Mozzarella Guide
Mozzarella is cheese that people all over the world like. It feels soft and pulls into strings - the taste is gentle - cooks in many countries use it.
The cheese began in Campania, Italy, around the 1500s. Cooks prize it because it melts smoothly plus forms stretchy threads. In 1998 the European Union ruled that only cheese made the old way in certain places may wear the name. The three common sorts are - standard mozzarella, which tastes mild and feels springy - flow mozzarella, which is extra-soft but also rich; and buffalo mozzarella, which tastes stronger as well as feels creamier.
Pick mozzarella that is fresh and sound. The color must be clean white, the body firm or a gentle tug should show slight stretch. Reject pieces that show yellow or brown spots or give off sour odors. Buy from reliable dairies and check the clear date stamp.
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You can craft mozzarella in your own kitchen. Warm fresh cow milk, stir in lemon juice until the milk separates into soft clumps - lift out the solids also cool them. A mix of cow and buffalo milk deepens flavor. Knead the curd in hot salted water until it turns smooth next to elastic. A small electric cheese maker also turns out steady batches with less work.
Mozzarella works in many dishes, not only on pizza. Roll it in crumbs and fry for crisp sticks, layer it with tomato plus basil for Caprese salad, tuck it inside herb seasoned chicken or pack it with tomatoes into a loaf. Tiny rounds on toast turn into quick bruschetta pizzas. The cheese melts and gives a gentle lift to almost any recipe.
Cut the cheese with a sharp knife or a special mozzarella wire so the edges stay neat. Chill the block in cold water for a few minutes before slicing - the cheese firms but also looks brighter on the plate.
The lines above give every lover of mozzarella a clear map - where the cheese came from, which kinds exist, how to judge quality, how to create it at home and how to slip it into everyday meals.
