the yeast is still fermenting when I eat my pizzas and it's not a fun feeling. I've been doing a 660g flour to 440g water dough with maybe a third of a packet of yeast - whatever amount that ends up being, and it's still too much! I feel like the dough still rises pretty good and fluffs up decently, and when I get the pizza bug again and can afford a steel I'll try even less yeast.

[@BlackJesus8463]

slow age dough in the fridge 3 days punching it down a couple times.

[@andrewflorypb9312]

Its amazing to hear from you that Whole Milk Low Moisture Mozz is not available in parts of the country. Being from Jersey you can get it at literally any grocery store or big box store.

[@janem3575]

I haven't seen it in Canada either. Part skim, yes. there's varying moisture percentages between the handful of brands, most in and around the 40's, with some mozarella's labelled as "pizza mozarella"

[@sandhill9313]

I'm fortunate that my local Wally almost always has both full and part skimmed mozz. I'm under the impression that a lot of good pizzerias use a Grande product (East Coast Blend) that's 50/50 full and part skimmed, although logically straight full seems the better bet. I have great success freezing it, just cutting the 1 lb blocks into 2 Oz chunks, plastic wrapping them individually, tossing them in a 1 gallon zip lock, and pulling what I need when I need it. I always associate fresh with Neapolitan, where 900 degrees rules. My local Costco carried fresh bufa at a great price until covid, so i its been that long without. I've never much used either fresh for pizza though, just for antipastos and Capri salads. 🙂

[@joinushugabear5847]

cows milk mozzarella is called ”fior di latte” in italy. Mozzarella usually means its buffalo. Outside of italy anything goes. Pregrated usually means the cheese has a starch coating to make it not clump, which will cause the issues you describe.

[@jasonjenkins7825]

My Wal-Mart carries the block of whole milk mozz shown in the video. Out of necessity I've used a lot of it over the years. I don't hate it; the flavor is quite good. I try to offset the unwanted extra wetness by using crushed tomatoes for the sauce instead of whole peeled. Wal-Mart also often carries blocks of low moisture whole milk mozz but the flavor is not acceptable-- it's almost like a cheddar. At our relatively new Trader Joe's they carry a whole milk low moisture mozz in small blocks. It's easily the best of what I can get where I live, so I won't be buying my pizza cheese at Wal Mart again. The TJ's shreds and melts beautifully and has a good mozzarella flavor.

[@MrTrip666]

It's be great to see a video of torn vs sliced, vs grated vs cubed for Mozzarella cheese. I see many great pizzerias choosing different types of shapes but the same whole milk, low moisture type cheese. 👍 great video btw

[@Jo-de3st]

Honestly i personally prefer fresh mozz because it melds into the sauce and makes the whole pizza much less dry, especially since i tend to leave it in my oven a tad longer than others may like to, since i love a really crispy edge and bubbly sauce and soft cheese. When i try using dry mozz or other drier cheeses it always gets cold quickly and turns into a slab of rubber since im a slow eater with pizza. Most pizza places, especially in america use dry mozz though because its easier to get in big batches and theres less risk of it going bad due to the much lower moisture.

[@FPSmoto]

Isn't that what sauce is for?

[@jasonwagner4266]

Lmao. Another person eating wet pizza. Yuck.

[@brucevodka]

You do GREAT work!! Thanks.

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you, I'm glad you like the videos!

[@BlackLionV]

You should slice and allow fresh mozzarella to strain overnight to remove the excess water

[@wilson502]

Love your content Charlie, I was wondering if you have ever tried testing Fresh Mozzarella by removing some of the moisture out of it with a paper towel? I would think that might make it better suited for lower temp ovens and longer cook times.

[@BlackJesus8463]

Put a plate on it and let it drain over night

[@jjdawg9918]

I find fresh mozz nearly flavorless and mostly about texture. Low moisture whole milk mozz is the way to go...if you can find it

[@Hylean_Way]

Hi Charlie, I know your channel has focused a lot on pizza, but I was wondering if you could do a series on doner? Specifically that impossibly soft doner bread that’s used in German style doner sandwiches. Andong and Ethan Chlebowski both have videos going over doner sandwiches and they both found the bread so cloudy and soft they assumed it was something they were doing in the industrial process to get it like that. I was hoping with your skills you might be able to crack the code on that 😅

[@stevendesmond2685]

7:10 transition on point

[@robbiesarris9072]

What are your thoughts on gas style pizza ovens like the ooni? Would you consider doing a video on those?

