What cheese can replace mozzarella for baking. How to replace mozzarella cheese on pizza? Famous cheeses of Italy

Irina Kamshilina

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Content

The most delicate Italian dishes would not be so tasty if it were not for mozzarella. This magnificent dairy product perfectly complements classic cuisine. However, its beauty lies not only in its unique taste, but in its rich composition and dietary qualities. Soft cheese is a welcome guest on any table. If store-bought options do not suit you, the product is easy to prepare yourself. This will make the treat even healthier.

What is mozzarella cheese

A gourmet favorite, mozzarella is an Italian soft, unsalted dairy product that is best consumed young. The flowering of taste occurs in the first 12 hours. It was originally made from buffalo milk. This is a classic that has now become exclusive. Over time, cow's milk began to be used. The product turns out no less tasty, but true experts advise at least once to try real cheese according to ancient recipes.

The soft structure allows you to give mozzarella different shapes. The main types of product are:

bocconcini - cheese in the form of large balls;
Ciliegini - mozzarella in the form of small round balls, the size of a small cherry plum;
perlini - small balls of cheese resembling peas;
traccia - mozzarella woven into a delicious braid. There is a smoked version.

Composition, calorie content and beneficial properties of the product

You can enjoy delicious soft cheese balls even if you are on a diet. The nutritional value of cheese is 240 kcal with a complete absence of carbohydrates. The specific gravity of fat does not exceed 20-25%. The protein part occupies 18-20%. With this composition, mozzarella gracefully complements the everyday menu as desserts, appetizers, and components of main courses.

Cheese has a number of useful properties:

improves heart function thanks to potassium;
strengthens bones and nail plates thanks to calcium;
maintains water balance with sodium content;
preserves vision and improves skin thanks to vitamin A;
promotes the regeneration of bones and muscles with the help of phosphorus;
normalizes cholesterol levels, because contains choline.

How to make mozzarella cheese at home

Since mozzarella is recommended to be consumed young, it is useful to master the skill of preparing it yourself. This can be done at home without any special equipment; the process will not cause difficulties even for novice kitchen queens. But the dishes will be decorated with the elegant taste of soft cheese, fresh and as healthy as possible. The less mozzarella was in the refrigerator, the more nutrients it is saturated with.

Recipe

To make mozzarella cheese you will need:

1.5 liters of medium fat milk. If you can get buffalo, take it without hesitation.
250 ml distilled water. You should absolutely not take it directly from the tap.
2 packs rennet enzyme. Pepsin, acidin-pepsin will do. Used for curdling milk. Without such an enzyme, cheese production is impossible.
1/3 tsp. citric acid.
1 tsp. kitchen salt.

Step-by-step recipe for making mozzarella cheese at home:

Pour the milk into the pan, let it heat to 25-28 degrees.
Dissolve citric acid in half a cup of water and slowly add the liquid to the milk. Don't forget to constantly stir the mixture. Bring it to 30-35 degrees.
Dissolve rennet in half a cup of water and pour into the pan with the cheese being prepared. Bring the mixture to 40 degrees, cover with a lid and remove from the stove.
Leave the pan with the milk mixture for 15-20 minutes to allow the enzyme to allow the milk to curdle.
After the required time has passed, the product will separate. You will get a dense cheese mass and transparent whey with a yellowish tint. Stir the future mozzarella until it breaks into small pieces.

Scoop the resulting mass with a spoon and place on a fine sieve. Press down well so that all the whey comes out.

Be careful not to let the cheese ooze out. The result is a dense cheese mass that does not fall apart.

Transfer the cheese to a heatproof bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Make sure that the future mozzarella does not boil. After half a minute, turn it over.

After microwave, you will get viscous cheese, as in the photo. Remember the product well, like plasticine. Remove any escaping whey.

Salt the mozzarella and mash well again. Add basil if desired. Additional heating and stretching is allowed. This will give the cheese its signature structure. If you want a more delicate and soft product, eliminate the repeated heating step.

Shape cooked mozzarella into desired shape. Store cheese in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

What can you cook with mozzarella?

Delicate cheese balls easily fit into any dish. They are used for salads, appetizers, pizza, pasta, and baked warm dishes. The beauty of mozzarella is its dense consistency - it melts, but does not spread. They make excellent hot dishes with stretchy cheese. Such sandwiches are very popular with children who need a playful element to absorb food.

