I Tried The Viral TikTok VEGAN Mozzarella Sticks

[@MerleONeal]

Thanks for watching everyone!! Couple tips: 1. don't shallow-fry 2. freeze them ahead of frying them 3. double bread (I did in this video, but I don't think I mentioned it) 4. add more salt! LMK if you're brave enough to try this one!!!

[@KR-mx4nt]

@merleoneal Thanks!! Was the flavor really yummy or nah?

[@iseeblue]

You also need a thermometer and know that every one of them that you add is going to drop the temperature. They probably also need to be fried at a higher temperature generally.

[@AstralAu]

Hey Merle, I totally agree! Don't shallow fry. Deep frying exists for a purpose, the food will initially sink but then it floats and cooks, not needing turning. Freezing before hand is a good idea. I have found tapioca flour to be tricky when looking for uniform thickness. I find good old corn flour (or corn starch in the USA) is more predictable. If the pectin is tasting odd, perhaps some agar-agar could be an option? Pectin is more clear for gelling, but as it is a white opaque food, this isn't required. Great experiment! :)

[@cdocenko]

I wonder if you could air fry them?

[@JerryTheVeganRockstar]

What do you think about freezing them again after breading?

[@kiraedwards3845]

Turning that negative comment into a sponsor plug was a goated move 😂

[@johannamaria4223]

Came to the comment section to say exactly that!!!!😂

[@silentben]

I do think that freezing would have improved things. Most non-vegan mozz sticks tend to be fried from frozen. So that might have limited leakage. But loved the process!

[@marylynroten]

‘This is suppose to make 35 mozzarella sticks’ … cuts 21 twinkie sized blocks 😂

[@Homeside301]

Sorry if I wanted to be a ✨Skinny Legend✨, I would eat a salad.

[@tonycasey3183]

That comment came from somebody in the UK. Iceland is a frozen food store famous for selling low priced, low quality, pre-prepared food, so that's why they don't know what real food is. Having said that, I go there because they do have vegan brands that are cheaper than some other stores. Anyway, I'm going to try these sticks, but I think I will replace the tapioca starch with sour starch - cassava - because, in my experience it firms up better than most other starches in vegan cheeses. Thank you for your efforts.

[@danpreston564]

In my experience tapioca starch is vital for the texture of this type of vegan cheese. I’ve never tried using cassava.

[@offthesidelines]

Tapioca comes from cassava. 😆 Apparently sour starch, on the other hand, can be made from different sources (including cassava).

[@NicolaHalsall]

I suspect that bad comment was from the UK. We have a frozen food shop called Iceland and the advert tag line is "Mum's gone to Iceland" and they sell big bags of this sort of stuff. That being said they also sell a really good vegan selection too so even this vegan mum goes to Iceland 🤪

[@Bandangosw]

Freeze them! Because even when making mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers , you have to freeze them before frying then .

[@lommedeboeck]

I think if you submerge them in the oil and don't have to flip them, they wouldn't leak as much

[@meismeems1]

Yes I agree the key is speed , frying quickly because vegan cheese is very melty

[@jordanlexton7354]

I was also going to say that, it would prevent the "seams"

[@mathildesarthou1368]

I was looking for this answer. If you're scared of hot oil, frying in a small amount of oil isn't going to help since you will have to stay close to the pan to check if your food isn't burning on the bottom and flipping it. Honestly, if you want more fried food and you're scared of deep frying... make an alternative in the oven or the air frier, or invest in a small deep fryer with a basket. It's safer, some of them have lids, and the basket allows you to pick up the food without risk.

[@Shadeadder]

Pectin is what is used in fruit jams and jellies 😊 If you ever have too much fruit in danger of going bad, you can turn it into homemade jam just by cooking it down on the stove with some sugar, a little pectin, and lemon juice (the acid is necessary to activate the pectin). Voila! I made peach jam the other day this way.

[@Corinne-v9c]

Oh..maybe a little lemon juice should be used for the mozzarella sticks to activate the pectin a little better. Maybe(?) they would've turned out a bit firmer?