[@BlackJesus8463]

I think he used those at his popups and he made perfect looking pies.

[@musamustafa3390]

Fresh thyme and some giant eagles sell whole milk low moisture mozzarella in their delis in Cleveland

[@hutchie123]

I'm sure I love Charlie for these videos just as much as i love pizza and that is allot

[@SergiiTorchukUA]

If one wants to count callories, one shouldn't just use less whole milk cheese but consider skipping pizza altogether

[@RandomInternetPeople]

I'm sure you've been, but, Gust Galluccis on Euclid in Cleveland carries excellent Imperial brand low moisture while milk Mozzarella. It's mostly what I use on my pizzas.

[@jasonwagner4266]

Without even watching, I’m saying whole milk mozzarella. Cube it, toss it in a food processor. Good to go. I buy it at chefs store for 2.99 a lb. Galbani in a 5lb loaf.

[@smartin5534]

Very interesting video and makes me glad I'm from St. Louis where the best mozzarella for your pizza is no mozzarella.

[@AlwaysStayGeeky]

Yesterday, I had a Shoarma pizza. (Yes that is the correct spelling, the American way is the dumb way, and sounds like Americans just spelling it out loudly, to some foreigner who speaks English.) Anyhow. I just had a Shoarma pizza, Usually those are so good! But, they put Blue Cheese on it, Now, It might go with lamb, but it definitely does not go with Shoarma. (They also used normal pizza sauce instead of Shoarma sauce which was disappointing. But not the biggest mistake.) End of Rant.

[@BlackJesus8463]

SHUWORMUH

[@BryanAument]

I love low moisture! ♥ I used it in my recent video and got some inspiration from you :) Thank you!⭐

[@timothykramer1856]

Starting to bake deep dish pizza and cheese is bottom layer. What type of cheese for pan pizza?

[@thebullion24k]

I've tried a bunch of WMLM mozzarella best ones for me were Trader Joe's and Galbani.

[@alsmit5]

You can often get whole milk mozzarella at the deli counter

[@BlackJesus8463]

low moisture?

[@kimtalac9962]

I have an ooni and I hate that with fresh mozerella, the pizza gets all watery. I try to put in paper towels to take mousture out, but it still happens.

[@BigSnipp]

Walmart's whole milk mozzarella is actually decent. I would still blend it with another cheese.

[@lieutenantdan8170]

The best cheese to use is actually Monterey Jack it melts like mozzarella and has more flavor

[@Master-Mystic01]

Your vids are very informative. Thanks for doing the heavy lifting. Hopefully I’ll one day find myself standing inside your pizza place. 😊👍🏼

[@CharlieAndersonCooking]

Thank you, hope to see you in there some day!

[@kellycarroll6829]

good cheese info!💚

[@mccalltrader]

Charlie is back!

[@SiCKxSAViOUR]

I wish I had the wherewithal to start a pizza joint but my city is a little oversaturated

[@jasonwagner4266]

Without even watching, I’m saying whole milk mozzarella. Cube it, toss it in a food processor. Good to go

[@sunflowerdeath]

Fresh or not fresh? I put BOTH! 😂

[@blueridgeorc]

It was also made without tomato sauce until 'murica changed that. Love the series

[@Jo-de3st]

No, i dont think tomato sauce on pizza is an american invention...

[@blueridgeorc]

@Jo-de3st do you know where Tomatos come from? Hint, they arent native to europe, asia, africa, pacifica, antartica etc etc

[@Jo-de3st]

@@blueridgeorc Tomatos were not domesticated by european settlers. They are native to the andes and the northernmost peoples that cultivated them were the mesoamerican cultures, and that was surprisingly rare. Later when the tomato was brought over more commonly by portugese and spanish convoys, its use slowly spread to italy, where proto-pizza was already being made. Tomato sauce was then added, as well as cheese, and only after that was it brought over to the US in the late 19th century, which is why almost every pizza in america features both tomato sauce and cheese, while in italy you can still get pizza with different sauces or toppings that may not necessarily feature cheese, such as garlic infused olive oil.

[@blueridgeorc]

@Jo-de3st did i say they were?

[@blueridgeorc]

@Jo-de3st so what you are saying is tomatos come from the americas? And italy didnt have tomatos until they tactically acquired them from the poor indigenous peoples? Yeah, thank the Muricas for tomatos and move on.

