Varieties

Fresh mozzarella ball and low-moisture block: the two main forms used in cooking.

Showing both types together in one scene reveals the key visual and textural difference that determines how each is used.

Dairy & Eggs

Mozzarella

Soft, milky cheese that melts into stretchy pizza pulls

Mild and milky, fresh mozzarella tears over a caprese while the low-moisture kind blisters and stretches on pizza. Keep it cold and submerged if fresh; use it quickly.

Mozzarella is a fresh pasta filata ('spun-curd') cheese: the curd is heated and stretched until it turns elastic and glossy, then shaped into balls. That stretching is what gives it the signature melt and pull. Two worlds live under the name — soft, milky fresh mozzarella packed in brine (best raw on a Caprese or torn over a finished pizza) and the firmer, drier low-moisture block mozzarella made for melting evenly over a baked pizza or into a bake. Fresh mozzarella from water buffalo milk (mozzarella di bufala) is the prized original — tender, rich, and lactic; cow's-milk fior di latte is the everyday version.

Measured in: g
Storage: Refrigerate
Shelf life: 14 days

Allergens

Dairy

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Dairy

Types & varieties

Mozzarella di bufala

Water-buffalo milk — richest, tenderest, most lactic; eat fresh.

Fior di latte (cow's milk)

The everyday fresh ball; milky and versatile.

Low-moisture block

Drier and saltier; the even-melting choice for baked pizza.

Burrata

Mozzarella shell filled with cream and curds — lush, for eating raw.

Bocconcini / ciliegine

Small fresh balls for salads and skewers.

How to choose

Match the cheese to the job: buy fresh mozzarella in brine for salads and for tearing over finished dishes, and low-moisture block for baked pizza and gratins where you want clean, even melt without a puddle. Fresh mozzarella should smell sweet and milky and feel springy; sour smell or sliminess means it's past it.

How to store / food safety

Keep fresh mozzarella in its brine, refrigerated, and eat within a few days of opening — it's highly perishable. Low-moisture block keeps for weeks wrapped. Discard fresh mozzarella that smells sour or turns slimy. Pregnant eaters should choose pasteurized-milk mozzarella.

How to cook

Fresh mozzarella is wet, so it weeps on a pizza — slice it, drain or pat it dry, and add it partway through baking, or tear it on after the oven for the best texture. Low-moisture mozzarella melts into the classic even, browned, stretchy layer. To stop a soggy bake, salt and drain fresh mozzarella first.

Common uses

Pizza, both fresh-torn and low-moisture meltedCaprese salad with tomato and basilLasagna and baked pastaAubergine and chicken parmigianaPanini and toastiesArancini and stuffed fillingsAntipasto and cheese boardsStuffed chicken and bakes

Tips & pitfalls

Drain and pat fresh mozzarella dry before it goes on pizza to avoid a watery top.
Use low-moisture block for an even, browned pizza melt; fresh for finishing.
Tear fresh mozzarella by hand for ragged, sauce-grabbing edges.
Serve fresh mozzarella at room temperature so its milky flavor comes through.
Add burrata only after cooking — heat collapses its creamy center.