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Years back, I used to spend most of my free time in an ice skating rink, which meant a lot of spandex, Pac-Man, scrunchies, hand warmers, and, best of all, mozzarella sticks. I was never that good at skating—and honestly never that good at Pac-Man—but I was especially good at eating snack-bar snacks, greasy from the fryer, hot enough to burn my tongue.
Years later, I learned that you can make mozzarella sticks at home. In fact, we have not one, but two (!) encouraging guides on this topic. Sarah Jampel insisted that homemade mozz sticks “will be better than any you can find in the freezer aisle of your local grocery store (or at the pool or bowling alley or roller rink ‘Snack Shack’).” Erin Alexander assured, “It's really not as hard as it sounds (don't let the hot oil scare you off!).”
And they’re right! DIY is better than what I stuffed my face with at the skating rink. It is more flavorful. It is more customizable. And it is more achievable than you’d expect. But—there’s always a but—it’s also enough of an investment that if you, like me, get an uncontrollable mozz stick craving (UMSC) at 12:43 p.m., exactly 17 minutes before your next Zoom meeting, you’re out of luck.
Which is why this Big Little Recipe isn’t a mozz stick, not technically. Instead of the signature stick shape, we are making something that is less curvy and more flat, something that is less of a project and more of a whim. We are making schnitzel.
German for “cutlet,” schnitzel refers to a super-duper thin slice of meat, breaded with eggs and crumbs, and fried until crispy as all get-out. Veal, as in wiener schnitzel, is traditional in Austria, but you can also schnitzel all sorts of meats, like pork or chicken.
Or you could schnitzel all sorts of not meats. Think: carrot, mushroom, cabbage, and, today, cheese. Cheese!
Low-moisture, pre-sliced mozzarella is nothing if not convenient. It is already square and thin, so no need for cutting or pounding. Just stack up a few pieces, press them together with your hands, and look, you have a cutlet.
All that’s left is to dip it in beaten egg, tumble it in crackly panko, and pan-fry it in a skillet. No seasoning besides salt and pepper. No deep frying (and then cleaning up after deep frying). No driving to the skating rink. Just badabing, badaboom.
It’s extra-crunchy, oh-so gooey, and ripe for a cheese pull if that’s your thing. Serve on the immediate with a lemony salad and, if the day slash time slash mood allows, a very cold beer.
| 2 to 4 | slices low-moisture mozzarella |
| 2 | tablespoons all-purpose flour |
| 1 | large egg |
| 1/4 | cup panko |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste | |
| Neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, for frying |
| 2 to 4 | slices low-moisture mozzarella |
| 2 | tablespoons all-purpose flour |
| 1 | large egg |
| 1/4 | cup panko |
| Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste | |
| Neutral oil, such as canola or grapeseed, for frying |
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Written by: Emma Laperruque
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38 Comments
I think maybe I used the wrong phrase, since “ball” probably does imply fresh mozzarella.
I mean the low moisture mozzarella that’s sold in I guess a chub (?), typically 1 pound? At my local grocery store, the fresh is in the fancy cheese section near the deli while the low moisture chubs are over near the Kraft singles in the dairy aisle.
Anyway, it does slice easily, and we seem to only have slices of the fresh, so im not sure how thick to slice it? 1/4 inch? Half inch?
Thank you!
I'd also pay attention to the direction of your slice, I'm sure you've noticed that your mozz has a grain direction like a piece of meat (this is what makes string cheese possible). If you cut with the grain you'll get long protein strands which might make the schnitzel chewy, so make sure you're cutting against the grain (or go for a bias cut if you'd like them a little more al dente).
In my head, when I was envisioning pre-sliced mozzarella, I was looking for low-moisture but sliced like the fresh slices they have, which are about 1/4 inch. Didn't look at the thinner sliced section! I bet they do have that as well.
Thanks again!
1. My mozzarella would not mush together to become a larger entity. I tried and it fell apart in the egg. That was Batch 1.
2. The oil needs to be much hotter than I expected and the cheese cooked quicker at a higher temp. Batch 2 got thrown out because it was limp and not at all crispy despite being fried for the right amount of time.
3. I could not get the right mix of salt and pepper to give the dish flavor. We were serving it in its pure form to try it (sauce would have been a big help) and, despite a pretty easy-to-please crowd, we could not get the seasoning right.
Anyhow, I want to do it again with some modifications..... love the idea. ..
“ … pre-sliced mozzarella … is already square and thin, so no need for cutting or pounding. Just stack up a few pieces, press them together with your hands …
All that’s left is to dip it in beaten egg, tumble it in crackly panko, and pan-fry it in a skillet. “
Oh - & it's certainly not a "blob". If you don't like it, don't read it/don't cook it. I doubt anyone will care.
Does anyone edit/proof/check recipes before they are published.
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