MOZZARELLA STICKS 2 WAYS

Go to: thld.co/munkpack_brian_0422 and use code BRIAN to get 20% off your first purchase. Thanks to Munk Pack for sponsoring today’s video! Mozzarella sticks are a nearly perfect tasting food, but if you've never had a fried risotto ball, you're in for a treat.
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RECIPE
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DREDGE
▪225g or 2 1/4c panko bread crumbs
▪50g or 1/2c grated parm
▪3g or 1.5tsp onion powder
▪3g or 1.5tsp garlic powder
▪2g or 1 heaping tsp chili flake
▪1g or 1tsp dried oregano
▪1g or 1tsp dried basil
▪3g or 1/2tsp salt
▪150g or 1c ap flour
▪5 eggs, beaten
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MOZZARELLA STICKS
1lb/.5kg block full fat aged mozzarella
Cut cheese block into ¾”x ¾” (2cm) planks. Planks should be approx 1oz/30g each.
To set up the dredge station: Into a large bowl, add bread crumbs, grated parm, onion powder, garlic powder, chili flake, dried herbs and salt and whisk to combine.
Add flour to a small bowl and eggs to another small bowl. Whisk eggs to combine.
For the first coating, coat each cheese stick first in the flour, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture, making sure not to transfer too much excess egg into the breadcrumbs.
Coat sticks a second time by placing in the egg then the bread crumb mixture, making sure to get the sticks as coated in the bread crumbs as possible.. You won’t coat in the flour on the second pass.
Add neutral frying oil to a large heavy bottomed pot and heat to 325/160C over medium heat. I use about 2qt for my 6.5qt pot. Carefully drop in sticks, about 6 at a time, keeping an eye on the temp to be sure it stays at or around 325F/160C. Fry time will be about 2.5-3min.
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RISOTTO BALLS (makes about 20 balls)
Risotto:
▪Olive oil
▪100g or 2c onion, small diced
▪15g or 2 Tbsp minced garlic
▪10g or 1 3/4tsp salt
▪200g or 1c arborio rice
▪200g or 1c white wine
▪1000g or about 2qt water
▪125g or 1.5c parmesan, grated
▪30g or 2Tbsp butter
▪125g or 1 1/8c full fat mozzarella, shredded
Squeeze 3-4Tbsp oil into a dutch oven large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and salt. Cook until softened and onions becoming translucent. Add rice. Stir and toast for 3-4min. Add white wine. Cook, stirring frequently for 3 min. Once wine has reduced and rice has absorbed it, add first 500g water. Cook for approx 10min or until water is mostly absorbed, stirring frequently. Add another 500g water. Stir, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for another 10 min. At this point, the rice should have absorbed most of the water and be cooked through.
Off heat, stir in parm and butter. Transfer rice to a plate or tray and allow to cool to room temp.
Once cooled, add risotto to stand mixer and add shredded mozz. Spin with paddle attachment until the cheese is well mixed in and rice is broken down slightly. Scoop out balls of rice using a table spoon (about 2Tbsp each) and place on a tray, and freeze for about 20min.
Round each ball into more well-formed balls and dredge as indicated for Mozz sticks (above).
Gently drop into 325F/160C oil to fry, 6 at a time, for about 3 min until golden brown. Drain on towel lined tray.
---
MARINARA SAUCE
▪50g or 3-4tbsp olive oil
▪15g or 2Tbsp garlic, minced
▪Tomato base (combine all ingredients below and blend):
▪1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
▪50g or 3.5Tbsp tomato paste
▪7g or 1 1/4Tbsp salt
▪10g or 2 1/3tsp sugar
▪Pinch chile flake
▪1/2g or 1/2tsp oregano
▪1/2g or 1/2tsp basil
Preheat saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil then minced garlic. Sweat until softened. Add tomato base. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to med low and cook for about 20min.
🎧MUSIC:
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
0:17 Prepping and dredging the sticks
3:06 Marinara sauce
3:58 Stackin on Munk Pack bars
5:02 Finishing the Marinara and prepping the fry oil
5:32 Frying the sticks
6:58 Why Risotto Balls?
7:35 Making the risotto and rolling the balls
10:14 Dredging and frying the balls
11:48 Let's eat this thing
#mozzarellasticks #risottoballs #friedcheese
**DISCLAIMER: links in this description may be affiliate links. If you buy these products using the links I'll receive a commission at no cost to you.

