Fresh Mozzarella vs ´Pizza Mozarella´

[Mersunwea]

I have a question, hope not too silly
I made with acceptable success mozzarella that I call ´Pizza Mozzarella´which is a solid (not hard) cheese ball, that stretches nicely on a pizza or when cooking.
Now when I go the store, I see those´so called ´fresh mozzarella´that is swimming in water, and that when cut (or eaten) is very soft, watery, and the texture has the threats (filatta) and I usually eat it with tomatoes and basil. But to me,  is a different cheese.

Is that because the kind of milk (Bufalo), the process or what?  Can anybody give an answer, or even better a recipe for the second type of Moz?
Thanks!!

[linuxboy]

It is all about the moisture retention. A pizza mozz is a low moisture mozz, being 50% water or lower. A fresh mozzarella is a high moisture cheese, by law being at least 52% moisture. Typically, a fresh mozz will be 55-58% moisture, and a pizza mozz will be 45-48%.

To get to the high moisture cheese, you need to retain more moisture in the curds. The recipe on my site is for a high moisture mozz. The tricks are to

- Cut the curds big
- Use high quality milk
- heal the curds
- Use a suitable set time, typically with a 3-4x multiplier for flocculation
- Treat the curds gently when stretching

[Mersunwea]

linuxboy,
Thanks!... but I need help. Can you explain me:

1) you heal the curds: how you do that?, what does that mean?
2) 3-4x multiplier for flocculation: how you explain that. I just check flocculation after a given time indicated in te recipe. What is the 3-4x multiplier?

Thanks a lot for your answer. Very, very helpful... 

[linuxboy]

1) you heal the curds: how you do that?, what does that mean?

Means you let them sit for a while before stirring. With mozz, a cool trick is to cut the curds big, say 2-3", and then let them sit for 15 mins to firm up (heal), and then cut again to smaller size.

2) 3-4x multiplier for flocculation: how you explain that. I just check flocculation after a given time indicated in te recipe. What is the 3-4x multiplier?

Please search this forum for "flocculation". It's the point of surface gelling. You multiply that time, from the point of adding rennet to the point of gelling, by a multiplier. This is how you determine how long to wait before cutting.

[Mersunwea]

Thanks a lot.
I am going to try.
As soon as I finish my first Parmesan attempt.... that doesn´t make feel too good ince I mixed goat and cow, and PH when cooking the curds dropped to PH 4.60.....

Lynuxboy, how long have you been making cheese? Which one is the one you have mastered?

Thanks again 

[linuxboy]

I think your meter might be off if the acidity rose that much. Were the curds soft and spreadable, or more like rice bits when you drained the whey?

I'm going on my second decade. The idea of mastery does not exist for me, only the constant effort of competing against myself and improving.

[Mersunwea]

I share that view of competing with myself and looking for new challenges constantly. Is what makes life interesting.

I am having lotd of doubts og my PH/thermometer meter. I hsvr s gut feeling that is tricking me.
I may check service support. Any particularly meter you would recommend?

[Tatoosh]

If this is a bit off topic, I apologize, but the comments about the two mozzarella styles got my curiosity all wound up. 

While I understand the distinction between mass produced pizza mozzarella and higher quality fresh mozzarella, do you feel that the better mozzarella is a waste on pizza?  I can buy cheaper mozzarella for my pizza than I can make it for.  And it will be the drier stuff, better suited to the temperatures found in most pizza ovens.  But while it behaves well in heat, it doesn't have the flavor of fresh.

Or am I getting a bit too "fou-fou" here as I used to say? Does the sauce and heat deprive the better quality mozzarella of its distinction and make using it something like using a fine liquor or great champagne is cocktail or mimosa?  I am quite curious about cheese lover's views on this.  I will still make fresh mozzarella even if the consensus is it is wasted on pizza, but I want to know if the effort is likely to go unappreciated, particularly by folks that enjoy cheese!

Tatoosh

[iain]

Traditional "real" pizza napoletana is made with fresh mozzarella. Watch this video for a quick primer on such pizza:

OBSESSIVES: Pizza - CHOW

Something to aspire to.