Author Topic: I know this is heresy, but I'm looking for the best part-skim mozz (Read 2931 times)

bfguilford · « **on:** June 24, 2012, 06:15:27 PM »

I hesitate to even post this... maybe I just like abuse or something.

I love pizza, but need to keep the cholesterol/saturated fat down (thanks, Mom

... couldn't you have given me Dad's incredibly low cholesterol instead?). So I need to use part-skim on my pies. I've tried Polly-O, Calabro, and Sorrento so far (1 lb blocks, because I don't want the cellulose powder they use on the shredded cheese to keep it from sticking... that browns/burns even worse than the blocks).

Just wondering if anybody has any other part-skim recommendations (other than don't use the stuff

).

If it matters, I live in CT.

Barry

dmcavanagh · « **Reply #1 on:** June 24, 2012, 07:05:48 PM »

Lipitor!

scott123 · « **Reply #2 on:** June 24, 2012, 07:50:50 PM »

Barry, a shorter bake time will go a long way to solve your cheese finishing before crust race. In my 4 minute bakes, I have a really hard time getting the cheese to finish cooking before the crust starts getting a bit too dark. I've actually started leaving my cheese out to get to room temp and heating my sauce a bit before baking, and that's helped a bit, but it's always a struggle.

There is no magical brand of part skim that acts like whole milk. I prefer the flavor of the more opaque, white-ish part skims, which, for me, are mostly the store brands. There's nothing wrong with the more translucent stuff (polly-o, sorrento).

In order to melt properly and not burn too easily, cheese needs fat. It need not be milkfat, though. If you have issues with saturated fat, then you can go with any part skim cheese and drizzle a light layer of olive oil over it and it will melt magnificently. The olive oil will also add to the flavor of the cheese. If you have to cut all fats, then I'd still use the oil, but with less oil and less cheese. It's better to have a little cheese that bubbles/browns well than to have a lot of cheese that browns too quickly and is tasteless.

Pete-zza · « **Reply #3 on:** June 24, 2012, 08:18:25 PM »

Barry,

In the course of my reverse engineering and cloning work, I have looked at the Nutrition Facts for a lot of mozzarella cheeses. What I found is that most low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheeses have about 5-7 grams of total fat and about 3.5-4 grams of sat fat per ounce (28 grams). Under FDA regulations, fat is required to be expressed to the nearest half gram. From a cholesterol standpoint, most mozzarella cheeses contain about 15-20 milligrams per ounce of cheese. FDA regulation require that cholesterol be expressed to the nearest 5 milligram increment. As you can see, most mozzarella cheeses are pretty much bunched together from the standpoint of fat and cholesterol content..

There are, however, some "light" low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheeses. For example, Frigo offers one such cheese with only 2.5 grams of total fat, 2 grams of sat fat, and 10 milligrams of cholesterol (see http://www.frigocheese.com/OurCheeses/PrintCheese.aspx?id=223). Unfortunately, I have not seen the Frigo light mozzarella cheese or any other such cheese in any of the supermarkets near me. And many of the mozzarella cheese producers do not offer light versions of their mozzarella cheeses.

On a somewhat related matter, I was reading a newsletter recently where the writer said that he had given up drinking alcoholic beverages about ten months ago, on orders of his doctor. He said that he was feeling well as a result. But, feeling better, he said that he decided that he could expand his diet somewhat since he was no longer consuming all those calories in wine and scotch (and he really loved all the expensive wines that he consumed all around the world in his travels on business). He said that he added bread, desserts and a lot of meat. Recently, he got the results of his latest blood tests. Those tests showed that he now has a cholesterol problem. He is now contemplating new changes in his diet, apparently hoping that he isn't put on a cholesterol-lowering drug like Lipitor.

Peter

scott123 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 24, 2012, 08:43:18 PM »

Quote from: Pete-zza on June 24, 2012, 08:18:25 PM

On a somewhat related matter, I was reading a newsletter recently where the writer said that he had given up drinking alcoholic beverages about ten months ago, on orders of his doctor. He said that he was feeling well as a result. But, feeling better, he said that he decided that he could expand his diet somewhat since he was no longer consuming all those calories in wine and scotch (and he really loved all the expensive wines that he consumed all around the world in his travels on business). He said that he added bread, desserts and a lot of meat. Recently, he got the results of his latest blood tests. Those tests showed that he now has a cholesterol problem. He is now contemplating new changes in his diet, apparently hoping that he isn't put on a cholesterol-lowering drug like Lipitor.