[@BrianLagerstrom]

Go to: thld.co/munkpack_brian_0422 and use code BRIAN to get 20% off your first purchase. Thanks to Munk Pack for sponsoring today’s video!

[@ezpeteyt]

Couldn’t find the link to the restaurant

[@Adam_K14]

hey brian , have you watched boiling point its a flim on Netflix. its a based on the busiest night at a new restaurant and everything is just going tits up basically, its a British flim . would love to hear your opinion because of you background as a chef and how much do you relate etc.

[@steviannaskitchen5562]

Can you do a rustic Italian loaf video

[@deavle3]

@@steviannaskitchen5562 Sponsor doesn't ship to Canada so sorry no using the sponsor code.

[@Demon-ng7lx]

That made my mouth water and I am going to ask mom to help make this

[@iCycle086]

My wife is pregnant, was craving something fried. I made both of these for her, she LOVED them. Thank you Brian.

[@art-lc1dh]

thats nice

[@This_is_weird]

Aweeeee hell yeah dude

[@aurora_skonyt]

Yeah, mozzerella sticks are pretty easy to make, lol

[@aurora_skonyt]

Glad she loved them though

[@larrycrabs5995]

That means you got to do sex. Lucky!

[@Narazie]

im doing this at 5 am

[@korinakorinakorina]

I'm making the first recipe tonight. The risotto balls sound great, but I'm really in the mood for the classic. Just picked up the couple things from the store that I didn't already have on hand. Can't wait to taste them! I want to also add that you're one of the only cooking channels that I actually make the recipes from, lol. Even as a former professional myself, I find myself not wanting to get into the overly complex recipes that some people post. If I'm buying an ingredient, I need to be able to confidently say that I'll use it in more than just one dish. With your channel that's never an issue. I usually have most of these items on hand.

[@heavyq]

That cheese pull was on a whole different level. The risotto balls look amazing!

[@tommytrojan1296]

I made these on Sunday for a neighborhood get together. They were gone in a flash and everyone said they were the best mozzarella sticks they have had. This is a keeper.

[@KissFromTheWorld]

People love fried foods, people love cheese, and when you take a big fried cheese stick that is from Wisconsin, that draws the people in. According to a report from the food delivery company Door Dash, mozzarella sticks were the most-ordered game-day food during the 2020-21 N.F.L. season, outselling even chicken wings. I love mozzarella Sticks... happy hungry! Cheers, Domenico.

[@jobie2556]

You really wrote that whole paragraph to try and hide the fact that all you really wanted to say is “these are from Wisconsin!”

[@h3ndr1x80]

@@jobie2556 Yeah, they're extremely abundant here lol (I am from and in Wisconsin)

[@angelinadash2396]

funny same here in Seattle Washington! XD I work at a bar restaurant, and especially on game days, MOZZIE STICKS ARE OUR NUMBER ONE SOLD APPETIZER, almost surpassing our phillies!

[@Rubenlostit]

​@@angelinadash2396Actual good mozz sticks and phillies in seattle? Ive been searching for so long. I need to know where this bar is

[@angelinadash2396]

@@Rubenlostit It's right off the freeway from the 4th ave S super long road and bridge, you take a left on jackson street, one block down and there it is on the right :3 address is 200 S jackson st. Enjoy. DO NOT HAVE THEIR JALAPENO POPPERS WITH THEIR BUFFALO RANCH SAUCE, YOU WILL BECOME ADDICTED! xDDDD >.< They have quite the tasty strawberry wine there. Just ask for extra strawberry syrup, and OHHHHH MAAA GAWWWWWWD, get tipsyyyy

[@JustTheKing1667]

Hey Brian! This video saved my life! No joke I tried making mozzarella sticks plenty of times for my family before and I always messed SOMETHING up until this video! They all love it and I appreciate it!

