Grande:Not Blown Away Just Yet

[TomN]

I will be using GRANDE whole milk mozzarella on my pizza at home for the first time. It cost 2.60 a pound, comes in a 5 pound bag, which i purchased from a Pizzeria owner friend. Hope it is worth all the hoopla? I have also seen GRADE 50/50, half mozzarella and half provolone, and tubs of GRANDE fresh mozzarella cheese. Again, I have tasted it on pizza before, but it's the first time to bake it at home. Will let you know my taste results.

[c0mpl3x]

sams club 50/50 mozz is 10.18 a bag and 100% mozz is 10.28.   total deal going right now  _/

[TomN]

Tried the GRANDE Mozzarella cheese tonight. (First Two Photos) Made a cheese pizza with only half pepperoni. I honestly felt that it was a bit of a let down. I thought that the cheese tasted good, but it was kind of greasy/oily. I realize that some of the grease is from the pepperoni, but others who tired the pizza, made the same comment. I must say that it cooked up very nicely and does have the PULL in it.

However, I have to reflect on all the trouble it took to get the cheese in the first place, since GRANDE does not make the cheese available to the general public. (Gives the Pizzeria owner an edge to bring you into their place) While i am able to purchase it at cost ($2.60 a pound / 5 pound bag of shredded cheese), I think that the Bella Rosano Whole Milk cheese in a 5 pound block for $1.61 a pound, which is easy to purchase at the Costco Business Center,  was just as good.

In conclusion, i am not trying to put down GRANDE cheese. I just was not as impressed with it as i thought i would be. Perhaps i was expecting too much out of it, for what it is. I also have noticed that some pizzerias mix GRANDE with other cheeses to extend it.

[chickenparm]

I have never tried the pre-shredded bag of cheese that you purchased from Grande.I bought the full loaves and shredded them at home,as I posted a while back.

Any bag of pre-shredded cheese is coated with an anti-caking agent of some type,to prevent sticking together in the bag,and that does not work well on my pies.The cheese will burn faster and have a plasticky type feel and taste.

So far,the best cheese I found that I can find locally,and not mail order,that works well,is the whole milk loaf from GFS,Gordon's Food Supply,and its about 15 bucks for a 7 lb loaf.

Also,Wal Mart's great value whole milk cheese works well too.Stay away from the pre-shredded bag cheese,I had trouble with it burning and turning brown everywhere.Buy the small whole milk bricks and shred them at home.
 

[Pete-zza]

Bill,

As you will see from the Grande FAQs at http://www.grandecheese.com/contactus/Pages/FAQ.aspx#21, Grande does not use any additives, fillers or preservatives in any of their cheeses, including the diced and shredded cheeses. However, you are probably right about the supermarket shredded cheeses.

Peter

[Kostakis1985]

I not quite sure what it is with Grande, but I ordered a 1lb block of the wm mozzarella, shredded it myself and used it on some of my pizzas it wasnt that great no taste nothing special. However a pizza place in downtown of my city uses Grande diced mozzarella not sure which one but it tastes great. Their pizza was a bit thinner though so Im thinking thickness factor might have alot to do with it dont know why though.

[Kostakis1985]

A pizzeria owner told me once that several times during the year the cheese quality goes down bc the cows dont have access to good grass to eat thus producing inferior tasting cheese. Anyone know if their is any truth to this?

[communist]

Tried the GRANDE Mozzarella cheese tonight. (First Two Photos) Made a cheese pizza with only half pepperoni. .

Tom, nice pizza, but you sure seemed generous with the mozzarella   I would imagine you would get a lot of oil ( fat ) from that amount of cheese.  How much cheese did you put on?  How much did your dough ball weigh and what was the diameter.  Grande works for me for several reasons which I stated earlier in this thread.  I admit there is a lot of "magic" involved with pizza ingredients, and that is part of the equation.  There is no one perfect cheese for everyone.      Mark

[The Dough Doctor]