[@shreyaaashree]

omgg plugging in the sponsor was SMOOTH ASF!!! and wow this was so chaotic and fun to watchh!! you have an amazing bubbly personality!!! :))

[@MerleONeal]

hahahah thank you very much

[@Cindy-CD]

You could try dehydrating it for a bit. Just leave it uncovered in the fridge for a day or two and that should help it draw the moisture out. Refrigerating it in the fridge after battering will help with the leakage. You can also bread it again after it comes out of the fridge to fill in any gaps!

[@johnnydepp6907]

I adore the chaos in your videos. It makes it so real and so relatable at the same time. Much love ❤

[@jennlarkins5590]

Ditto! Relatable.. and refreshing to see the reality.

[@ev1174]

Merle! Have you tried this with that miyoko’s pourable mozzerella? I’ve been thickening that up on the stove, chilling it , then using it as if it were fresh mozzerella on a Caprese sandwich it’s soooo good. Maybe if you added whatever ingredient needs to be added to thicken it up more it will really solidify in the fridge and can be used for mozzerella sticks!

[@plion9683]

bro... thats some big brain shit

[@monogurui6533]

I'll have to see if I can find this because that sounds like a great idea.

[@adelphe33]

The issue is that you are shallow frying! The heat from below the surface is expanding the cheese and it leaks from the soft upper part. You should deep fry those!

[@AdaminaCarden]

Tip for breadcrumbing - dedicate one hand wet one hand dry and it stops the stuff from sticking to your hands

[@Corinne-v9c]

The one's that held together looked really good. One suggestion...if you maybe put more oil in your pot to where you deep fry the sticks so you wouldn't have to turn them, maybe that would make them turn out better because you could just use your drainer/scooper tool to remove them from the oil & thereby putting zero pressure on them to disrupt that delicate "cheese" inside them. Edit: I didn't read your comment where you realized this. Sorry.

[@chrisgrauer1320]

Love your content, its a lot of fun. Love your energy 💚

[@MerleONeal]

Aw thank you

[@stumbling_]

Nearly died eating a mozzarella stick as a child. Best food on the planet.

[@khawlahpeace1222]

Well don’t leave us all hanging how did you almost die cough up the story.

[@julianag1762]

If you ever come to Portland there's a local vegan mozzarella stick sold at lots of restaurants called Buddy's Stix and they're SO good

[@ΓΕΩΡΓΙΑΜΗΝΑ-ω5β]

You can try cooking them in the air fryer or the oven,I know it's not the same but you don't have to deal with hot oil.

[@roku3216]

Wow, this looks great! Now I can get my mozzarella stick fix. Now I’m headed down the weird ingredient alley of Veganland to get supplies (actually just the grocery store).

[@itscarolinemary]

I appreciate the angles and shots you get, the music choice was good too! 💕 mozzarella sticks are so good. love your videos!

[@MerleONeal]

Thanks so much! 😊

[@Dwoalin]

Anyone who's complaining about these vegan recipes taking too many "weird" ingredients... look at the standard American diet food they're already eating 🤨 Also, mozzarella sticks are a classic 🤤❤ Like you'd said, maybe freezing them would have allowed them to hold up better and maybe that would have firmed the cheese up a bit so it wouldn't have been such a liquidy center 🤔

[@MrAnsjos]

When you are doing breading it really helps to use one hand for the wet stuff and one for the dry 🤓 Then you don’t get breading on your hands 🙌🏻

[@MerleONeal]

Great tip!

[@kristymayo494]

That comment was like "why bother cooking when you can just buy food at the store?" Like none of the ingredients in vegan meat/cheese substitutes are all that weird if you actually cook.

[@theaudiobookaficionado]

omg i feel so much solidarity in the cheese not wanting to slide out of the container 😭😭 i swear things are NEVER as easy as they show us in recipe videos and i dont understand why!!! i did everything you did!!!!!!!

[@briijaay]

I think if they were cooked fully submerged in the oil (rather than flipping them) it might have prevented the spill out from squishing with tongs? Looked yummy though 😊

[@flaviaegerland7862]

One idea: I think the liquid part for breading should be thicker, this way it wouldn't run when frying ❤❤

[@sheenatalks8529]

DEFINITELY freeze them first! Even traditional mozz needs to be fried from frozen or itll leak, the more frozen the better. ❤

[@grey5626]

"Your girl Merle" has such a fun rhyme to it.