[@KayDubs77]

I've been searching for a good dipping sauce forever! My local pizza joint makes one that is delicious, but they're stingy with their portions and charge an arm and a leg for an extra 2 oz container. Can't wait to try your sauce (and the cheesy fried goodness as well).

[@santanalz]

This recipe or the weeknight one from "Not Another Cooking Show" are pretty similar, tomatoes, oil, garlic, fresh or dried basil and oregano, 20 minutes on the stove and boom. Best fast sauce you will ever have. It will be a bit sharper because it wasn't Sunday sauce cooked for 2351156 hours which I actually like more. Add sugar if it's too sharp for you. Cheers!

[@dearyjc]

Made the Risotto Balls last night for the fam, life altering my good!!! Thanks Bri

[@Deserted13664]

Just made these. This are BY FAR the BEST cheese sticks I have ever had! Great job!!

[@martindahl4241]

I really love that you always use BOTH grams and pounds and celsius and fahrenheit when you do your voice overs. It makes it so much easier to understand. :) One thing if you want to step up your game is that is pretty common in european electric, digital modern ovens is for higher degrees we only have increments with five degrees. So most of the time we can never set the oven on e.g. 178 or 259 etc even if it converts to exactly that but to 180 or 260 etc. Thanks for a really great show. My most inspiring cooking channel on youtube right now.

[@Ted-F-Strassburg-III]

Thank you for all the work you do. Loving this channel more everytime I come back. The spaghetti and meatballs video you posted two weeks ago was a huge hit at home.

[@lifeless_vr3070]

I love how you use the metric system aswell for measurements, its amazing

[@catherinegray1367]

Love how real you keep it, Bri. You make me feel like I can conquer any recipe, and I've made a few already- I've yet to tackle bread/baguette but I'll get the courage sooner than later.

[@FinalBossOfCanada]

So my family has cook off’s during arguments, and we have to follow random cooking guides, I got deep fried mozzarella sticks! So I knew who to choose, I followed your guide, and well, now I have a new TV! THANK YOU BRIAN!!!!

[@RealRExPlayer]

Damn bro, nice job

[@mortenrnberg3155]

Great and very thorough videos! They are enjoyable to watch both when you want to make the dish and when you just want to watch to get some inspiration. Keep up the good work!

[@nikokamlet5826]

When you plan your day so you’ll be free at noon to watch the new vid

[@BrianLagerstrom]

😎

[@qwuzzy]

My man's is budget Joshua Weissman to the extreme, even the backdrop is extremely close

[@urquimedes4459]

Brian, you have the power of both making me love you for good your content is, how fantastic your recipes actually taste, and how popular you've made me with my friends after they try out YOUR recipes when I make then. And hate you because of how hungry you make when I see your videos up. I need these mozzticks NOW!

[@Dravkwn]

I made homemade cheese sticks a time or two in my life. Wrapped the cheese in fresh pasta before the breading. No cheesy leaks and oh so good.

[@SchwarbageTruck]

The way you maker arancini is almost exactly the same way we do at the restaurant I work at! Main difference is that we mostly just season it differently.

[@michaelgombos7092]

I’ve never seen anything in a KZbin video more relatable then Brian’s groan when he spills the garlic over the side of the pan.

[@lilly2379]

There's a chain of sushi restaurants (fast food sushi) here in Canada that makes a version of these balls. They add crab and/or shrimp in the middle of the ball and drizzle the fried result with terriyaki sauce and spicy mayo. Absolutely delicious!

[@whatjake7898]

So basically they make a gross version of these by adding seafood 🤮

[@Dilfed]

The way you spoon that risotto through the handle of the pot 🤣 great video once again. Your videos give me great ideas for meals and it's never pretentious like it often gets on the interwebs.

[@TehListeningPost]

This! This is why you're my favourite. Every video you make gets me hyped and my insulin running overtime!

