The Mozzarella Mistake That Could Be Ruining Your Homemade Pizzas
"All pizza is good pizza," is an axiom we know to be true, especially when we're ravenous. But if you're taking the time to fire up a pie at home, you probably have a few moments to spare to make your good pizza truly exceptional.
When making a homemade pizza with fresh ingredients, water is the enemy. As Kristen Kish told Parade, "There's just nothing worse than a soggy, wet pizza." Unfortunately, between melted cheese, heavy tomato sauce, and water-laden vegetables like onions and peppers, there are more than a few soggy ingredients to contend with. Particularly if your oven isn't hot enough, your crust simply won't be able to overcome all the moisture. Luckily, when it comes to cheese, Kish has a helpful hack: Salt your sliced mozzarella.
Let's say you're making a classic Margherita pizza, so you've acquired the best fresh mozzarella you can buy. Before you add any circles of cheese to your pizza, salt and drain them in the same way you would zucchini. Lay your sliced cheese out on paper towels or on top of a cooling rack over a baking dish. Generously salt the slices then let them sit for 30 minutes. Pat them dry with another paper towel then give them a flip and repeat the process (though there's no need to add anymore salt). Your fresh mozzarella will retain its creamy, mild flavor and melt into those gooey puddles you know and love — without adding more moisture to your homemade crust.
More mozzarella advice for your margherita pizza
Salting your mozzarella seriously works to avoid adding extra moisture, but when hunger strikes you may not have that extra hour to spare. If you think you'll be short on time for your toppings, try aged mozzarella. There is no need to salt or dry out aged mozzarella, which is sold wrapped in tightly sealed plastic. Fresh mozzarella, on the other hand, is stored in water and you can see and feel the differences in dryness immediately.
Aged mozzarella will still melt gorgeously on your pizza and give you the same squeaky, slightly pulled texture of fresh mozzarella. Plus, it has the same distinct mellow mozzarella flavor with a saltier kick (balancing out the salt you would have added to your fresh rounds of cheese). So, if you're on the clock, save your favorite fresh stuff for a caprese salad or other antipasti and stick with slices of aged mozzarella instead. Either way, your crust will stay gloriously crisp and you'll avoid that sad, soggy dip when you pick up your perfect pizza slice.