Alcohol is very heart/artery healthy. But, in excess, it's not great for the liver. Moderation (one drink for women, two for men, each day) seems to be key.

dmcavanagh · « **Reply #5 on:** June 25, 2012, 09:39:10 AM »

I have used Stella brand part skim mozzarella which was sliced at the deli counter from a large block. I have only used it on Sicilian style pizzas where the cheese was placed on the dough and then covered with sauce. Obviously, this solves the browning problems usually encountered with ps mozz. The flavor of the STella was very good, perhaps this would be a route you could take when using part skim cheese.

dmcavanagh · « **Reply #6 on:** June 25, 2012, 09:43:22 AM »

Here's another breakdown of mozzarellas http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/food/mozzarella-cheese/cholesterol

Pete-zza · « **Reply #7 on:** June 25, 2012, 10:18:42 AM »

Quote from: dmcavanagh on June 25, 2012, 09:43:22 AM

Here's another breakdown of mozzarellas http://www.fatsecret.com/calories-nutrition/food/mozzarella-cheese/cholesterol

Dave,

Thanks for posting the fatsecret information. If I had to guess, fatsecret is using the generic USDA database at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/. But what is nice about the fatsecret information is that it is all in one place, without any rounding. Unfortunately, each brand of mozzarella cheese is different, with different numbers, and those numbers are almost always rounded. But they should be close enough for Barry for what he has in mind.

Peter

The Dough Doctor · « **Reply #8 on:** June 25, 2012, 10:34:01 AM »

Barry;
Galaxy Nutritional Foods, Orlando, Florida has a cholesterol free cheese product (tofu based) that is engineered to replace Mozzarella cheese. It works pretty well by itself, but where it really shines is in making a 50% reduced cholesterol cheese topping. We blend it 50/50 with a part skim Mozzarella cheese and most people don't even realize what they are eating. The Galaxy cheese products are sold at many supermarkets, or you might contact them directly to find out where it is sold in your area. I don't know if they sell direct to the public or not, but if you can find a store selling their products, you might be able to get them to special order some for you, freeze it and use as needed.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

bfguilford · « **Reply #9 on:** June 25, 2012, 10:53:08 AM »

Thanks all. I checked out the fat secret site, and it is a great place to start. As Peter mentioned, it looks generic and the actual numbers will be brand specific.

Scott: I'm not getting what I would consider to be too much browning with the 1lb blocks (nothing like I got when I tried the shredded mozzarella, which is coated in a cellulose substance used to prevent sticking... now that stuff burns fast). With my newfound extra 35 degrees, I've cut around 90 seconds off the bake, and once I get the steel, the issue should disappear completely. I do lightly spray my pies with EVOO before baking.

Peter: I'll look for that kind of cheese. Thanks for pointing out the rounding that is done to comply with regulations. Not quite a science, is it? As far as diet changes go, I remember eating breakfast with a guy who was on one of the fad diets and watching in amazement as he polished off a 3 egg cheese omelet along with a massive side order of ham and bacon. He told me that the theory was that if you overwhelmed your system with dietary cholesterol, it would turn off the production of cholesterol produced by your body. My arteries were slamming shut just watching him eat all that saturated fat, etc. And that was when I was young and in shape.

Dave: I'll check out the Stella. Also, do you put the Lipitor under the cheese or on top?

Tom: I eat some soy-based mock ham and turkey, and use mock ground in my chilli (and my carnivore friends love it... one of them couldn't believe that it wasn't meat in the chilli, and this guy can cook). I never thought of using that soy-based cheese, because I assumed it wouldn't melt well. I will check it out for sure.

Barry

Pete-zza · « **Reply #10 on:** June 25, 2012, 11:02:44 AM »

Barry,

Tom raises a good point. I completely forgot about it but some time ago I experimented with using soy-based mozzarella cheese substitutes for a variety of purposes, including in vegetarian lasagnas, deep-dish pizzas and regular pizzas. I discussed the qualities and characteristics of the soy-based cheeses in the last paragraph of Reply 1 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,524.msg4544/topicseen.html#msg4544. The last brand I tried was the Soy-Sation brand, which I found at a Dallas Whole Foods store (since closed, unfortunately). So, if you are interested, you might seek out a soy-based mozzarella in a Whole Foods store or other similar market if there is one near your. You might also be interested in reading about how I used the Soy-Sation cheese to make a fat- and cholesterol- and lactose-reduced deep-dish pizza, at Replies 19 and 20, at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,638.msg5914.html#msg5914. The source of the Soy-Sation product is Lisanatti Foods, at http://www.lisanatti.com/. I am sure that there are other brands and some experimentation might be required but it may be something that you might want to consider.

Peter

scott123 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 25, 2012, 01:00:55 PM »

Quote from: bfguilford on June 25, 2012, 10:53:08 AM

I do lightly spray my pies with EVOO before baking.

Like I said, if this is just about avoiding saturated fat, drizzle the evoo, don't just lightly spray it. For a 16" pizza, I'd use as much as a tablespoon of evoo. It will completely change the nature of your part skim mozz, both from a melting standpoint and a flavor one. With a tablespoon of evoo, the cheese will transform from mediocre to sublime.