[@michaellomas8130]

I really wanna be a chef when I grow up and your videos are a amazing beginning to me being a chef

[@tonyd5623]

I'd say that refrigerating the battered sticks isn't just a convenience step, it's compulsory to help the breeding stick well during the cook. I'm definitely saving this video for the risotto balls, thwy look amazing 👏

[@JohnSmith-id4ut]

Did the risotto balls and they were great! Thank you; keep up the good work.

[@SilentNoMore64]

Your channel is so much fun! There look delicious. Thank you for sharing. My son and I agree that your videos instructions are easy to follow and we love your personality.❤

[@NRobertson1991]

Omg 🤤 Love the risotto balls at Retreat. Can’t wait to attempt my own!

[@tombonneraz]

Crushing it again Brian! Thank you for all the awesome recipes!

[@mrdanthesnowman]

"You don't want exploding cheese." Bri, I think you underestimate how violently American I am. I'm exploding that cheese!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@dr.b6142]

I have viewed like a 1000 cooking vids, however the only recipes I have cooked at home were yours! I will totally try these (just thrown left over risotto into the bin...) keep it up with these nice an usable recipes

[@anthonygardner400]

Your delicious looking food videos are coming out way faster than I can make them. But, I’m lovin’ it!

[@patrickgono6043]

For those who want to minimize waste: 1) When breading, use regular, flat plates. With the "dry" hand, spoon over just enough flour / breadcrumbs to cover that particular piece of cheese / schnitzel / whatever as you go. Be conservative with the eggs. Any leftover egg can be mixed with breadcrumbs and salt / cheese to create small fried pancakes. 2) You can try to shallow-fry instead of deep-frying. Use just enough oil to reach half the height of whatever you fry. Stay vigilant and flip when one side is golden brown. Since half of the surface is uncovered, cooking time will probably increase by a bit.

[@bartoszsternal9067]

Or reuse frying oil, it does not have to be fresh, just not overuse it ;)

[@profilen5181]

Yeah exactly, strain it and re use :)

[@Ana-hy5nh]

Also instead of adding a whole egg on round 2 just add a lil water to the eggs as you go

[@okwoodsslowed7849]

The amount of times I almost choked on mozzarella sticks as a kid is worrisome. 💀

[@reasbey]

I really like your marinara recipe! That’s my new go-to.

[@MrTrecutter1]

Since i do keto, i normally bake my cheese sticks. Only difference, I only batter once but I wet the sticks before the flour and pack the sticks very firmly in the panko. Comes out great every time

[@Bread._]

I request a video dedicated to risotto because it's delicious but I've never made it before and I'd like to. Also your videos are just great man, perfect mix of entertaining and informative while being concise.

[@POG-ist]

One of my local restaurants has mozzarella moons, a large, moon shaped mozzarella stick. They bread it really well and the cheese pull is to die for!

[@BrianLagerstrom]

That’s fun. I can picture it

[@sarahtheus5128]

I love Pastaria's Risotto balls. Literally the main reason I go there. Hello from STL!

[@DrBrunoRecipes]

That looks delicious 👌🏻 Greetings from Scotland 😊 Have a wonderful day everyone 🌻

[@mattwalters7858]

Can’t freaking wait for you to get to 1 mil subs, you deserve it more than ever. Love the vids man keep it up. So DOPE.

[@Tensechair2531]

I made them with my mother and we loved them

[@JohnHausser]

Looks so great that you probably don’t even need the sauce ! I’ll try it ! Good job Brian Cheers from San Diego California

[@DwayneSteroid]

I made this for my dad, my mom, and me and they were heavenly🤤😋

[@liasmama07]

Thank you very much. I enjoyed your video and will try your risotto cheese balls 😍😍

[@mcmurray360]

Dude the restaurant I worked at had risotto balls, with a sun dried tomato sauce and a basil mayo. Insanely delicious.

[@GC_420]

DAT PULL! EPIC!

[@apolloisnotashirt]

That cheese pull edit was legendary, thank you.

[@rammielogz2122]

5:34 stares at the spider in the corner of the room, "im sorry young one"

[@TreeManJones1]

The whole crew double dipping line was crazy 🤣🤣

[@adriennepender673]

Making these for Friday’s movie night!

