String cheese is typically made from mozzarella cheese. Mozzarella is a semi- soft cheese known for its mild flavor and superior melting properties. The unique stringy texture of string cheese comes from a production process where the mozzarella curd is heated to around 60°C (140°F) and then stretched and kneaded repeatedly. This process aligns the milk proteins into long strands, allowing the cheese to be peeled apart into thin strings, which is why it's called string cheese. Most commercially available string cheese is made from cow's milk mozzarella, although mozzarella can also be made from water buffalo milk.
The stringiness results from the alignment of casein proteins during heating and stretching, creating the characteristic texture that defines string cheese. This makes string cheese a fun and versatile snack that is also a good source of calcium and protein.
