32 oz Polly-O Fresh Mozzarella log DISCONTINUED

[LowRent]

I apologize if this is old news, but I just rec'd notification from Kraft (see below) that the 32 oz Polly-O Fresh Mozzarella log is no longer being made.  Existing supplies will be shipped to grocery stores.  When it's gone there will be no more.

Here's what I got from Kraft:

Thanks for visiting our Web site and inquiring about the availability of
POLLY-O Mozzarella Log.

It's great to hear from consumers who are looking for our products because
it lets us know how much you enjoy them.  The tough part comes when we have
to share the news that the product you're trying to find has been
discontinued.  If products don't seem to be popular with our consumers, and
demand starts to drop, a decision is made to discontinue the item.  Once
this decision is made, we stop making the product and the remaining supply
is shipped from our warehouse to the grocery stores.

[pizzaluvr]

That's okay.  Kraft is responsible for making some of the worst food in America.   Nutritionally-speaking, they are the purveyors of junk food disguised as everyday fare.   Just pickup a box of anything they make and read the ingredients and the fat / sugar contents.  It's no wonder we are all a bunch of tubbies in this country. 

Those Oscar Meyer Lunchables that moms love to send their kids off to school with are horrible.  Kraft has been forced by public opinion to alter some of those entrees.


They are also owned by the company that owns Phillip Morris, the company responsible for putting a lot of people in the ground, as well as part of Miller Brewing.
 
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2003-07-01-junkfood_x.htm

[pftaylor]

LowRent,
The Kraft update couldn't have made me feel worse. I have spent months trying to find a mutz which would hold up to the intense heat of my grill. Not more than a month after finding Polly-O's Fresh Mozzarella they have discontinued it.

Like pizzaluvr, I have always resented Philip Morris as a company. So this is just another in a long line of disappointments.

I must concede however, I did work for RJ Reynolds at one point.

[MTPIZZA]

pft...have you ever tried Maggio Mozz / Prov blend....it melts very nicely and may be the key for your grill...good luck ! To burn or not to burn ...that is the question

[pftaylor]

MTPIZZA,
Sounds like I have no choice but to do another round of cheese tasting. Thanks for the tip.

[LowRent]

LowRent,
The Kraft update couldn't have made me feel worse. I have spent months trying to find a mutz which would hold up to the intense heat of my grill.

Just out of curiosity, what kind of grill do you have?  Is it gas or wood/charcoal?

[ilpizzaiolo]

pftaylor, where are you located and i might be able to figure out how you can get some good fresh mozzarella, or some fresh mozzarella di bufala.... I was given some samples of the polly-o about a year ago or maybe even longer, and I was very unhappy...  the salt level was right i think, but the texture, freshness, and meltability were all bad.. I know that grande cheese has a loaf in the works, but first they are going to release a fresh ricotta... soon i think. Some cheese that I have had luck with over the past few years has been lioni, alleva & dipalo in little italy nyc, aiello bros on 18th ave. in brooklyn, joes dairy... there are some famous places in hoboken as well although i have not had them. some of these places do mail order... I think for the quality of pizza you are making, or striving for, the mass market cheeses no longer serve you... now you need and artisan cheese for your artisan pizza! Let me try to come up with some ideas and good sources for you... as far as mozzarella di bufala goes.. Most of the mozzarella comes into the u.s. once a week, then sits around grocery stores, or distributers until it completely decomposes or someone eats it, the trick is to get right off the plane...., so you will then have the freshest buffalo mozzarella possible in the u.s., then to immediately drain the water and let it sit before use. once this is done, you will have 5-7 days of good perfomance.  There are several mailorder outlets that ship it direct from italy, that might be a way to go, as long as the put some kind of date on it so you know. I know pizza makers that also use the grande fior di latte which come packed in water, but to promote long shelf life, it is not salted enough and makes a bland pizza, and to compensate for that lack of salt throws the balance off of the entire pizza off...

[varasano]

These are expensive to ship, but I thought you might try them:

I had this one and it's pretty good. Not 100% but good:
http://www.mozzny.com/

Very pricey. I haven't tried it yet, but they are devoted to the craft:
http://www.mozzco.com/

[pftaylor]

ilpizzaiolo,
Thanks for your concern. Cheese seems to be one of those ingredients which can always be improved.

I do have one question though; What is the proper name of the loaf type fresh mozzarella served most often in NYC. It is slightly moist but not packed in water like bufala.

