Whether it’s pizza, grilled cheese, or cheesy breadsticks—melted cheese and crispy crust are a match made in culinary heaven. But why does this combo work so well? Let’s dig into the textures, tastes, and even a bit of food science in this blog.
Food is an important part of our everyday life. It impacts our physical selves, gives us energy, and also affects our mood. This is due to the combination of various factors like texture, taste, smell, and presentation.
Out of all these factors, texture and taste play an important role in our food-eating experience. A dish’s texture enhances its taste. For example, when eating a pizza from Chezzy Pizza, the taste of the cheese is enhanced by the crunch of the crust.
Let’s explore this in detail below, along with why a combination of melted cheese and a crispy crust is an ideal combination.
Why Do Texture Opposites Attract In Melted Cheese and Burnt Crust?
Texture is an important part of food. It impacts how people perceive the dish when consuming it. That’s because the sound of the food when chewing it, and the feeling of the dish, along with the smell, engage the senses completely.
The same is true in the case of contrasting textures like cheesy and crispy. The cheesy texture is gooey, creamy, and stretchy, and each bite leads to a sensation of pleasure.
On the other hand, the crunchy crust provides a contrast in the form of a crackling feeling when you bite through it. It provides a structural balance, as your mouth can balance the moisture of the cheese.
The combination of these textures creates a balanced feeling that targets multiple taste receptors.
What Are The Flavor Dynamics of Melted Cheese and Burnt Crust?
Let’s take a look at the kind of flavours found in melted cheese and a crunchy crust below.
Cheese, on the whole, has a salty, fat-filled, nutty, and slightly sour taste, with a lingering meat-like aftertaste (or umami). These flavours depend on the cheese’s type and age.
The different types of cheese that melt well and the dishes they are used in can be seen in the table below:
| Type of Cheese | Flavour Profile | Dishes Where They Are Used |
| Mozzarella | Slightly creamy and tangy flavor | Neapolitan pizza, Naan |
| Parmesan | Rich, nutty, fruity, and umami flavor | Naan, Tuscan chicken |
| Cheddar | Defined pungent flavor | Pan-fried cheese sandwich, Cheddar-stuffed burgers |
| Gruyere | Savoury and sweet flavor | Grilled pizza, wild rice soup |
Table 1: Types of Cheese That Melt Well, Their Flavour Profiles, and Associated Dishes
The crust, on the other hand, has a slightly sweetish, nutty, and caramelized flavour. That’s due to the Maillard reaction, which describes the interaction between sugar and amino acids. The reaction makes the crusts taste sweet.
Caramelization occurs when the food is burned at slightly higher temperatures with a controlled flame. The sugar breaks down into smaller molecules or forms bigger molecules.
That’s why you experience a sweet taste when you bite into a burnt crust.
When you combine these two effects together, the overall flavour profile includes savoury, umami, salty, and creamy flavours.
Which Food Dishes Around The World Celebrate The Duo of Melted Cheese and Burnt Crusts?
Some of the dishes where you can enjoy a rich combination of melted cheese and burnt crust are:
Pizza (Italy)
Deemed by many to have the original crust, the Neapolitan pizza is known for its slightly charred crust. People love this pizza due to its distinctly fresh taste, gooey Mozzarella cheese, and crunchy crust.
The soft yet crunchy crust enhances the taste of the cheese, especially as it’s cooked in a wood fired oven. The heat initiates the Maillard reaction in the crust, while the cheese spreads evenly over the pizza.
You can explore other types of wood-fired pizzas with crunchy crusts and melted cheese by referring to the Chezzy pizza menu.
Grilled Cheese (USA)
Grilled Cheddar cheese between pan-fried bread is an American favourite and preferred comfort food. That’s because the properties of Cheddar cheese make it perfect for melting without splitting or breaking.
Pan-fried bread, on the other hand, feels crunchy and has a sweet, wholesome taste. The combination of Cheddar cheese in between the slices of the pan-fried bread creates a flavour profile that is sweet, tangy, and umami in nature.
Cheese-stuffed naan (India)
Cheese stuffed naan is another delicacy wherein you can experience the tanginess of the cheese and the crispiness of the upper bread.
You can use either Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese for naan. The Mozzarella cheese gives the naan its creamy and tangy flavour, while the burnt bread has a crunchy feel and sweet taste.
On the other hand, the Parmesan cheese adds a rich, umami-flavored taste, which is complemented by the burnt crust.
Cooking Methods That Maximize the Combo
Some cooking methods that you can consider using to get the combo of melted cheese and a crispy crust are:
High-heat baking
Wood-fired ovens are a classic way to get the mixture of a rich, charred crust with melted cheese that spreads evenly. This is seen most commonly in Neapolitan pizzas. You can also opt for pizzas made from stone ovens, also known as masonry ovens.
However, pizzas, like those from Chezzy Pizzas, taste best when cooked in wood-fired ovens, due to the even distribution of heat. Apart from that, these ovens lend a smoky taste as well.
Nonstick pan-searing
You can opt for non-stick pan searing if you want to enjoy grilled cheese. The trick is to keep flipping the bread over to allow for even distribution of the butter and spreading of the cheese. Otherwise, you risk breaking the cheese and getting a tangier taste than usual.
Remember to cook over a low flame.
After your grilled cheese sandwich is ready, you can use tomatoes, chicken, or salami strips to get that umami taste as well.
Broiling
Finally, you can opt for broiling cheese to melt it without overcooking the crust. To do so, you should use virgin oil and season the cheese hunk with garlic and pepper. After that, place the cheese on the bread slices and start broiling.
Keep flipping as each side starts achieving a golden brown consistency. The direct heat from above will result in a rich, cheesy taste with a pleasantly crunchy crust.
In Review
Melted cheese and crispy crust work together to create the ultimate food experience—texturally, chemically, and emotionally. The saltiness, umami, and fat content of the cheese trigger our dopamine.
On the other hand, the crunchiness makes it more pleasant to eat. No wonder, this combo is such a timeless one.
Ready For a Crunch and Cheesy Adventure?
Want to sample a heavenly combo of cheesy flavors and a crunchy crust? Order Chezzy Pizzaor explore other dishes near you from a reputed food delivery app today!
