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Shredded Cheese Vs. Diced...which is more economical?

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Hi everyone! I have used diced cheese for years and was thinking of switching to shredded cheese, because the company that used to sell us the diced cheese just hiked up the prices.

My question is: If we switch to shredded cheese, are we going to end up using more shredded cheese for each pizza or will the amount be the same?

Thanks.

Tommy

Pizza Factory Athens, GA.
 
If you weigh your cheese you will be using the same amount. If you go by looks who knows.
 
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diced is easier to portion and I would prefer using that. I might suggest a little bug in the ear of your supplier that if they cannot keep competitive prices that you will be forced to look elswhere, since it is the highest cost item you purchase from them. An increase in almost any other item doesnt have the same effect even a small increase in cheese has.

😉
 
Thank you both for your responses! We use cups (8 oz.) to measure how much cheese we put on our pizza. One 8 oz. cup for a large pizza.

If we were to switch to shredded cheese, would 1 cup be enough for a large pizza or will it increase? I heard shredded cheese expands, whereas diced doesn’t, so will the amounts come out the same at the end of the day?

Thanks.

Tommy.
Pizza Factory Athens, GA.
 
The issue with using a volume measire (a measuring cup) with shredded cheese is that it will have a more varied airspace than the diced, based on how packed it is, etc. A 1-cup measure could weigh anywhere from 6.5 ounces to 9 ounces. Having a consistent procedure would help, but that is a difference with diced and shred . . . . diced sits a little more neatly/consitently into a fixed volume.
 
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I started out using shred…looks pretty on the pie, but inexperienced staff can over portion quite easy…

next place used diced & was a hi-volume operation…diced is much faster to spread & portion control…also easier to blend w/other brands…

I would never switch back to shred…
 
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I agree with the rest, diced is the way to go… but if you are going to use shredded you need to remember that you are going to use a little bit more than dice but it also depends on how thin the cheese is shredded… if it is thick theb of course you will use less when you spread it on the pizza qnd if it is thin then u use a little bit more…
 
I gather from some of these posts that some you do not weight your cheese…This results in inconsistent pizzas and lost profits…Buy a scale and weigh the cheese and pretty soon you should be making more than your minimum wage employees…RCS…
 
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weighing out 200+ portions of shredded cheese & storing it every day is a challenge…

you can scale out diced cheese in a portion cup on the fly…saves labor/time/space/warewashing
 
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I use shredded and weigh for every pizza. I don’t pre-portion I do it as I need it. In my shop if you don’t weigh the cheese you don’t have a job.
 
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There is a middle ground- we switched after 14 years of using diced to a Leprino- “Plant Shred” it is a short shred. Pizza Hut uses it- we really like it. It is a good compromise.
 
I dont understand… working in the pizza business for years something that you learn i think is how to portion with your eyes… example when you cut the dough, i barely use the scale because im so used to weighting the same amounts everyday over and over… the cheese, you know how much cheese you use… because you do it day by day… get it??? you think in a busy friday night when you have a ton of pizza waiting to go into the oven, you are going to sit with a little cup putting cheese on the pizza??? you know how much time what would take???.. lets see if u use example 8 oz of cheese on a pizza with a cup, and if you dont use it… how much more are you going to use??? 8.01 oz… wow you just took a big hit…
 
its easy for untrained cheezers to put an extra 1 oz on each pie…in a months time thats over $650 bux out of your pocket…I’de like 2 keep that in my bankaccount
 
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Well, I guess we will have to stick with the diced and I’d like to thank everyone for their reponses. I’ve seen couple of places use shredded and it didn’t look like it was an easy thing to do.

We’ll have to find another vendor/wholesaler or use pressure tactics to force them to bring down their prices.

Again, thanks a bunch!

Tommy.

Pizza Factory Athens, GA.
 
Anonymous:
I dont understand… working in the pizza business for years something that you learn i think is how to portion with your eyes… example when you cut the dough, i barely use the scale because im so used to weighting the same amounts everyday over and over… the cheese, you know how much cheese you use… because you do it day by day… get it??? you think in a busy friday night when you have a ton of pizza waiting to go into the oven, you are going to sit with a little cup putting cheese on the pizza??? you know how much time what would take???.. lets see if u use example 8 oz of cheese on a pizza with a cup, and if you dont use it… how much more are you going to use??? 8.01 oz… wow you just took a big hit…
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you have a point, but just immagine making 1000 pies with an extra .01 oz cheese. every little bit adds up and comes off the bottom line. I strictly enforce specs at my shop. if you can’t follow a recipie and use the proper portions , you wash dishes. It’s simple. Cheese is the most expensive thing we have. Pork toppings are right up there with cheese. You might not think putting a little extra on each pie makes a difference but it does.

buying your cheese in big blocks, ie unshredded might be the most cost effective way to go about it. It takes almost no time at all to shred cheese. But for everything the purveyors do for you, you pay more.
 
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The .01s are not bad…It is the 1, 2 or 3 oz. per pie that will leave you broke…And what about the complaints from customers who got a full load last week and a skimpy load this week…RCS…
 
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I’m a cheese guy and from a manufacturing ponit, we like to run a processing line shredding Italian style than diced but really it dosen’t cost more to process.
 
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ADpizzaguy:
you have a point, but just immagine making 1000 pies with an extra .01 oz cheese. every little bit adds up and comes off the bottom line. I strictly enforce specs at my shop. if you can’t follow a recipie and use the proper portions , you wash dishes. It’s simple. Cheese is the most expensive thing we have. Pork toppings are right up there with cheese. You might not think putting a little extra on each pie makes a difference but it does.
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From a practical management and supervision standpoint, having some sort of measure, either weight or volume, gives the employees a fighting chance to succeed in meeting the expectations. Telling somone to put 8 ounces of cheese on a pizza every time without a measuring tool is like telling him to throw darts at a dartboard with one eye closed, and the other squintnig. He’ll get close eventually, but never get anything consistent.

Consistency saves money, allows for measurable results and measurable success. Most other things are some sort of guesstimation. It may be informed or skilled, but it is not precision. Not everyone is in the market for the same level of precision at all times. When you have a 150 pizza hour, I would bet it is really tempting to bail on the procedures and any measuring!!
 
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