[@troyhenry5086]

Another classic. Great work. How about a thicker skinned potsticker recipe or possibly soup dumplings.

[@Harrier42861]

I fell in love with Chef John's mozzarella puffs, but these risotto balls look like they'll manage to edge them out as my favorite fried cheese once I get the chance to try them.

[@AustynSN]

I actually do fry cheese quite a bit. I've recently started experimenting with mozzarella breaded with parmesean. (Trying to make a super low carb cheese stick. First batch was about half parm, half bread crumbs) I also dip it in a cheddar cheese sauce.

[@kzgc8y3n]

I saw this video and literally wrote to myself, this looks too good to watch right now as I'm starving.

[@JjrShabadoo]

Bri, this is pro level content, and it feels like you're poised to explode toward the 1M sub milestone. Just caught you on the Ragoose pod. Hopefully that accelerates the growth. Keep killing it.

[@Stalast.]

I used this guide to make the sticks, it was my first time deep frying anything ever! I used refined coconut oil to make it a bit healthier. My first batch was pretty good! However on my second batch I mismanaged the oil temperature. I let the oil temperature fall by 30°C 😢 so the cheese leaked out. Managing the temperature with electric stove is super tricky. Hopefully I'll improve.

[@Limbo08]

Great recipe, thanks for the video! One question: How come you double dip the sticks/balls in the panko instead of the flour? Wouldn't a double breading of flour make a tighter seal for the cheese?

[@NathanaelCrapo]

This video makes me really wanna try making these, despite the lack of cooking experience/skill i have.

[@heroic7774]

Brian ima make this recipe 😄😄😄 much appreciated bro

[@rectalespionagesailboat4819]

Shocked halfway through this video that I am not subscribed to this channel already. So many great (but also reasonable to perform) recipes here.

[@poppywilliams8404]

HAPPY EASTER!!! You just kicked me um...to the delish zone! Always ready to taste new dishes! Yummy, yum! Waving to you from south Georgia-land of best Peaches, boiled Peanuts, & Vidalia onions!

[@kyrastuart1920]

Before you started the second recipe, I thought you were going to use mozzarella pearls and bread them the same way you did the sticks. Looks delicious!

[@ArtingInMuhPJs]

Oh yeah, yumumumm! 🤤 Tonight’s movie snack leveled up- thanks Bri!

[@Ryancady010]

I now know how to fry a stick and balls! Thank you!

[@berndscb1]

I have a very similar recipe for risotto balls, but somehow I never had the idea of cooling them after shaping them into balls. Seems kind of obvious now - thanks for the tip.

[@Ketharuil]

I've actually been craving mozz sticks lately, so this is perfect timing Bri-guy!

[@chadd990]

maybe you're pregnant. or is that when you crave pickles?

[@nathanielnorthrup]

Please make a cookbook! I love your recipes

[@lex33122]

dude, your swag dances at the end are their own cheese pulls XD

[@ForTheLoveofFoodYT]

These look amazing....one of my favorite snacks

[@tigerkitten8352]

Totally didn't realize you were in STL too! I am really enjoying watching your recipes and how easy you make them to follow.

[@joekoscielniak8576]

I've tried to make fried cheese sticks in the past and to be truthful, the art of balance between the weight of the cheese the coating and cook time have all alluded me. Brian, you have managed to break the code with a one ounce stick of cheese that gets double dipped. This tip alone is worth its weight in fried mozzarella cheese sticks! I think that fried cheese is boring without a good flavorful dipping marinara. That makes all the difference to this treat, so thank you for sharing your take on that dipping sauce. I get a flash of creativity that comes to mind about how to wrap that stick of cheese with a small, thin slice of chicken breast meat to have a hand held version of Chicken Parm!! But the idea seems more doable in my mind than my kitchen. Ha

[@stevemcgrory9804]

Making these as an app tonight and doing cheese curds with this breading

[@karmicfenix]

The risotto balls is what my great grandma used to make with left over rice. We called them torrejitas de arroz.

[@coalhair99]

Munk Pack is no joke, all their bars & cookies are amazing.