[@emilykirk2360]

Hi Merle! I have a recipe idea for you! Sorry if you’ve already made it. You should try Trinidadian doubles! They look so good and all the recipes I’ve seen look to already be vegan! It’s a spicy curried chickpea sandwich made on homemade flatbread! I’m wanting to try it myself it looks sooo good!

[@avac392]

you should do a part 2 where you do your own spin on it, i think freezing the cheese, dredging them, and then freezing them again would help. and then maybe adding more salt or whatever other seasonings, and also i think maybe having more oil so they kind of float would help them to not fall apart, just some ideas though!

[@dianasoya5956]

Can’t wait to make these and the parmesan cheese from the other video 🤤 Some additional possibilities for preventing cheese from spilling out: - Mix panko with breadcrumbs so the finer breadcrumbs can fill the gaps left by the coarse panko. - as Merle said, double dip/bread the sticks to make the breading more sturdy. - Reduce the liquid in the cheese, as it already looks quite wet out of the mold. - Refrigerate the unbreaded cheese sticks uncovered to dry and firm them up, cooling them down to delay early melting when frying.

[@dandles2010]

I'm terrified of hot oil, too. This looks fantastic, thanks for sharing!

[@davidvllr]

From your outfit to the sticks, everything is awesome

[@zachcain2639]

Wtfffff can’t believe you mentioned Friendly’s mozzarella sticks. I’ve never met a single other person who loved those things like I did as a kid 😂 also the quesadillas there 🤤

[@MerleONeal]

I was OBSESSED with the mozz sticks and the chicken tenders lol

[@zachcain2639]

@@MerleONeal we have refined taste 👏

[@studycats123]

I was laughing so hard looking at your excitement over unsticking process😂😊

[@lindamoulton1560]

I don't know how helpful it would be (but it might be for whisking things like pectin and coconut cream in the future)- What about one of those portable milk frothers (the ones that look like tiny immersion blenders)? They're like 15-20 bucks on amazon, but I've seen them at Target and other stores too. Just to help save yourself an arm work out!

[@jiggabot]

Good job! I also dislike frying. It’s scary! But those looked delish and I know tasted good!

[@parismoon2130]

It’s been a while since I last made mozzarella bites/sticks from scratch It defs helps when after you’ve battered them, freeze them before frying Also, best to fry them in a pot where they can have enough space to float (but also not so much that it bubbles over), rather than shallow frying. If you’re not sure if the oil is hot enough, can always use a wooden spoon or wooden chopstick! If it’s bubbling, then oil is ready, and adjust the temp as you continue frying

[@cathexiad7729]

I think the size of the sticks matters. When the insides are so loose you'd need a higher shell to volume ratio to keep it intact.

[@kyracheera9007]

Sorry this recipe was so stressful! 😂 the things you do for us Merle 🙏🏽

[@MerleONeal]

Bahaha it was a JOURNEY, but ya know, I was rewarded with mozz sticks at the end so it made it alright

[@pqrstsma2011]

3:48 when i was a kid. packets of table salt used to say "no expiration date".... salt counts as an 'edible substance', right? 5:42 'Iceland' is also the name of a supermarket chain in the UK

[@Siriuslyyy]

Mustard seeds are a common ingredient in Pakistani recipes. They're readily available at Desi stores (Pakistan/Indian/Bangladeshi)

[@JerryTheVeganRockstar]

Glad I waited to the end. The closing music played the Smoke on the Water riff 😂

[@christyrobertson9820]

You are hilarious, Merle, thank you for sacrificing yourself with the hot oil to try out this recipe! They look delicious 😋

[@MerleONeal]

🫡

[@ViaAngeles-ve5uj]

Smaller mozzarella sticks wd solve some of your problems (in addtion to freezing) They'd be more submerged in that small amount of oil and then cook faster which wd lead to -less time for leakage. - You'd check in them less & thus be exposed to hot oil less freqiently. Another thing- use a pot with smaller circumference - the cheese sticks wd be fully submerged in the same amount of oil. Cheese heats at same time, no leaks.

[@dylpickled]

I love friendly’s mozzarella sticks!! Especially the mini ones on the kids menu, so crispy 😋

[@MerleONeal]

so nostalgiccccc

[@kristymayo494]

I wonder if you could airfry those instead of frying them. Just put the breaded cheese sticks on parchment, spray with a little oil and airfry (maybe 400 degrees for 10 minutes?) Maybe flip halfway. Also I think freezing the cheese sticks would have been the right call.

