The Absolute Best Store-Bought Shredded Mozzarella Cheese Is A Powerhouse In Taste And Quality

Pre-shredded mozzarella cheese can be a gamble, especially since you never know which brands will have great flavor and which focus only on achieving the gooey, melty texture the dairy is famous for. When Food Republic ranked store-bought shredded mozzarella products, we determined that Tillamook Farmstyle Part-Skim Shredded Mozzarella Cheese was easily the best of the bunch, excelling by every possible measure of quality.

Tillamook, as a company, has a well-earned reputation for high-quality dairy products, largely because it's a co-op owned and run by dairy farmers. This is immediately obvious when you taste its mozzarella, which is rich with the characteristic creaminess and aroma that define the cheese. In particular, it has a surprisingly great, chewy texture, something you don't often see in pre-shredded products. This comes from its thicker-than-normal strands, similar to shreds from a stick of string cheese, which have a great mouthfeel.

Part of its extremely high level of quality comes from its simplicity. Whereas other brands may have a whole laundry list of difficult-to-pronounce and unrecognizable ingredients, Tillamook only has three: low-moisture mozzarella, potato starch, and natamycin, a natural mold inhibitor. The potato starch, in particular, is an important part of this product's great quality. The powdered substance on shredded cheese used to prevent caking can throw people off, producing a gritty mouthfeel and inhibiting proper melting. However, the starch on this mozzarella is hardly noticeable, making it taste freshly shredded.

Mozzarella, as a whole, is a versatile type of cheese, but finding the best ways to use it usually boils down to its exact type. Since Tillamook's variety is low in moisture and made partially from skim milk, it's a great candidate for providing light touches of cheesiness that won't overwhelm existing flavors.

When it comes to the best cheese for pizza, many people actually prefer low-moisture mozzarella because it won't create puddles of moisture that lead to a soggy crust. Since Tillamook Farmstyle Part-Skim Shredded Mozzarella Cheese is low in moisture, it's a great candidate. Plus, it has a lighter taste compared to its whole-milk variety, so while it by no means lacks flavor, it's particularly good for fresher, subtler pizzas. Just keep in mind that its thick shreds make even distribution harder to achieve, so you may want to shred it a bit more to guarantee good coverage.

Tillamook's product is also great for when you want to add a bit v texture to cool dishes, like sprinkling it over a salad or adding it to a wrap. This lets you appreciate the great texture that made it rank so high on Food Republic's list. It's also an easy, quick way to add a bit of heartiness, though being partially made from skim milk keeps it from being too heavy.