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Mozzarella Sticks

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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American, Italian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 T Flour
  • 10 T Bread crumbs divided in half
  • 10 T Panko bread crumbs divided in half
  • 4 t Grated Parmesan divided in half
  • 4 Eggs divided in half
  • 12 string cheese cut in half and frozen

Equipment

  • Large cookie sheet
  • Wax paper (or similar, just to go in the freezer)
  • Deep fryer or Air fryer optional

Method
 

  1. Set Up:
  2. You may have noticed I wrote “divided in half” next to most of the ingredients. I find that preparing the sticks in 2 batches cuts down on the mess. Around stick 8, you’ll know what I mean.
  3. Lay your ingredients out in an assembly line. I prefer left to right, in this order:
  4. Frozen string cheese, sticks cut in half
  5. Small plate of flour
  6. Bowl of egg, lightly beaten
  7. Bowl of bread crumbs, panko, grated parm, mixed
  8. Large cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Wax paper will cut down on sticking in the freezer, plus easier clean up!
  9. Directions for breading the mozzarella sticks:
  10. Roll string cheese in flour, shake off excess
  11. Coat in egg
  12. Roll in bread crumb mixture, shake off excess
  13. Coat in egg, again
  14. Roll in bread crumb mixture, again
  15. Place on cookie sheet
  16. Repeat until you’ve finished 12 of the half sticks. Then, rinse your egg and breading bowls, refill with the remaining ingredients and run through the directions again. You should have plenty of flour for all 24 sticks.
  17. Once all of the sticks are breaded and on the cookie sheet, place cookie sheet in freezer. Make sure they are not touching so they don’t stick together.
Cooking Directions:
  1. I prefer to do homemade mozzarella sticks in the air fryer as a healthier alternative and because they only take a few minutes, but I will give you 4 options:
  2. Deep Fry: Preheat deep fryer to 350 degrees. Cook 5 or 6 cheese sticks at a time for 3 minutes, making sure they do not touch.
  3. Air Fry: Set air fryer to 390 degrees. Spread mozzarella sticks in basket so they are not touching and cook for 6-8 minutes.
  4. Pan Fry: Heat oil to medium-high in a high-sided frying pan. You should have about one inch of oil in the pan. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, making sure they are not touching, turn sticks over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until cheese starts to ooze out.
  5. Bake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet in foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. I would suggest using a new cookie sheet, rather than putting the frozen one in the oven. Cook 6-8 minutes, or until cheese starts to ooze out. Ovens often vary in temperature, so around the 6 minute mark, you should keep a close eye on these so they don’t overcook. I also suggest turning them over after 5 or 6 minutes to make sure both sides get crispy.
  6. Let them cool for a minute or two after they finish cooking so you don’t burn your tongue and serve with your favorite marinara.

Notes

*Do not cook until completely frozen.  Otherwise, the cheese will cook faster than the breading and you will be left with a gooey mess.*

Tips for making the best homemade mozzarella sticks: 

  • Cut the string cheese in half before you freeze it.
  • If you choose to fry, do not drain on paper towels.  The cheese will stick to the paper towels and you’ll be pissed when you have bits of towel stuck to your cheese sticks.  Place them on a regular plate to set for about 2 minutes.  Then move them to whatever you choose to eat them off of.
  • To make ahead and keep in the freezer, freeze these the same way: on the cookie sheet.  After they are completely frozen, you should then put them in a freezer bag to prevent freezer burn.  If you put them in the bag before they are frozen, you will have 1 large stuck-together mess!