[@candelaviso8053]

Hi beautiful ❤️ you should try this recipe with the homemade mozzarella (miyoko's recipe) you made a few months ago. I make that one all the time, it's the best vegan cheese ever😍

[@injunsun]

@MerleONeal, I think the only things that would fix this might be 1) definitely cut them smaller, to increase the ratio of surface coating to filling, and 2) as you said, freezing them. If they were smaller and frozen, they would be thawed by the time the coating was done, and it should be good. I do wonder if a bread crumb finer than panko would be better? I'm not sure what is on commercial stix, but I think they have some cornmeal to them. On a side note, has anyone tried turning the Myoko's pizza pourable mozz into a solid for things like this? I mean, that could be a three ingredient thing, that, the starch, and the pectin.

[@tamcon72]

Someone upthread has turned the pourable Miyoko's into a more solid product.

[@MibianBo]

Omg! I used to watch you ALL the time. I took a youtube break, had to make a new account, and for the first time since I've come back you were randomly on my recommended. I'm so glad I found my way back 🥺

[@MerleONeal]

Heck yeah!! Welcome back :) !!!

[@DerekSarnoChef]

Good on you for trying. Master this one and do it again please.

[@MerleONeal]

Yes, Chef! (PSI love your channel & Frankie!)

[@parismoon2130]

Also, that negative comment?? Them questioning about soy milk?? Oh honey, that’s one of the things you can create when on the way to making tofu from scratch Lolol so soy milk has been around for quiiiiiite a while

[@justin_g_smith]

A gem promoting GEM. We love the synergy!

[@_marelyudave]

Can you try to recreate vegan crumbl cookies!!🙏🙏

[@MerleONeal]

omg i've heard sooooo many good things about crumbl

[@Dreamysunshine23]

Maybe adding more tapioca starch for a firmer texture and keeping it frozen after breading until ready to fry

[@MonkeyLuv127]

I don't know how you 17:05 did it. I would have been bored after dredging 3 and given up. You're amazing. I have always wanted to try making mozzarella sticks using the plant based baby bell

[@caiotorres9575]

More Oil would help a lot. if they are fully coverd in hot oil it means less movement on the cheese. also some Citric acid like a quarter of a teaspoon, would improv both flavor and stability.

[@coloureve9433]

Ngl I prefer when the titles are less expressive of the end product. I like the fact that not every trend you try ends up to be a very good one. I like waiting for the end to see the result, when I can actually see you try it for yourself and the critiques you and Aria give.

[@sunny5ma]

Omz Merle, ahaha, you are too funny!!! That comment you read was out of this world, lmao. I for sure thought that thing wasn't gonna come out of the container, but I sure am glad it did, I was stressing there for a moment, haha. This does look like way too much work, but I guess the end result was worth it... I, myself, am way too lazy to try it, tho hah. Thanks for making the effort, tho and as always, can't wait for the next one!! Ciao for now!! 💖💖 P.S. I'm surprised that double breading still let the leaking occur, I was gonna say that usually helps, but... well, what do I know, haha?😂😂

[@Alina-ws6ob]

Cheese is protein plus some type of fat. That's why it melts. If your plant based cheese has more carbs then protein it will not melt. Luckily for us there are some plant based cheeses that are made from plant protein and some type of fat.

[@Orih9]

I found the trick for taking pills or supplements is to take them with food instead of water. As you're chewing and about to swallow your food, I just toss them to the back of my throat and they go down easy. I've always struggled with taking medicine and vitamins with water and would resort to having to chew them as a kid, and I wish I knew this hack a long time ago. Works every time.

[@MerleONeal]

Thank you!!!

[@khawlahpeace1222]

I think if you cook it long enough then some of the liquid evaporates out so the cheese can be thicker. I make a lot of vegan cheeses. Also I use agar agar powder and tapioca starch together for mine so maybe do some experimenting. Great video, I’m the same with oil, like I’m in flip flops on a volcano 🌋

[@kyracheera9007]

I would love to see you try this recipe again! I am NOT a chef and this recipe looks hard, but I was thinking three things might make this easier?? Number one, I like your instinct to freeze the sticks! I think that would help to solidify them. Number two, cut your sticks in half and make them a little smaller. They may have been just a tad too heavy. Number three, use a shallower pan when you’re deep frying or fill the oil higher so that your sticks are easier to fish out! Admittedly I don’t have experience deep frying vegan cheese but I do have experience deep frying! I always use a pancake batter vs a bread crumb. Obvi the traditional mozzarella stick has more of a bread crumb, but the pancake batter deep fry has never steered me wrong!

