Pizza is incomplete without excellent cheese. When ordering a pizza for take-out or purchasing it frozen, we don’t get to control the type (or the quality) of cheese they use in the slices. Luckily, when grilling pizza at home, we are free to choose the most irresistible cheese topping variation to our liking, both in terms of flavor and consistency. There are so many great topping you can add onto your cheese for your pizza as well.
Do you prefer crafting the perfect combo of cheese and other yummies in your pizza? Or, perhaps, you’re more into letting the cheese play the main role in your slicey yummy movie? In either case, the sky’s the limit when it comes to opting for the most suitable cheese for your favorite grilled ‘za. Read on if you want to learn more about the best cheese for grilled pizza.
4 Best Grilled Pizza Cheeses for Your Tastiest Family Evenings
Cheese is among the most crucial ‘za toppings and sometimes one of the most underestimated. Cheese was utilized in the very first pizza pies in history sold more than a century ago in Naples. Naturally, pizza and cheese have been best friends for a very long time. Adored by kids and adults alike, who can resist top-notch melted cheddar atop an ideal pizza pie! Yep, the question is kinda rhetorical! Below, we’ve shared our thoughts on the best cheeses for grilled pizza. Keep reading and enjoy feeling your mouth water…
1. Lots of Mozz: Fresh Taste & Light Texture
Probably the default topping when you think of pizza, mozzarella is loved for its closest-to-perfection texture and rich, milky flavor. And it’s fabulously meltable and stretchy, which makes it a great choice for your perfect, always-want-more slicey summer meal!
There are various types of mozz, e.g. whole-milk (melts better) and part-skim (browns faster), fresh and aged, etc. Naturally, there’s no absolute best mozzarella type for your grilled pizza, it really comes down to your personal preferences. If you opt for a whole-milk low-moisture mozz, for instance, it means you prefer your grilled pizza cheese with a longer shelf life, more potent flavors, and swifter melting capabilities.
All mozzarella types taste fantastic in grilled pizza, and they excel in blending perfectly with other cheeses, too. Focus on keeping it simple this summer with the yummy Pizza Margherita featuring fresh-cut basil, sweet tomato sauce and tons of mozz of your most preferred variation!
2. Provolone: Tastes Best When Melted
This semi-hard Italian cheese hails from the North of Italy and comes in a variety of flavors. It is almost as popular as mozzarella. Want your pizza to taste sweeter? Opt for provolone that hasn’t been aged for a long time. Looking to add a sharper taste and stronger texture? Go with provolone that’s been aged for longer periods of time.
Unlike mozz, provolone doesn’t melt easily. These two cheeses are different, and taste best when combined in one pizza recipe. Provolone does have a more intense and complex flavor when melted. Therefore, this cheese will make the perfect base for your grilled pizza. Irrespective of the recipe you choose, with provolone, you won’t be disappointed.
3. Parmigiano-Reggiano: Potent, Intricate, & Healthy
This hard cheese tastes perfect when freshly grated on top of your just-grilled pizza. Avoid blending it into your pizza cheese mixtures. Never add it to your slices before grilling them. If you expose parmesan to heat, its unique umami taste gets ruined. Instead, use this cheese as a garnish on your grilled pizza to bolster the flavor of the entire pie.
Parmigiano-Reggiano boasts multiple health benefits. It is great for weight management, rich in calcium, protein, zinc, phosphorus, as well as other vitamins and minerals. By grating this cheese atop of your freshly grilled pizza, you will add incredible depth to the pie’s overall flavor.
4. Cheddar: Mix It With Other Pizza Cheeses
Cheddar flaunts a sharp, pungent, and powerful flavor that tickles everyone’s fancy. Cheddar melts very well on a rustic grilled summer pizza. Filled with personality, this incredible classic blends perfectly well, both with mild and spicy components, boosting the taste of everything it mingles with.
Because sharp white cheddar doesn’t behave too well when exposed to sustained, high heat, using it in combination with other cheeses is the best choice for your grilled pizza. Cheddar is the perfect addition to your grilled ‘za slices, for unlike, say, Mozzarella, it’s not too good at blistering. Furthermore, if you opt for a sharper cheddar with a deep orange shade, this will give your pizza a gorgeous golden color.
Choose the Right Pizza Peel for Grilling
Ingredients are important. But it’s their smart combination with high-quality tools that matters the most when it comes to making the tastiest grilled pizza. Grilling a pizza at home is a fun experience. If you want to achieve that fantastic, crispy crust similar to the one at your favorite pizza place, you’re going to need a top-notch pizza peel.
Here are the important factors to take into account when choosing the best pizza peel for your home:
- Material: wooden pizza peels are classic, your pizza dough won’t stick to a wooden peel. But wooden peels tend to be bulky and high-maintenance. Metal peels are less heavy and a breeze to operate. However, pizza dough sticks to them very easily. So, it’s just a matter of your personal choice.
- Shape: they come in round and square head shapes. Usually, the round-headed ones are the most convenient.
- Size: what’s the typical size of your pizzas? Make sure you opt for a pizza peel size when you answer this question.
- Handle length: the best choice is a peel with a handle that’s long enough to allow you to get to the back of the oven. Therefore, opt for a peel with a handle that’s 19 to 38 inches long.
- Cost: make sure the peel that has caught your eye fits your budget as smoothly as your other requirements.
The Pizza World Doesn’t Revolve Around Mozzarella
Now you can see for yourself that when it comes to topping your favorite grilled ‘za slices, mozz is not the end-all, be-all. There’s a treasure trove of other cheese options out there that make an out-of-this-worldly delicious grilled pizza. So, put them through their paces and enjoy a life full of incredible flavors, textures, and unforgettable pizza nights.