Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <cheese><pizza>
Title: Can I use Cheddar cheese for pizza?
Question: I know that most of the time Mozzarella cheese is used for pizza and often in combinations with other cheeses including cheddar.   I have noticed in quite a few things I cook like sandwiches, quesadillas and such that both mozzarella and cheddar are very stringy when melted which is perfect for a pizza.  So is it possible to use cheddar as the main cheese in pizza instead of mozzarella?

Answers:
sents: text: You can use small amounts of cheddar mixed with the other cheeses.
text: But you'd be disappointed in the results if you tried to use it as the main or only cheese on the pizza.
text: Cheddar cheese doesn't tolerate sustained, high heat as well as some other cheeses.
text: It can scorch, which tastes and smells bad, and/or the fats can separate from the solids as a yellowish oil.
text: The sharper the cheese is, the less well it will tolerate heat.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/613/Kenster
score: 17
sents: text: Yes, it is absolutely possible.
text: It is your pizza after all.
text: The problem you may face is that cheddar usually does not melt as well as Mozzarella.
text: Also, moz has a neutral-salty taste so cheddar will have a greater impact on your overall flavor.
text: I personally like to pair cheddar with ground beef sauteed with onions on pizza.
text: You may still want to add some moz to get that velvety melt that people often think of when they think "pizza".
text: I highly suggest using a blend of moz and a nice, shredded sharp cheddar though (about a 4:1 moz-cheddar ratio).
text: That will give you a nice cheddar zing.
text: Best of both worlds.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/17063/Preston
score: 8
sents: text: As others have said you can use it for pizza as well.
text: My best results are from a mix (also what others have said).
text: The only thing I would like to add though is that you might want to consider adding the Cheddar half way through the cooking (or close to the end) because of the way it melts compared to Mozza.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/25284/K_D
score: 3
sents: text: Gonna say, I have had no negative experiences with cheddar cheese on a pizza.
text: It does tend to melt and run to a larger extent than Mozzarella, so you want to be more sparing, but overall it's great.
text: If you experiment with a wide range of cheeses, you'll find that certain cheeses complement various flavours in your palate - test it out on housemates/family and you'll find they'll all have their own favourite combinations, too.
text: Personally on any salami pizza, i'm going to go immediately for the cheddar over the mozzarella.
text: Every time.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/25300/user2754
score: 2
sents: text: Yes, absolutely.
text: How well it will work will depend on the particular type of pizza you're making.
text: I love cheddar with taco-type pizza toppings.
text: I love feta cheese, for that matter, with roasted beets on a pizza.
text: There's no reason why you should limit yourself to just one type of cheese if you want to experiment with other cheeses.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/25061/LMAshton
score: 1
sents: text: Cheddar cheese will not melt correctly.
text: It is ok on low heat for short periods (grilled cheese), but baking it long enough to cook the rest of the pizza will make it toughen up and secrete oil.
text: When I worked at a pizza place (many moons ago), they used about 6-8 oz mozzarella, and 2 each of provolone and cheddar, or something like that.
text: It gave an interesting flavor, and everything seemed to melt just fine.
text: So use it if you want, but you'll want to make a thinner crust pizza that you cook longer at a lower temp.
text: If you are doing a grill pizza where you put the toppings on towards the end, it may work very well.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/25100/JSM
score: 1

Summary of the answers:
Cheddar cheese has different melting properties than cheddar, but it can be a good choice especially as part of a blend. Since it can run when melted, try adding it later in the cooking process. It is also saltier and stronger in flavour, so use it more sparingly.
Cheddar is good on pizza but it is generall considered a good idea to combine it with another cheese like mozzarella. This is because of the strong flavour and less advantageous melting qualities of cheddar.