[@AmirhoseinHerandy]

Buf sells low moisture buffalo mozzarella now.

[@rahhmennoodles338]

I've never said this but, first.

[@davidfuller581]

For certain styles it is, for others not so much.

[@BlackJesus8463]

bs

[@jeremybusch3206]

Winco has whole milk mozzarella

[@cloudbloom]

Winco rules

[@madonna816]

There is a reason that the OG pizza, which was accidentally vegan, gained a feverish popularity. Delicious! Dairy legit isn’t even important. It’s the inherent MSG & tang that it produces, which adds another tasty element. Nothing special about bovine breast milk. Do with that what you will. Will be doing the same. ✌️

[@BlackJesus8463]

flatbread.

[@shelleysinger56]

Ur the goat.

[@timbetween]

Dude, I don't know if you deleted my comment about Al Capone, or if I just forgot to hit the "post" button

[@tk-gn1tn]

What happened to doing the squares?

[@BlackJesus8463]

its cake

[@metalliholic]

That Walmart Whole milk mozzarella is ass.

[@Sig_P229]

I actually prefer a nice fontina and provolone to mozzarella but that’s just me

[@TransparentlyDuplicitous]

Yeah, mozzarella melts nicely, but I've always found it one of the blandest cheeses one can buy, and when we're eating something like cheese, bland feels so wrong.

[@dirtybenny1]

Agreed...provolone..

[@Jo-de3st]

Thats also a very good option! Different types of cheeses work well with different takes on tomato sauce, whether its more heavily spiced or more acidic or is very concentrated and sweet. Mozzarella is great for very flavorful doughs and sauces since it lets those flavors shine while contributing lots of good texture.

[@CantankerousDave]

I’ve been using Monterey Jack on my Detroit pizzas lately.

[@christophermalvica1881]

Fontina makes the best grilled cheese.

[@alksjda]

IMO 50/50 part skim and full fat

[@robbiesarris9072]

same. 100% full fat is too greasy

[@BlackJesus8463]

@@robbiesarris9072 Thats clarified butter.

[@robbiesarris9072]

@@BlackJesus8463 im talking about boogie2988

[@stopit4uca]

I think you need to dig a Little Deeper on the history of pizza just like pasta it was created in Asia. Why does Italian countries always want to steal Asian people's ideas. maybe they're taking a play from the US playbook that so likes to do the same thing. From sports to cheese. Yes so called American cheese is also a Canadian creation. I'm sorry I just got triggered some people like pop or beer with their pizza I like the facts.

[@lupugeorge3704]

Neapolitan style pizza is overrated, most of the time raw to my liking if not super thin and done properly. There's so many good ones like NYC, but also Sicilian, Grandma Pie, Chicago, Detroit etc. Please show some love to deep dish aswell. Thanks for the wonderful content 🙏

[@user-tz5uq2bt1s]

When I crave pizza, I throw some tomato sauce on a flour tortilla, toss on whatever cheese I happen to have on hand, and use whatever toppings I have available in the fridge. Bake at 400 for 15-16 minutes and you’re good. Easy af

[@BlackJesus8463]

Yup!

[@tinnyfoiler7126]

pizza places are cheap and lazy use canned sauce because they think "peak freshness" means something u havnt experimented with making your own sauce from scratch with real tomatos at their peak wherever u get them from perhaps local organic from a greenhouse or something with lights i cant take these videos seriously without that attempt or exploration into that . canned sauce can never compete i refuse to believe its impossible to do . also coal oven dave portnoy insists is the best u cant have a 9 pizza without one. it really comes down to the oven apparently and what material u burn with it has a bigger outcome than any of this cheese and dough stuff u keep insisting on adjusting. or even maybe the cheese needs to be made in house nobody is experimenting with shit and nobody has changed the type of flour in 200 years

[@tinnyfoiler7126]

theres 3 new video ideas for you is fresh sauce better than canned sauce? which material is the best tasting when cooking in a fire oven ? can you change the type of flour in pizza and get similar or better results

[@BlackJesus8463]

@@tinnyfoiler7126 Hes has done all those exempt woodfired will be smoky.

[@tinnyfoiler7126]

@@BlackJesus8463 im pretty sure he hasnt done anything he just merely implied that he thought canned sauce was fine without doing experiments

[@jasonwagner4266]

Without even watching, I’m saying whole milk mozzarella. Cube it, toss it in a food processor. Good to go