# Mozzarella sticks



## Saltygreasybacon (Jan 18, 2006)

Looking for the foodtv.com everyday italian show's mozzarella stick recipe.  Can't seem to find it on their site, help.


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## jennyema (Jan 18, 2006)

MOZZARELLA STIX


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## Saltygreasybacon (Jan 19, 2006)

*Mozza sticks*

Thanks for the help


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## jkath (Jan 19, 2006)

oh yum~!
Yet another reason to get out my Fry Daddy!


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## Piccolina (Jan 22, 2006)

I used to work at a restaurant that sold these, and man were they amazing! Dipped in a little tomato/marina sauce - wow, so good!


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## jessicacarr (Sep 5, 2006)

Thank you Salty and Jenny!

Ok...i was talking to my husband only TODAY while we were eating mozz sticks as an appetizer at a rest and told him i could make them at home because i learned how from gianna on food network.  so, i was gonna look up the recipe for the ingreds then LO AND BEHOLD i come across this post which took me strait to it...with out me even trying! swEEt!


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## Gretchen (Sep 5, 2006)

Good luck, she says with a very wry smile. I hope you don't end up with an oil pot full of cheese!!  And you are right, they are good.


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## prada (Sep 22, 2006)

oh oh i tried it before at some western restaurant, have been meaning to search the recipe and try it for myself but i have forgotten about it till now.

thanks


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## college_cook (Sep 22, 2006)

Get fresh mozzarella if you can, it makes a big big difference in the flavor.  Also, I prefer to use panko crumbs, but that's just more of a preference thing, and it wont really affect flavor.


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## BreezyCooking (Sep 22, 2006)

Actually, I've made the "Everyday Italian" mozzarella sticks, & they turn out wonderful.

However, do stick to her recipe - i.e. not fresh mozzarella, but the "block" type, & also use the dry Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs - not Panko.

Since her recipe has you freeze the sticks before cooking, & the sticks are shallow-fried in a skillet rather than deep-fried, the Panko crumbs will burn long before the cheese inside is cooked/melted. And using commercial block mozzarella instead of fresh allows the cheese to cook to the nice soft/stringy consistency that marks a good mozzarella stick. Fresh mozzarella is definitely wasted here - it melts too quickly into a gooey mess.  I also cook mine in extra-virgin olive oil - gives a lovely flavor & I can at least partially fool myself that the sticks are somewhat healthy. 

Been there, done that.


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## Alix (Sep 22, 2006)

Thanks for the tips Breezy. I am glad you shared that with us. I like to avoid the gooey mess myself!


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## BreezyCooking (Sep 22, 2006)

You're welcome. And no offense meant to the suggestion made for fresh mozzarella & Panko - but I've tried both, & more than once, & it just hasn't worked out well at all.  And considering the expense of both, I'd rather just stick to the cheaper block mozzy & commercial dried seasoned breadcrumbs.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE fresh mozzarella & buy it frequently (especially the true buffalo type when I can find it), but definitely not for a fried recipe like this.  And I also use Panko crumbs as well, but have found that with both fried mozzarella sticks & fried oysters, the Panko crumbs seem to burn before the interior is ready.  Now this could definitely be because I'm doing something wrong, but since I don't have any problems when I use other crumbs, I'm not willing to risk my Panko trying - lol!!


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## Alix (Sep 22, 2006)

I haven't had true mozzarella since I was in Italy. I know there is a market in town that sells it, but the parking down there is so horrendous I don't even bother. You have me thinking about it now though.

Hey, when you say block mozza, do you mean like Kraft? Just checking.


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## Mel! (Sep 22, 2006)

*Thanx!!*

I have been interested in getting my hands on a receipe, for Mozarella sticks, for a while. 
Thanx!


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## shpj4 (Sep 22, 2006)

Here in Southern California the only thing that I can think of is there is a very nice restaurant in the San Fernando Valley and they serve the most wonderful mozarella sticks.

Have a nice day.

Jill and Jolie


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## college_cook (Sep 22, 2006)

I should have specified that when I triple-bread my fresh mozz. with panko, I do not freeze them, or bake them.  They immediately get tossed into the deep fryer.  You have to use the appropriate cooking methods depending on your preparation; freezing then frying isn't a good idea with panko, b/c they will burn, like breezy mentioned.


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## AllenOK (Sep 22, 2006)

Also, if you are freezing your Mozz sticks, and then deep-frying, only cook them for a couple of minutes.  Once the cheese starts to bubble out through the breading, they're done, and get them out in a hurry!  Just a few second's time will have all the cheese cooked out into the oil, with only the breading "shell" left.

This is from experience at a couple different restaurants.


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## BreezyCooking (Sep 23, 2006)

Alix - when I said "block", I meant the Polly-O & Sorrento, etc., types.  I've used both of those with equal success - both the whole milk & the part-skim.  The larger rectangular blocks put out by Kraft & some supermarkets as "house" brands are a bit too dry/rubbery in my opinion, but then I've never used them to make mozzy sticks so can't say for sure how they'd turn out.


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## Marcus (May 28, 2007)

*Battered*

I have concocted a recipe for battered mozzarella sticks, using fresh mozzarella. Will this work? This recipe is currently untested. If it doesn't work, I will be happy to revise the recipe.