Besides adding oil, another way in which you can help the cheese melt better and give off more flavor is by lightly misting it with a spray bottle. Water + oil will go a long way in making the pre-grated cellulose stuff work well also. In English muffin pizzas, because the cheese isn't getting heat from below, it melts horribly/doesn't bubble. In those rare instances where I make english muffin pizzas, I'll grate the mozzarella, put it in a bowl, add water and oil and then spoon this wet mixture onto my pizzas. This melts far far better than the grated cheese. Even thought the cheese gets clumpy and has to be spooned rather than sprinkled, the nice thing about this is that the cheese is evenly covered with oil.

It's been a solid 10 years since I tried soy cheese, but, at the time, I wouldn't feed it to my worst enemy. From what I understand, the technology (casein, aka 'elmer's glue'

) hasn't changed much.

I've also tried fat free mozzarellas and and those were even worse. Perhaps the light mozzarella Peter mentioned is more palatable.

No matter what cheese you go with, if you're allowed to slather the pizza with evoo, do. There's no free lunch here. Fat is flavor and meltability. Without some form of fat, mozzarella is going to suffer- big time.

dmcavanagh · « **Reply #12 on:** June 25, 2012, 02:11:28 PM »

Barry

I take the Lipitor straight, sometimes with a beer!

bfguilford · « **Reply #13 on:** June 25, 2012, 03:47:46 PM »

Quote from: scott123 on June 25, 2012, 01:00:55 PM

Like I said, if this is just about avoiding saturated fat, drizzle the evoo, don't just lightly spray it.

No matter what cheese you go with, if you're allowed to slather the pizza with evoo, do. There's no free lunch here. Fat is flavor and meltability. Without some form of fat, mozzarella is going to suffer- big time.

I will slather away, Scott. Thanks.

chickenparm · « **Reply #14 on:** July 04, 2012, 01:53:49 AM »

The Kraft part skim milk block they sell in the stores,is pretty good.Shred it at home,and it melts nicely.Not the bag crap.Get the 8 ounce block or whatever the sell and shred by hand.

As far as nutrition goes,I have no clue for that product.

scott123 · « **Reply #15 on:** July 04, 2012, 02:08:06 AM »

Barry, I've been doing a little more experimentation with olive oil lately, specifically with pre-grated cheese. It was a private label cheese (Foodtown), and, while the evoo got the cheese to melt beautifully, it couldn't hide the taste of the additives and the cheese tasted horrible. It also required a substantial amount of evoo- so much so that it had a pronounced evoo taste. In Neapolitan the taste of evoo is appropriate, but, for NY, I think it clashes a little bit. I'm also finding it difficult to sprinkle a very light layer of oil.

It won't be quite as healthy, but for cheese melting assistance, my recommendation is regular oo, not evoo. Regular oo is much more in line with what's historically used in NY pizzerias anyway.

bfguilford · « **Reply #16 on:** July 04, 2012, 08:24:45 AM »

Thanks, Bill. I'll check out the Kraft. I picked up a pound of Dragone yesterday to try that too. So far I'm liking the Sorrento best.

Scott... I'm happy with shredding and will avoid the pre-shredded stuff. As far as adding the oil goes, I have one of those pump up refillable oil misters, which seems to work OK (not great, but OK) so it's easier to control quantity. I used it last bake, and left a small area of the pie without oil, and it burned while the rest of the pie did not.

I'll keep on experimenting.

Barry

scott123 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 04, 2012, 08:57:07 AM »

Quote from: bfguilford on July 04, 2012, 08:24:45 AM

Scott... I'm happy with shredding and will avoid the pre-shredded stuff. As far as adding the oil goes, I have one of those pump up refillable oil misters, which seems to work OK (not great, but OK) so it's easier to control quantity. I used it last bake, and left a small area of the pie without oil, and it burned while the rest of the pie did not.

Result!

Perhaps I need to invest in a mister.

dmcavanagh · « **Reply #18 on:** July 04, 2012, 09:07:29 AM »

Scott, save your money, those misters are a POS.

SinoChef · « **Reply #19 on:** July 04, 2012, 09:20:47 AM »

Quote from: dmcavanagh on July 04, 2012, 09:07:29 AM

Scott, save your money, those misters are a POS.

For the 5 minutes they do actually work, they are pretty cool

Hardware store will yield a much cheaper, and more reliable substitute.

Oh, and back to the main of this topic. I am not a physician. But how can eating plastic chemical be a better alternative the digestible soluble natural dairy product?

Quote

It's been a solid 10 years since I tried soy cheese, but, at the time, I wouldn't feed it to my worst enemy.

Much like my English heritage and sunlight. I am either white, or burnt. The is no browning.

Whole butter good, digestible. Clarified butter, bad, carcinogenic. Margarine, would not serve it to my brother in law.