We offer several easy and tasty recipes:

Caprese salad is a classic of the genre. It looks elegant, is easy to prepare, and is absorbed instantly. Cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into thick slices and place them alternately. Sprinkle basil on top and drizzle with olive oil.

Salad with mozzarella and shrimp. Place tomato halves, cheese cubes, and chopped green onions on a plate. Season with basil, salt, and olive oil as desired. Place boiled shrimp on top.
Pizza Margherita - prepared without meat. Place garlic and tomato sauce on the dough, a few basil leaves, and sprinkle with oregano. After 5-7 minutes of baking, sprinkle finely chopped cheese on top. Return to the oven for a couple more minutes to melt the mozzarella.
Breaded fried cheese is a delicious hot appetizer. Cut the mozzarella into 1.5 cm thick pieces. Dip in the egg and roll in breading. Fry in a hot frying pan on both sides for a few minutes so that the cheese has time to melt.

What cheese can replace mozzarella?

Soft Italian mozzarella is not always easy to come by. However, in some recipes it is replaced with other cheeses, which will reveal the taste of the dish and give it new notes. If there is no required packaging on the counter, look nearby for Adyghe cheese or suluguni. Some housewives recommend using feta cheese or homemade Zdorovye cheese, but they have a more curd-like structure, so they are not always suitable. If you need to bake it, take unsmoked suluguni. It melts and stretches beautifully. Classic hard cheese will also work.

Video: how to make mozzarella cheese at home?

Making mozzarella in the kitchen is easy. The main thing is to get the rennet and take the milk that curdles. The first time it is better to do it according to clear instructions so as not to miss the most important thing. Follow all the directions and advice, then the mozzarella will be no worse than store-bought. Strictly adhere to all technological nuances. This is especially true for temperature; the future structure and flavor notes of the cheese depend on it.

The video instruction below about making mozzarella at home has text tips. It's easier to understand this way. We recommend using fewer products the first time to master all the intricacies. Prepare all the utensils and necessary ingredients in advance. Don't forget about a kitchen thermometer, since production is based on precise technology. Watch the video before you start cooking. This way you will have an idea of the sequence of actions. You can make small notes for yourself so you don't have to rewind the video.

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Sanctions are not a hindrance to pizza. The embargoed foreign components of the traditional Italian dish may be replaced by Russian analogues. Aif.ru asked about how to prepare pizza from domestic products Vladislav Metreveli, executive director of the National Association of Event Organizers (NAOM) and a culinary specialist with extensive experience.

Maria Tikhmeneva, AiF.ru: What affordable cheese can you replace mozzarella and how can you now prepare Margherita - pizza with mozzarella, tomatoes and basil?

Vladislav Metreveli: When preparing Margherita pizza, Italian mozzarella can be safely replaced with Adyghe cheese or Georgian suluguni cheese. In terms of taste, they are in no way behind Italian cheese.

But keep in mind that frozen mozzarella, which is not sanctioned, can be used for pizza or any other baked goods.

— In stores you can find Russian-made mozzarella. Could it replace cheeses for pizza?

— I think no, any Russian-made mozzarella cannot compare with Italian one.

— What about “4 cheese” pizza? It includes emmental, gorgonzola, parmesan and mozzarella - and all imported.

— Emmental can be replaced with Gouda cheese (Russian-made), there is almost no difference.

Gorgonzola is a blue cheese. This type can be perfectly replaced with another blue cheese that is not subject to sanctions, or with processed Viola cheese.

We have already talked about mozzarella, try unsalted suluguni or Adyghe cheese.

Parmesan can be replaced with regular hard cheese, such as Swiss cheese. True, the taste will still change a little.

— Speaking of blue cheeses, what alternatives do they have, since most of them came to us from Europe?

— Blue cheeses, or cheeses with noble mold, are tender and spicy. They are very good in soups, sauces and salads. It is important that they need to be put in just a little bit.

For example, the most famous French blue cheese, Roquefort, can be replaced with Adyghe cheese. Danablu blue cheese (Denmark) was created as an alternative to Roquefort cheese.

Try replacing French Roquefort and Danish Danablu with Adyghe cheese. It can be added to a salad, served with fruit (strawberries, peaches) or, as they do in Denmark, with bread or cookies. It's delicious crumbled over greens and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. You can serve Adyghe cheese as a snack: cut into slices or cubes and place on crackers. It is good in salads and as part of a cheese plate, and goes well with nuts.