[@bimy4195]

i worked at a place that used to do something similar to this, instead of rice we used mashed potatoes seasoned with parsley and truffel oil.

[@renegaderaven3777]

Tried this with monterey jack cheese instead since I had it on hand. Worked well.

[@johnperiera1036]

Love the show, particularly Weeknight. I've added Shrimp Etoufee and Italian Lo Mein to my rotation.

[@benclarke465]

100% making these this weekend 🙌 thanks B-man

[@BlackJesus8463]

Is it better than pizza?

[@BrianLagerstrom]

let me know how they turn out for you

[@stompsalot]

LOL "stir to combine...**clean this up** ...stir to combine..." 😆

[@TigersLullaby125]

I'm water fasting for 30 days. Craving so bad I just wanna look at food and fantasize. This 100% satisfied, thank you sir😭🤤

[@haejoungkim9469]

They look so nice!!!!!

[@kiligir]

"You should probably be breading and frying cheese at home more often." No Bri, I don't want to die!

[@rebeccalotto8001]

if you put 3 of these on a stick , i'd try it

[@quintessencenevermore2660]

Risotto looks tasty. When I finally move out of the college dorms, I want to try making it.

[@cookiecreep9204]

Recipee for cheese sticks, marrnara and risotto in one. Thank you!

[@samuelmahoney6878]

looks amazing! I just got some arborio rice, so I might make this over the weekend. And Pastaria is amazing! No disres[ect to restaurants on the Hill, but I think Pastaria is my fav Italian spot.

[@clashwithkeen]

I've been doing similar balls for years but instead of rice I use a mashed potato/chopped bacon/minced broccoli/shredded cheddar mix as well as forming the ball around a cube of cheddar. It tastes like fried broccoli and cheddar soup. Also when I don't have panko I use a mix of crushed saltine + ritz crackers and it works just as well and might even have a better texture.

[@dragon6irl]

Do you cook the broccoli first?

[@clashwithkeen]

@@dragon6irl yeah I cooked it first and then let it dry out completely before mixing it in with the other ingredients. edit* im actually not sure if it's necessary though because I mince it up very fine so it retains none of its original texture. It ends up being just little green specs in the mix.

[@ceater7726]

this resteraunt where I used to live would make bout 2x2 inch cubes i think they just tossed them in flour and they would fry them while they are super cold some of the best ive ever had

[@kimberleegullbailey2547]

I'm so enjoying your channel! And I love the whipping sound that you do. It's quite awesome!! And you've got the moves like Jagger. ✌️

[@pherd-0884]

watching Bman slosh out the garlic is what makes me watch this channel. Its real.

[@zachpropst3291]

its so weird seeing stl natives on youtube. Thanks for supporting schnucks my dude.

[@Khepramancer]

I like the way they turned out, with a little leakage. Gives it the MBH (made by hand) appeal, and is probably indicative of having used a quality cheese 😉

[@brettmoore6781]

I'm lactose intolerant, unfortunately. Looks really good though! I made your Al Pastor tacos last week and they were BOMB! And I made a triple batch of the marinade and froze it so I can make more again soon. Keep sending us 🔥🔥🔥!

[@ruffprophetproductions]

Lactase pills 🤪

[@brettmoore6781]

@@ruffprophetproductions I have them...they work ok. not for straight mozzarella though, lol.

[@ruffprophetproductions]

@@brettmoore6781 I feel you. It’s just some dairy stuff that our guts can’t hide from 😭

[@stryker0ae]

Hey I made those last week too. And yeah they were quite good.

[@glennisrennie387]

Wow they look yummy 🤤

[@maryanne1367]

Hey Bri! Amazing food! I am sooo hungry right now! Question: what do you do with your fry oil? How do you clean and store it? When is it time to go? Where does it go? Thanks! ✌️

[@Kitten_in_a_scaryplace]

I'm not fond of deep frying at home but I HAD to do the beer battered fish and now I'm going to HAVE to do those risotto balls! I have burns crossing up my arms because the restaurant I worked at had a "family chicken night" while I was the fry cook.