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## StirBlue (May 28, 2007)

Any breading will work as long as not too thick.  Breading is porous and cooks quickly.  But it should not be a dip batter.  The key to this recipe is that the cheese has to be frozen because it heats so quickly.  We use string cheese.


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## Marcus (May 28, 2007)

Okay.  The mozzarella sticks they use in many pizzerias, however, don't look breaded, but battered, like onion rings often are.  I have two questions.  Are these cheese sticks I'm talking about battered?  And if so, will fresh mozzarella work if battered?


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## Marcus (May 31, 2007)

Also, believe it or not, there is such a thing as beer battered mozzarella sticks. There are recipes for it, companies that make it, and restaurants that serve it. Although my batter doesn't call for beer, I guess there _is_ such a thing as mozzarella sticks dipped in batter and deep-fried. Thoughts?


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## BreezyCooking (Jun 1, 2007)

I can't help you there Marcus.  I've only successfully made mine breaded using commercial mozzarella blocks.


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## Marcus (Jun 1, 2007)

But, have you even _tried_ to make these cheese sticks with a batter? I can show you my recipe if you'd like.


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## Caine (Jun 1, 2007)

I can truthfully say that Americans will deep fry anything edible. We will deep fry every part of the meal too, from the appetizers to the dessert. We will deep fry meat, fish, poultry, and seafood. We will deep fry cheese. We will deep fry sandwiches.There is a restaurant in Pennsylvania that deep fries hot dogs! 

As appetizers, we'll deep fry chicken wings, shrimp, jueienned vegetables,and cheese sticks. Then we'll deep fry some beef, or pork, or chicken, or fish, or even tofu, as the main course. Once we have deep fried our entree, we also need to deep fry our side vegetables. Not just potatoes mind you, but onion rings and fried zucchini are extremely popular at fast food restaurants throughout the country. I saw someone make deep fried asparagus on a TV cooking show. 

For dessert, how about some deep fried ice cream? Maybe a couple of deep fried twinkies, Oreo cookies, or a deep fried candy bar? Doughnuts are normally deep fried, too. At county fairs, they take sweetened batter and drop it into boiling oil through a conical dispenser and call the grease soaked and fat laden result funnel cakes. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Oh, and we can't just take bare food and deep fry it. That would ruin all the fun. We need to put a nice coating on our food before we fry it. Not a light, delicate coating like you would find on, say, tempura, mind you. Oh, no! Americans have to have a thick, heavy, flour and egg batter to bury the food inside of, so it can absorb as much of that delicious hydrogenated vegetable oil, pork fat, or beef tallow as possible.

Does anyone still wonder why over 30% of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, or over 17% of American children and adolescents, are morbidly obese?


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## Marcus (Jun 21, 2007)

Caine said:
			
		

> I can truthfully say that Americans will deep fry anything edible. We will deep fry every part of the meal too, from the appetizers to the dessert. We will deep fry meat, fish, poultry, and seafood. We will deep fry cheese. We will deep fry sandwiches.There is a restaurant in Pennsylvania that deep fries hot dogs!
> 
> As appetizers, we'll deep fry chicken wings, shrimp, jueienned vegetables,and cheese sticks. Then we'll deep fry some beef, or pork, or chicken, or fish, or even tofu, as the main course. Once we have deep fried our entree, we also need to deep fry our side vegetables. Not just potatoes mind you, but onion rings and fried zucchini are extremely popular at fast food restaurants throughout the country. I saw someone make deep fried asparagus on a TV cooking show.
> 
> ...


 
Caine, I don't think you could have said it any better than you did, and...it's true. When I want to fry mozzarella sticks or onion rings, I dip them in as little flour-and-egg batter as possible, and I would use healthier oils, like canola oil.


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## Caine (Jun 21, 2007)

Marcus said:
			
		

> Caine, I don't think you could have said it any better than you did, and...it's true. When I want to fry mozzarella sticks or onion rings, I dip them in as little flour-and-egg batter as possible, and I would use healthier oils, like canola oil.


 
All right, Marcus, you're ruining it for everyone else. You're going to have to leave the country!


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## Marcus (Jun 21, 2007)

Caine said:
			
		

> All right, Marcus, you're ruining it for everyone else. You're going to have to leave the country!


You're joking, right?


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## Caine (Jun 21, 2007)

Marcus said:
			
		

> You're joking, right?


 
Does the Coach Canada bus idling outside your house look like I'm kidding?


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## Marcus (Jul 8, 2007)

Let's not get carried away now.  Anyway, as Emeril Lagasse says, there's good fried food and bad fried food.  I am not committed to using animal fats or vegetable oil for frying, but I would coat or dip the foods in the least amount of batter possible for frying, and fry with healthier oils.  The point Emeril was trying to make was about the temperature for frying, but either way or the other, he's right.


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## wysiwyg (Jul 17, 2007)

I know this is off-subject but since the talk is about fried food.
Has anyone tried fried polenta ?
Make polenta as usual and let it rest.  Once it cooled down, cut it in sticks like mozzarella or big fries and then fry in canola oil.
It is a real treat as an appetizer.


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