Dorblu blue cheese is produced in Germany. Dorblu is one of the youngest cheeses, and therefore it is harder and has a less pronounced specific taste. According to the rules, Dorblu should be replaced with Gorgonzola or Roquefort, only it is similar to these species. In principle, any cheese with blue mold will do, for example, you can choose from Swiss ones, they are not subject to embargo.

— What can you say about tomatoes? Which ones are better to choose?

— For pizza, it is best to take cherry tomatoes; they taste sweeter and juicier than regular tomatoes. Belarusian and even our southern cherry tomatoes will work well. Our tomato pastes are also quite suitable for pizza.

— What can you come up with to replace artichokes and capers in the “4 Seasons” pizza?

— Artichokes are quite difficult to replace, if we are talking about an artichoke with sauce, for example, that is, an independent dish. If you are preparing sauce, salad or, like us, pizza, you can try pickled bell peppers.

Capers are used in many dishes, sometimes by first soaking them in a bowl of water or scalding them to remove excess salt. The taste is spicy, spicy, slightly tart, sour, slightly mustardy. You can replace them with pickled small gherkins.

— Many are still worried about olives, seafood, anchovies...

Neither olive oil nor canned olives are subject to an import ban into Russia. But before buying, you need to give preference to olives with pits and in a tin.

Seafood from the Primorsky Territory and Crimea has already gone on sale, and it can be used to make pizza.

Sprats, anchovies and sardines will not disappear from store shelves, as they are not subject to sanctions.

— Do you have a signature pizza recipe made from our products?

So, you took ready-made puff pastry from the grocery store or made it yourself when there was time. The simplest dough: flour and water with a little vegetable oil. In a frying pan with low sides, it was rolled out in a thin layer, going onto these same sides, and then in the following order the following actions were performed with products from the Soviet grocery store:

the dough was coated with tomato paste;
pieces of sausage and frankfurters cut into small cubes (or whatever was in the refrigerator at the time of preparation) were laid out in a checkerboard pattern;
bell peppers were cut into thin slices (you could also add tomato pieces);
chopped onions into rings were thrown on top;
all this was generously covered with grated cheese (any cheese that was available).

Mozzarella- a constant component of many popular dishes, for example, Caprese salad, Margherita pizza. However, find mozzarella It's getting more and more difficult in stores. Recent economic events have led to suppliers reducing the volume of mozzarella they supply and significantly increasing its cost. In such a situation, what can you replace your favorite cheese with? We will try to answer this question.

So if Mozzarella you need it for a salad and your goal is not to melt it, that is, there are four replacement options.

Cheese cheese comes first. Before using it, you need to soak it in milk - this will help draw out excess salt and make the taste more delicate.

In second place is Adyghe cheese. In terms of taste, it is quite close to mozzarella.

On the third - Suluguni. Suluguni cheese is a hard brine cheese made from buffalo or goat milk.

On the fourth - grain cheese.

If mozzarella is needed to make pizza, then a melting type of cheese is needed as a replacement. The best choice in this case is Tilsiter.
If this option does not suit you, there is only one thing left to do - do mozzarella yourself.

How to make your own mozzarella

For a beginner, the process will not be quick, but strict adherence to the recommendations will give the necessary result - you will have your own mozzarella.

You will need: a liter of full-fat cow's milk, a glass of kefir, a tablespoon of salt, a tablespoon of vinegar (25%), gauze, a saucepan and a colander.

1) Pour the milk into a saucepan and place on the fire, heat until hot, but do not boil.
2) Remove the pan with milk from the heat and add 1 tablespoon of salt and a glass of kefir, mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
3) Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and leave to stand for 30 minutes. After half an hour, the milk should curdle. It will turn out that the translucent whey will begin to separate from the lumps of curd mass. If this does not happen, it means that you used unnatural milk or not fat enough. In this case, bring this mixture to a boil, the curds will begin to separate from the whey.
4) Take another pan, place a colander on top, and line it with a waffle towel or gauze folded in several layers. Place the curd mixture in a colander and let the whey drain completely.
5) Squeeze the curd mass thoroughly directly into the towel, as the quality of the squeeze significantly affects the taste and structure of the mozzarella.
6) When the whey is no longer squeezed out of the cheese, wrap the mozzarella in cheesecloth (so that it does not dry out), leave it in a colander with a saucepan and put it in the refrigerator overnight so that the remaining whey finally drains into the saucepan.
7) In the morning, unwrap the mozzarella ball, place it in a bowl and pour in the separated whey. Place the cheese in the refrigerator for another day. Yours homemade mozzarella ready.