Mozzarella cheese really doesn't have a very spectacular flavor by itself, the main quality attributes are the way it strings, melts, and lack of oiling out during baking. If you want flavor, you're going to need to blend it with a more flavorful cheese. My own personal favorite is to blend 2-ounces of Parmesan (shredded) with 14-ounces of Grande whole milk Mozzarella (shredded) to make a pound of topping cheese. If you want even more flavor, blend in some Romano into the blend. Now we're talkin' !
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[weemis]

As you will see from the Grande FAQs at http://www.grandecheese.com/contactus/Pages/FAQ.aspx#21, Grande does not use any additives, fillers or preservatives in any of their cheeses, including the diced and shredded cheeses.

i was under the impression that there must be some kind of non-caking agent for all shredded cheeses... curious. thanks for sharing, peter!

[communist]

Mozzarella cheese really doesn't have a very spectacular flavor by itself, the main quality attributes are the way it strings, melts, and lack of oiling out during baking. If you want flavor, you're going to need to blend it with a more flavorful cheese. My own personal favorite is to blend 2-ounces of Parmesan (shredded) with 14-ounces of Grande whole milk Mozzarella (shredded) to make a pound of topping cheese. If you want even more flavor, blend in some Romano into the blend. Now we're talkin' !
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

  I agree with you!  I add a nice sprinkle of romano before bake and it gives me the flavor boost I want.  Now the next issue is:  Is it worth it to use Parmigiano Reggiano instead of generic parmesan?  Eating out of hand, Parmigiano Reggiano is way above generic, but it is retailing for $20 a pound!  I use Pecorino Romano ( which is a sheep's milk cheese ) which is a bit cheaper, but find, as you do Tom, it gives a more intense flavor kick.  Mark

[chickenparm]

Bill,

As you will see from the Grande FAQs at http://www.grandecheese.com/contactus/Pages/FAQ.aspx#21, Grande does not use any additives, fillers or preservatives in any of their cheeses, including the diced and shredded cheeses. However, you are probably right about the supermarket shredded cheeses.

Peter

Thanks Peter!

How the heck does Grande keep the cheese from sticking back together in the bags?I clicked on the link earlier but its not loading for me.I think the net traffic is heavy in my area.Will try tomorrow.

 

[dmcavanagh]

On the strong approval rating that @Scott123 gives Grande, I purchased a 6lb. brick but still haven't tried it on a pie yet. I've opened 1lb. packages of Sorrento, Polly-O and Walmart GV and compared them side by side and none of them were appreciably better or worse then the others. Texture and saltiness vary, but I was hard pressed to say which was the best. I will report on Grande as soon as I get a chanec to try it. I will also compare it side by side with the mozzarellas I already mentioned. Occasionally I will buy some Boar's Head fresh sliced from the deli. It's expensive that way but it was good. Stella, also deli sliced wasn't bad either, the only drawback was that it was part-skim, which I'm not crazy about. Another mozzarella which was gotten good reviews in the past is Dragone however, it doesn't seem to be available in my area at this time.

[TomN]

Hello Communist,

Thank you for the great Romano Cheese Idea. I am definitely going to try that. I do not want to move away from the theme of this tread, which is GRANDE cheese taste, but I must mention a cheese called Sorrento Gold Whole Milk DANISH mozzarella. The name DANISH is more of a marketing word, because you only really see it in the Northwest part of the country. (I have asked their sales reps about it). This cheese is a really creamy/buttery flavor. The pizzerias that use this particular cheese, say that it is what sets them apart from other Pizzerias in the area. I do agree with them. It might be an alternative to the GRANDE, but once again, there is the hassle of finding it, as it is not in the stores. Here is a photo of the cheese in my other thread:

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,17415.40.html

[TomN]

Mozzarella cheese really doesn't have a very spectacular flavor by itself, the main quality attributes are the way it strings, melts, and lack of oiling out during baking. If you want flavor, you're going to need to blend it with a more flavorful cheese. My own personal favorite is to blend 2-ounces of Parmesan (shredded) with 14-ounces of Grande whole milk Mozzarella (shredded) to make a pound of topping cheese. If you want even more flavor, blend in some Romano into the blend. Now we're talkin' !
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the cheese idea. I will give this a try. A Pizzeria friend that sold me the Grande Cheese recommended adding some Fontina Cheese. Have you ever tried this? Here is a description of the cheese on the Costco Business Center website.

