Detroit has proved to be one of the most popular pizza styles across the U.S. The tender, yet chewy crumb and racing-stripe sauce add to its appeal, but there’s no denying that the real magic is in the crispy cheese crown that towers above the edges of the pizza. It seems only a matter of time before the Frico transcends Detroit pizza altogether and pops up on other styles.

These blackened, lacy edges can be traced back to Buddy’s Pizza, the iconic pizzeria credited with creating what we now call Detroit-style pizza. In 1946, the owners – Gus Guerra and his wife, Anna – were looking for something new to add to their menu. They came up with a variation on Sicilian pizza with a show-stopping cheese crown. The lore behind this style is that Buddy’s used a blue steel pan originally meant to hold small auto manufacturing parts. With an abundance of such trays in Motor City, it was probably a simple matter of convenience and supply. It’s this very pan – deep with thick steel sides – that help create the beautiful cheese crown. Ironically, those blue steel pans so key to the style’s creation are now nearly impossible to find. Luckily, other pans exist to help mimic the originals.

Frico For Non-Detroit Styles

As a person who doesn’t adhere to the exact constructs of specific pizza styles, I love seeing the Frico edge pop up outside of Detroit pizza. I’ve never made Detroit pizza at my shop, but I do put a crispy cheese crust on our Grandma pies. The pizza I make is a variation of the pan pizza my mom used to make. It’s her version of a pan pie, coated with a sesame-seed bottom. When I was workshopping this pizza to make at my restaurant, cheese that pooled over the edge and caramelized in the oven was a natural addition. The sesame seeds turn crunchy and buttery in the oven, and the crispy cheese edge makes the pizza almost decadent. Looking around, I see this feature elsewhere, too – especially on round pan pies. At Chicago-based Milly’s Pizza in the Pan, you can find a cheesy layer lurking along the round crust of what the owner, Robert Maleski, calls a Chicago pan pizza.

It might look easy, but getting the perfect frico crust takes more than just sprinkling some extra cheese on the edge of your pan pie. Like anything extraordinary, it’s all in the details. Creating a consistently great cheese crown really comes down to the cheese, the fat, the pan and the tools.

Cheese Frico

Traditionally, Wisconsin brick cheese was used to create the caramelized edges. This high-fat cheese has a buttery, salty flavor with a good amount of tang. Mozzarella has become a more common addition to the cheese blend. The amount of cheese you use is extremely important. Nicole Bean of Pizaro’s Pizza Napoletana in Houston agrees that finding the right balance of cheeses is essential. She says, “Low-moisture mozzarella is helpful building a frico. There’s debate on which brand – and even if pre-shred makes a difference on it. I think it truly depends on what you’re looking for in your frico.”

The shape of the cheese can impact your final product as well. Shredded cheese is a great option, but also consider using sliced cheese that you layer along the sides – or cut and cubed cheese. This is how Maleski creates his crispy crust at Milly’s. “I use part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella. I think the whole milk releases just a little too much grease and have found that skim works better. I buy them in block form, and we slice them ourselves. We do one-ounce slices. The trick is to layer the slices so they run up the side of the pan.”

While you want a crispy crown, Maleski points out that it’s important not to overcook the pizza, since it can cause the frico to taste bitter and burned.

Pan Pizza

The cheese works in tandem with the pan. The traditional blue steel pans with black surfaces are similar to a cast iron, with the black being better at conducting heat and essentially frying the cheese edge as the pizza cooks. The slightly sloped edges help to create the shelf of caramelized, lacy cheese. While these pans are very hard to come by nowadays, there are some good alternatives.

Once you find the right pan for your frico, don’t forget the fat. A good amount of fat should be used along the bottom and sides of the pan – not only to help with the release of the frico but to help fry it and give it shape and flavor. I’m a big fan of olive oil, but depending on what you’re going for, butter, Crisco or even good old-fashioned grease works really well – or try a combination of a few coatings. Maleski first rubs the entire pan with Crisco and then sprays Pam along the edge of the pan where the frico will touch. He says, “When I first started, it was incredibly challenging to free the pizzas from the pan. Since I discovered the combo of Crisco and Pam, I have never had any issues with the pizza sticking; it comes out like butter.”