[@kyracheera9007]

I saw someone comment try dehydrating it 👀 that’s a cool idea!

[@LoganKale-i4d]

I have made mozzarella (-)sticks, it was great although never tried it deep frying, I think it does melt, so use something else instead of pectin to bind the mozzarella together that will create a cheese pull, you can try rather than just blending the mixture, add some cornstarch, and then cook it until it becomes sticky. It is more work and not as easy as your recipe in the video, though it will be more cheese(+y) & along w a frozen battered stick, I think it holds up better in the frying stage and gives more of what you are trying to achieve.

[@village_vegan]

It still looks absolutely delish!

[@arisah239]

I think freezing them beforehand and also having enough oil to cover the entire thing would help with the melting and avoiding the seams created by flipping it!

[@ilseherrera3570]

😦😰😲Me watching Merle using a metal whisker in that “our place” pot. lol 🤪 I really enjoy your videos Merle 🌷🌸

[@laranadesign4764]

I love to cook, but HATE frying and avoid fried recipes. That's for restaurants to deal with, not me. 😂 I feel your stress. For me, it's jalapeño poppers, but I make a "deconstructed" dip version to avoid the work of dredging and frying.

[@maetaylor5677]

I think if you used tapioca starch instead of pectin the cheese wouldn't leek out when frying, maybe a mix of both. Great effort! The problem is the cheese when hot isn't firm enough so they fall apart or are too delicate. Or? maybe bake/ airfry and gently rotate. I think a failed recipe is a recipe you would never make again. I can fully relate and understand this stress. I also hate frying its so messy and is only worth it if it works out. I think when things dont work out it does make it a more entertaining video somehow hehehe You do great work 💟

[@SoulSeeking06]

I love ur channel but I wonder why aren't ur followers increasing?! U deserve so much more ❤ Just a suggestion.. Maybe u could make original recipe videos apart from the test videos. It would add more variety in ur content and attract new followers.. 🤗🤗

[@88Mikje123]

i wonder if you could swap the pectin with agar agar! i think agar agar makes it more firm. i sometimes make "hard" cheese with it (and melts when heated)

[@colorcube8713]

5:32 The voice reminds me so much of BMO from Adventure time. Especially the phrase "that's vile stuff" 😂

[@vss5383]

Merle, you gave me Claire Saffitz vibes in this. I was stressed along with you! Great job. They look great!

[@monogurui6533]

There are many things that keep indefinitely or at least way longer than the given date if stored properly, we just have to put an expiration date by law and so... most people don't put indefinitely because they want you to use and buy their things... I am very tempted to try this recipe and am going to make the roasted red pepper pasta sauce tonight.

[@KathyTrithardt]

I don't know why the "no" on screen around 9:34 made me laugh as hard as it did, but thanks for that.

[@offthesidelines]

"What is wrong with ordinary food? Soy milk? That's vile stuff." More than half of Asia: 🤷🏻‍♀️ And maybe try adding more tapioca starch next time?

[@michellepetersen5121]

You should get one of those grill or oven gloves to wear when you use oil. And yeah I was going to mention try freezing them after you covering them they would stay together better I bet.🙃♥️

[@ekaterinadokuchaeva]

Beautiful mozzarella sticks 😻 But I’m so curious how do you dispose the oil after deep frying..? Where does it all go..??

[@joppoification]

Love your content - some thoughts for this recipe: - cut into smaller sticks, would reduce the cheese to breading ratio, which would lead to less leakage and possibly improve the “stretchy cheesy” experience - try increasing the starch and pectin amounts slightly - toss the cheese sticks in the 1st round of flour before freezing, then do the rest (milk, breadcrumbs, flour, milk, breadcrumbs, fry) after completely freezing These are just thoughts, haven’t tested (yet) so take at face value! Last note - and no disrespect - it’s a slurry, not a flurry - this made me giggle, made me think of a McFlurry, which would definitely make this recipe non-vegan. 😊

[@kristinw3610]

If humans throughout history took that same approach that we should never try new things with food, we wouldn’t have the plethora of dishes that we have today.