Now you know what you can replace mozzarella. By the way, in the articles you will find several more recipes for homemade cheeses.

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How to replace feta cheese

In 2002, after many years of litigation in the EU court, the Greeks proved that only cheese produced in Greece can be considered real feta cheese. Moreover, it is made from sheep's milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat. In addition, goat and sheep milk must have a specific aroma and taste, which can only be obtained on the pastures of certain regions of Greece - Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly,…

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It is impossible to imagine Italian cuisine without this popular product. Hard varieties melt well and are suitable for making lasagna and pizza
and various casseroles. Small balls are used for salads and cold appetizers. What is included in mozzarella?

Compound

The product is rich in B vitamins, especially B12 and folic acid (B9). In addition, it contains vitamin A, K, large amounts of calcium, sodium and phosphorus. It contains virtually no carbohydrates and a fairly low percentage of fat.

Mozzarella calories

It is considered a low-calorie cheese and can easily be used for dietary nutrition. One hundred grams of product contains only 240 calories and a large amount of protein.

How to make mozzarella at home?

The benefits and harms of a product depend on its composition. If you use high-quality ingredients, the product will be high-quality and healthy. We invite you to try making mozzarella at home. To do this you will need:

Milk (3.5% fat) – 2 liters
Purified water – 1.5 liters
Salt – 2 tbsp. l.
Lemon juice – 2 tbsp. l.
Pepsin - on the tip of a knife

Preparation:

If you manage to find black buffalo milk, you are lucky. We didn’t have such exotic stuff, so we used ordinary cow’s milk. And the fatter the better. The priority is homemade, which has not been pasteurized. It's easier to ferment. We need to heat the milk to seventy degrees.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon, dilute the rennet in a glass of cold water. Pepsin is extracted from the stomachs of calves. It is absolutely harmless and you only need to add a little bit of it.
Mix the juice and diluted pepsin with milk. We start stirring the mixture. After some time, the whey will begin to separate. We don’t remove the milk from the stove, but we also don’t bring it to a boil. There must be constant heating.
Then drain the whey and squeeze out the protein mass. It's better to wear gloves, otherwise it's hot.
Next, boil water in another saucepan and add salt. Let's turn down the gas and throw in our cheese. It begins to change shape and becomes viscous. We stretch it, mix it and dip it into the water again.
After that, put it on cling film, level it with your fingers, put it in an envelope and lower it into the water again.
Having done similar manipulations several times, roll the mass into a sausage, wrap it in cling film and tie it in several places with threads. Let the cheese cool completely. You don't have to bother with small balls and make one big one.

Mozzarella cheese is an invariable component of many popular dishes, for example, Caprese salad or Margherita pizza. But every day it becomes more and more difficult to find real Italian mozzarella in standard stores. And the current economic situation in the country has led to the fact that some suppliers have completely refused to cooperate with domestic manufacturers or have increased the price of the product.

In modern times, high-quality mozzarella for pizza has become a truly scarce and elite product. And if the kitchens of expensive restaurants buy cheeses in the required quantities from suppliers in any case, then finding them freely available has become a real problem. What to do in such a situation? In case of emergency, mozzarella on pizza can be easily replaced.

What cheese can replace mozzarella on pizza?

If you need mozzarella to make pizza, then you need to replace it with a melting type of cheese. The best choice in such a situation would be to use suluguni, feta cheese, tilsiter or Adyghe cheese.

If you use cheese, first soak it in milk. The level of saltiness will decrease, and the taste will become much more delicate. To create ideal meltability, use Adyghe cheese.

If you prefer to use mozzarella, you can prepare it yourself. The whole secret to the delicate taste of this variety lies in the use of young black buffalo milk, however, you can replace it with cow's milk.

Where can you order pizza with mozzarella in Moscow with delivery?

The Niyama restaurant offers delivery of pizza and rolls in Moscow around the clock, prepared in accordance with the traditions of Italian and Japanese cuisine. High-quality and fast service, polite communication and fresh products - this is what you will get by contacting us!