Originally spotted by NPR, a paper appearing in the Journal of Food Science titled “Quantification of Pizza Baking Properties of Different Cheeses, and Their Correlation with Cheese Functionality,” aims to answer the century-long culinary quandary and is also the most delicious-sounding scientific study I’ve ever heard. The study focused specifically on the interplay between cheeses on a pizza once they’re baked. In a video, professor Bryony James, who was associated with the study, breaks down the group’s methodology behind eventually selecting mozzarella as the undisputed pizza cheese champion.
The study included several options, including cheddar, colby, gruyere, and provolone. Using machine vision, letting the scientists get objective data from imaging rather than subjective data from taste buds, the team discovered that the reason mozzarella works so well is because of its low free oil conten and its overall elasticity, allowing it a chance puff up and blister unlike the competition.
via Gizmodo