[scott r]

I am lucky to have a foodservice provider willing to sell me this type of cheese at wholesale prices.  Unfortunately they will not ship, I asked for you.  They call this type of fresh mozzarella cryo-pak.  I don't know if that is what everyone else calls it.  It is the same type of cheese as your Poly-O, but it comes in one pound plastic shrinkwrapped packs.  Up here in Mass they have a few brands in the grocery store, mostly Calabro (what Pepe's once used) and Bel Gioioso.  I prefer the Bel Gioioso.  Last time I was in the grocery store I noticed that Sorrento just came out with one as well.  Around here this type of cheese is getting more and more popular.  It is usually referred to as fresh mozzarella, but to me fresh means in water.
Did you see my post about Fresh Cheese, the store in Boston?  They only sell  Fresh mozzarella in water, or regular dry mozzarella.  The house brand is called Purity cheese.  They make the cheese themselves daily, so I asked some questions.  Apparently the dry mozzarella is the same thing as the fresh, but just with more salt, and less moisture.  My faimily and friends like the flavor of the Purity dry better than Grande dry.  I don't know how it will hold up to the high heat of your grill, but it sure tastes great.  It does have less moisture in it than the Grande dry, so maybe it would burn easier.  I don't really have a problem in my 550 degree oven.

[pftaylor]

scott r,
Thanks for the information. My taste buds seem to lean toward a "cryo-pack" type cheese I suppose. It really comes down to what I loved as a kid. The NYC pizzerias all seemed to use a somewhat moist loaf of fresh mozzarella which melted but did not burn. All the rage now is bufala cheese. Bufala cheese melts in an ugly puddle of water for me. I bet I'm to blame there though. I just don't know enough about the proper ways of working with bufala to make it work for me yet. pizzanapoletana mentioned that he typically drains his bufala for eight hours before using so that may have been my problem. I clearly have my work cut out for me on the cheese issue.

Cost really isn't the driver here. For me, I want flavor and proper meltability. The difference between great cheese and cheap cheese is a buck or two per pie. Big deal at the quantities we deal with in a home setting. But the difference a great cheese can add to the overall experience is priceless.

[scott r]

PFtaylor, I wouldn't be suprised if this type of fresh mozzarella is at some grocery store in your area.  It may not be the poly-o brand, but they are all similar.  I have seen five different brands of it around here.  Start checking all of the different grocery store chains, small independant markets, Itialian specialty stores, etc.  Look in the yellow pages for different grocery stores in other towns.  Like I said, it seems to be more and more popular around here, so if you are not having any luck check again in a month or so.  This might just get blown off, but ask to talk to the manager at costco (or wherever you are buying the poly-o).  They might be able to put you in touch with the product manager, and maybe you can convince him to pick up another brand of cryo-pack fresh mozzarella to replace the poly-o.  I wish I knew all the brands that make this, but I would ask about the Bel Gioioso, or Sorrento. 

[Arthur]

To date I have tried the following:

- all supermarket shreaded cheeses - don't even bother
- fresh mozz in water - I have found this adds too much water to the finished pizza and changes the consistency.  I have even tried using paper towels to get rid of most of the water, but still no real success.
- Bel Gioioso - fresh mozz in plastic - I would call this type "soft fresh mozz in plastic".   This works well although still leaves some pools of mozz and changes a bit of the consistency of the finished dough.  I actually have had success using this in combo with the next category.
- Polly-O and other mozz that come in a rectangular plastic package (not called "fresh) - 16oz.   I would call this "hard not fresh mozz in plastic".  These are ok...too heavy sometimes and not great tasting.  Better than store shreaded though if in a pinch.
- Grande - in a category by itself.  This is clearly great cheese for NY Style Street pizza, but I still prefer the pasty's, totonno's kind and therefore the grande is "too much" for my thin cooked dough.  Honestly I haven't used it much since I'm trying to get something local.
- Costco 1lb fresh mozz in plastic - I guess I would refer to this as "medium fresh mozz in plastic".  This seem to work the best for me.  I assume it has the same consistency as the polly-o fresh does (did).  This is the kind that is somewhat wet on the outside, but I can make clear thin cuts of the cheese fairly easily. 
- make my own - I have only tried once and it came out like kids string cheese.  This weekend I have non-homogenized milk and better instructions to try again.