http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11327395&search=cheese&Mo=98&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&lang=en-US&Browse=1&Sp=S&N=4003873&whse=BD_767&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntk=Text_Search&Dr=P_CatalogName:BD_767&Ne=4000000&D=cheese&Ntt=cheese&No=9&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&s=1&Nr=P_CatalogName:BD_767&topnav=bdoff&Nty=1&s=1

[dmcavanagh]

 I finally tried my Grande whole milk mozzarella which was packaged as a 6 lb. brick. The cheese is rich with a slightly more pronounced flavor then others I have used. Also, I felt that it was less salty then many of the other mozzarellas commonly found. I still want to give it a try on my standard NY style pies, the pies I used it on were thicker, pan style pizzas. Not sure if I want to say that it's worth the extra expense, it cost   about $6 a pound, while I typicaaly buy Sorrento bricks for $2.50 a pound. I often add some cheddar to my mozz for a flavor boast, but when I feel like splurging I'll pick up some caciocavallo cheese. Caciocavallo is not cheap but if you can find it I would highly recommend you give it a try. Just an ounce or two added to a pizza will really kick up the flavor.

[The Dough Doctor]

While the Grande cheese is noted for its flavor, its biggest asset is the fact that it resists oiling out so well. This is well recognized in the industry, and because they have not patented their "secret" process for making their Mozzarella, it has not been well replicated by other manufacturers.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

[weemis]

How the heck does Grande keep the cheese from sticking back together in the bags?

I spoke to a Grande Cheese Rep last week about anti-caking agents and how they get around using them. He told me that with most cheese companies, the shredded cheeses are sent through an enclosed spiral elevator to be packed, which is where the brunt of the caking problem occurs. The bags are sealed on three sides, and when the cheese is put into the bag, it's sealed on the 4th side. Grande uses an elevator similar to grain elevators as opposed to the enclosed spiral elevator. Also, their bags are depressed pockets, and when filled, they apply the "lid" layer of plastic as opposed to sealing the 4th side of the bag. These two factors are what he said make it possible to skip the use of an anti-caking agent (and, I assume the thickness and shape of their shreds helps). It seems strange to me that others are not emulating the process if it's that easy.

I also learned that with caking agents, it's difficult to control proper portions. The caking agent sometimes clogs (¿cakes?), leaving some bags of cheese light in the agent and some super heavy. The More You Know!

Then he proceeded to give me about 20-25 lbs of free cheese to try out! Fresh Mozz, a Low Moisture WM Mozz, Provolone, Aged Provolone, 50/50 Mozz-Provo shreds, Parmesan blocks, Grated Parmesan and Romano! I've been making pizzas, grilled cheeses and cheesy pastas all week and I've still got a ton of cheese left over. Insanity!

I have to say, there's something different about their shredded cheese. Not sure if it's what I want for my pizza, but I agree that it would probably be great for a slice joint.

[AimlessRyan]

Then he proceeded to give me about 20-25 lbs of free cheese to try out! Fresh Mozz, a Low Moisture WM Mozz, Provolone, Aged Provolone, 50/50 Mozz-Provo shreds, Parmesan blocks, Grated Parmesan and Romano! I've been making pizzas, grilled cheeses and cheesy pastas all week and I've still got a ton of cheese left over. Insanity!

You're gonna have to sell me some of that cheese, y'know.

[Papageorgio]

GFS has 'Primo Gusto' brand 50/50 motz/provolone that's become my go to cheese and I've not found any better. About $12 for a 5 lb. bag. I found the 'diced' melts better than the shredded.

I also very much like straight provolone. Has a bit more flavor than motz and no one knows the difference. I have a small slicer($39.00 at JC Penny) and buy the provolone logs from GFS also. Comes out great. It seems that the finer the shred of cheese the worse it seems to melt. Using slices works well. Same thickness and same number of slices will add consistency to your pie making.

Add shredded pecorino romano to the tomato sauce a day in advance gives a nice kick. imo