You Should Waffle Some Mozzarella Sticks

Photo: Claire Lower

Out of all the things I’ve put in my waffle iron, cheese is probably my favorite. Pressing brie, cheese curds, halloumi, and the like between the hot, divoted grates melts it while creating crispy and crunchy peaks and valleys, for a pleasing textural contrast. I’m also a big fan of waffling frozen convenience foods (like egg rolls and onion rings), so I’m not sure why it took me so long to waffle frozen mozzarella sticks. (I’m glad I finally did, however.)

Photo: Claire Lower

This might be my favorite way to cook mozzarella sticks. The hot plates smash the cheesy tubes into submission, creating a greater amount of surface area for crisping. Some cheese will make its way out of the breading, which is something that happens with mozz sticks no matter how you choose to cook them, but there’s one major difference: Instead of oozing out and congealing into small blobs, the cheese fries right on the waffle iron, creating crispy little bits of frico.

Photo: Claire Lower

Once your sticks are waffled, you can plate them up any number of ways. I drizzled some jarred pizza sauce over mine before finishing it with some shaker parm, and it was just as good as you think it would be. If I had had any fresh basil, I would have put some of that on there as well.

Photo: Claire Lower

If you wanted to get a little wild, you could use your mozzrella waffles as an eggs Benedict base, or cook the eggs directly in some marinara, shakshuka style, then slice the whole mess onto the cheese raft. I also wouldn’t be mad if you built a burger on there, though I realize we’re veering into stunt food with that one.

Deciding what to put on your mozzawaffle might be harder than actually making the thing. All you need is a handful of frozen mozzarella sticks and a waffle iron. Set the iron to medium and, once it’s done heating up, set at least three sticks in the center. Close the waffle iron and, using a dish towel so you don’t burn yourself, gently press down on the top every 30 seconds or so until the sticks soften enough for it to fully close. Let the cheese waffle until the breading is golden and crisp (about three minutes), then plate and eat immediately.