If we had to vote on the dreamiest two words in the English language, they just might be "fresh mozzarella." Seriously, is there anything more marvelous than mozzarella, America's favorite cheese, when it's freshly pulled, bathing lazily in water or whey, just waiting to meet up with a ripe roma tomato beneath a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle a basil? Or a creamy ball of fresh burrata waiting to be spread on a crusty baguette?
Fresh mozzarella is creamier and more delicate than the mozzarella that's used for pizza, pasta, and baking. With no rind to protect it, fresh mozzarella should stay submerged in its water until it's eaten. And it's best eaten fresh, like within a day or two of making it. Of course, that's never a problem here in Wisconsin – we can't get enough of this brightest and freshest of cheeses.
When you've got a ball of brand-spanking new fresh mozzarella in the fridge, you're in for a treat. We like to pair it with young summer vegetables, ripe juicy fruits, and heirloom tomatoes just off the vine. Prosciutto, pasta, and oven-roasted tomatoes are heavenly when dotted with fresh mozzarella. And when it's spread on a toasted baguette, brushed with olive oil and topped with sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers, that's when you know that all is right with the world.
Chilled zesty whites, rosés, and sparkling wines make a perfect fresh cheese and wine pairing. And lighter beers like pilsners, lagers, and kolsch can match fresh mozzarella's brightness taste for taste.
Fresh mozzarella is a type of mozzarella cheese that is meant to be eaten shortly after it is made. Fresh mozzarella balls are sold in a bath of water or whey, which helps them to keep their moisture and shape. Compared to the mozzarella that is sold for baking and melting, fresh mozzarella has a softer, moister texture and a creamier taste, with a higher moisture content.
While it was originally made from the milk of water buffalo, today fresh mozzarella is most often made from cow's milk that is incubated with a whey starter containing thermophilic bacteria. After the milk curds are separated from the whey by adding rennet, the curds are heated in water until they become elastic and form strings. The strings are stretched and kneaded until the cheese takes on the appropriate texture, and then the fresh cheese is formed into round balls and stored in a watery solution to keep it moist.
While fresh mozzarella has a high moisture content, the mozzarella cheese that is used for pizza, pasta and other dishes has been dried to remove more of the moisture, enabling the cheese to melt without releasing much water.
Yes, though you have to be careful to remove as much moisture from the fresh mozzarella as possible by slicing it thinly and absorbing the moisture with paper towels. Adding fresh mozzarella just at the end of baking will also help to avoid making your pizza a soggy mess.
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When it comes to fresh mozzarella – or any fresh cheese in America for that matter – Wisconsin is where it's at. Fresh mozzarella is meant to be eaten soon after it's made, which means you want to be close to the source. And situated as we are, smack dab between the East and West Coast, means we can get your fresh mozzarella to you faster.
Of course, getting cheese fast means nothing if the cheese isn't fine, and we sell the finest cheese in America. That's what happens when a whole state dreams in cheese – and when 90% of all the milk produced in our state goes straight into making the 600 varieties, types, and styles of cheeses that Wisconsin is famous for.
We are so serious about our cheese that we make every Wisconsin cheesemaker get a license – you can't just let every Sven, Leif, and Ingrid make cheese willy-nilly. It's no wonder our cheesemakers have brought home 5,552 cheese awards – more than any other place on earth.
So next time you want your mozzarella fresh as the morning sun, try Wisconsin.
Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?
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