[@IQzminus2]

The texture more reminds me of jalapeño poppers.

[@M3g840]

I think these look excellent! I know it isn’t traditional to bake a mozzarella stick but I wonder if baking them could help with the “cheese” leakage situation…?

[@pennywisethedancingclown2702]

I think double battering them will help everything stay together better. Flour mixture, wet, flour, wet, breadcrumbs.

[@MerleONeal]

Pennywise I did in this one!!! and it still spilled out :(

[@pennywisethedancingclown2702]

@@MerleONeal this might be crazy, but wrapping it in rice paper sheets and then battering would keep it from spilling out. Idk if the texture would end up cursed.

[@kimmmmm871]

The comment mentioned in the video is just... Yes, vegan food is not necessarily healthy, buuut just because it's not vegan, it doesn't mean it's healthy 😂😂😂 Especially motz sticks!! Vegan 'chicken' are mainly flour and gluten instead of natural protein so it is relatively unhealthy than its original counterpart but motz sticks?? It is literally fried cheese (probably with some chemicals if its frozen product) 💀 Super high in calories with really low nutritional value.

[@scienceislove2014]

The version we make uses a lion's Mane mushroom (Derek sarno .. has a great recipe) and they're really really.. Plus , seitan is not just flour ... It's really high in protein (great for those of us who aren't sensitive to gluten..)and has some b vitamins... We also add some beans to these..they taste amazing ..i don't want em to taste like the real thing tho becuz that would be disgusting (it literally stinks to me).. but they're really good..

[@Its_me--Boo_Radley]

I'm a newbie to both your channel and to plant-based eating. One thing I find super frustrating, is finding a good, creamy creamer for my coffee. I've tried regular plant milks and there just isn't enough of the creamy factor. I've tried a few plant-based creamers and unfortunately the ones I bought were all pretty disappointing. There have to be some great products out there ... right? (Sorry this comment was so random.)

[@MerleONeal]

welcome!! I don't use creamers BUT the only ones I've noticed around are the oatly ones and I would think if you're looking for extra creaminess, one that was coconut or cashew -based would probably be creamier!

[@saromin8019]

I think more oil would help so you don’t need to flip, just turn.

[@viulani]

i think you need to freeze them first and also deep fried them that way you don´t have to move them and they fried faster so they don´t have to be so much time on the oil.

[@safalafagins]

Mustard seeds you can buy at an Indian grocery store!

[@danpreston564]

You can buy them at any supermarket in the uk. In white and black versions.

[@saraquill]

If you ever make or buy vegan mozzarella sticks again, please incorporate them into a vegan grilled cheese sandwich. Grilled cheese with mozzarella sticks is a delightful diner food, and I’m curious what a vegan version would be like.

[@Ja-uu9ep]

Well Iceland (the shop) famously loves to sell weird food you wouldn’t find anywhere else so I don’t know what their point is. Go to Iceland if you want baked beans pizzas and chicken tikka lasagnas. It’s the one shop you probably would find sausages and custard

[@ellievandenberg8478]

What is your favorite brand of nutritional yeast?

[@MerleONeal]

Honestly, I usually go with Braggs or i get it in bulk from Sprouts- whatever it is tho i always make sure it's fortified

[@jessicapaolacontreras9183]

The tongs on most saucepans should be silicone because the material of your tongs, apart from damaging the pots, are very strong for what you are doing.

[@BronzedBeast]

I am pleasantly surprised by this. For a vegan alternative, that's crazy. I also appreciate you addressing its not healthy. Like no duh its emulating a fried cheesy snack lol

[@willcookmakeup]

Friendly's is an east coast thing lol. I miss it so bad hahah

[@kiraedwards3845]

Mother posted!

[@justin_g_smith]

Still not over you leaving us in the basement to eat those damn mozzarella sticks

[@justin_g_smith]

I consider this experience your karma

[@MerleONeal]

@@justin_g_smith JUSI! I have repented

[@magniellison653]

The main problem is that you need to deep fry them to seal the crust without flipping them. That’s it.

[@agasque]

I wonder how these would work in the air fryer?