How To Get A Satisfyingly Gooey Cheese Pull Every Time

There are few things more satisfying than a good cheese pull, and massive ones routinely go viral on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. But whether it's for your own personal satisfaction or social media fame, there are a few secrets to getting a good cheese pull. One of the most important is timing it just right.

We all know that there are certain cheeses that melt and pull better than others, but making sure you find the sweet spot in timing is an art and a science. In tests completed by the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University on the stretchability of mozzarella, scientists found that cheese that is too hot decreased in stretch quality. With the exception of certain nonfat cheeses made with inulin (a prebiotic soluble fiber), the optimal pull temperatures hovered between 140 – 158 degrees Fahrenheit and decreased significantly as temps rose toward 194 – 200 degrees.

Another study showed that cheese stretched better as it was cooling than as it was heating, even at the exact same temperature. Waiting for your cheese to cool to the optimal temperature range will significantly increase your pull, but waiting too long and letting it cool too much is disastrous — once cooled, the cheese will not remelt the same way, according to the International Journal of Food Properties.

Other interesting information gleaned from the Utah State study is that although nonfat mozzarella pulled better than low-moisture part skim mozzarella, the stretch threads of the nonfat mozz were significantly thinner and more hair-like. This test only studied mozzarella, but other studies tell us more about ideal timing.

A study by the Department of Agricultural and Food Engineering at the University College Dublin showed that for both cheddar and mozzarella, two of the best pulling cheeses, maximum melting rate occurs at temperatures between 265 and 320 degrees Fahrenheit, and happens within three to four minutes. Temperatures that are much higher than that and for much longer than that actually decrease meltability.

Practical application of the data suggested by both of these studies should tell us the following: for the best cheese pull, allow your cheese to melt at the low side of medium heat. Don't leave it unattended. When fully, thoroughly melted, remove from heat and allow the cheese to cool to 145 – 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Then pull. If it doesn't pan out just right, don't reheat — eat the thing and start from scratch.

The first world record category with RecordSetter for longest cheese pull was created in 2016, when Carlo Alberto Orecchia, the host of the Tastemade show "All the Pizza," achieved a 41.5 inch pull. This pull record remains unchallenged. To unseat Orecchia as the pizza cheese pull champion, the rules state the following: any cheese or cheese blend may be used; the attempt must follow the form of Orecchia's pull; no external support or assistance is permitted; the cheese pull must be measured from "where the cheese is last attached to the pizza to matching point on the pizza slice;" and there must be video evidence of the pull.

Charleys Cheesesteaks set out to get a longer pull in 2021. In a series of recorded pulls, Charleys achieved a provolone cheese pull of 51.5 inches. Because the pull was not pizza and didn't follow the form of the record pull, it technically doesn't break Orecchia's record — but it may have the criteria to establish its own category of cheese pull.

That's not to say that either pull is the longest recorded. The "cheese pull" hashtag has 261,742 posts on Instagram, 5,240 videos on YouTube, and over 719,000 results on TikTok. Whether you're pulling a grilled cheese, mozzarella stick, cheesesteak, pizza slice, or aligot, make sure you get the timing right (and the camera is on).