Releasing Pizza From the Pan

Once you determine which pan to use and the grease you prefer, the next thing to consider is how to go get it out of the pan. “Choose the right tools to remove your Detroits to preserve the frico as much as possible,” Bean says. “I’ve seen a variety of things: metal dough scrapers or even putty scrapers, beveled spatulas, plastic or metal spatulas, flexi scrapers.”

There’s something about a caramelized cheese frico that is irresistible – both to eat and photograph. While Detroit-style pizza is as popular as ever, the Frico edge itself has taken on a life of its own. Using the right tools, cheese, pans and process, there’s really no limit to putting a frico on your own version of pan pizza.

Audrey Kelly owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

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“Crescenza-Stracchino continues to be recognized at contests for its freshness and creamy, tangy texture and flavor,” states Umberto Marconi, Vice President Marketing BelGioioso Cheese. “Our Cheesemakers truly craft an exceptional cheese. It’s a favorite of many Chefs for signature pizzas and specialty sandwiches. We also package the cheese into 1 oz. snacking portions, perfect for offering passive sampling at cheese counters.”

Polly-O New York Style Ricotta also received a 1^st place, Best of Class award. “This Ricotta has a unique following in the Northeast, the award is a significant honor in this large category,” states Marconi. “The Polly-O brand continues to gain nationwide recognition for its quality and value. It’s been a staple in many Italian kitchens and we are excited for its expansion and availability from coast to coast.”

2025 American Cheese Society Awards

1^st place Gold – BelGioioso Crescenza-Stracchino

1^st place Gold – Polly-O New York Style Ricotta

2^nd place Silver – BelGioioso Parmesan

2^nd place Silver – BelGioioso Burrata

2^nd place Silver – BelGioioso Pesto Sliced Fresh Mozzarella

3^rd place Bronze – BelGioioso 8 oz. Fresh Mozzarella Ball

3^rd place Bronze – BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Snacking Cheese

3^rd place Bronze – Marinated Fresh Basil & Garlic Fresh Mozzarella

BelGioioso Cheese is a family-owned and operated company specializing in artisan Italian cheesemaking.  Using only natural ingredients and fresh, local Wisconsin milk, Master Cheesemakers hand-craft a full line of exceptional cheeses guided by a commitment to quality and a respect for tradition. At BelGioioso, every cheese is a specialty.

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Whenever I go to a new pizzeria, the first thing I order is a classic cheese slice or pie. Not only is it my daily go-to slice, but it is also how I determine just how a place measures up. In my mind, if you can’t get the basics right, there isn’t a very good foundation to be creative with. The mozzarella, and if you’re getting fancy, Pecorino or Parmigiano Reggiano that a pizzeria chooses says a lot about them. Once you do master your perfect plain slice, there are so many options to explore with cheese. 

The type of cheese you decide to use can really make or break a pizza. It can add tons flavor and texture depending on what direction you want to take. Certain cheeses, such as ricotta, can be paired with a wide range of things. It’s creamy, light texture is a fantastic vehicle for everything from seasonal fruits and greens to garlic, caramelized onions, olives and salty meats. Then there are cheeses with more distinct flavors like the blue veined variety. They pair great with sweet or slightly salty things. Think prosciutto, dried cherries and fig jams. Here are a few of my current favorite pies:

• Stracciatella, mozzarella, peaches, arugula, prosciutto and extra virgin olive oil
• Roquefort, mozzarella, honey and pistachios with fresh flowers
• Cotija, mozzarella, Anaheim green chiles, fresh corn, red onion and cilantro
• Manchego, mozzarella, Iberico ham and olives
• Ricotta, spinach, garlic, olive oil, basil, mozzarella, Pecorino and Castelveltrano olives

Before deciding on a cheese to use, it’s important to understand what makes each type of cheese unique. Moisture levels play an important role since cheese is categorized by its firmness. Higher moisture content results in a softer cheese and lower moisture content results in a firmer, densely packed cheese. While there are thousands of types of cheese, they can be broken down into six categories: fresh cheese, soft cheese, semi-soft cheese, semi-firm cheese, hard cheese and blue-veined cheese. 

A few important things to keep in mind when choosing a cheese:

Type of Milk

Milk is always the base of cheese but what animal it comes from drastically changes the flavor of it. Cow’s milk tends to have a creamy, sweet flavor and is usually the mildest. Sheep’s milk is tangier and grassy, and goat’s milk has a gamey flavor to it without the buttery sweetness of cow’s milk. 

Aging

Depending on how long cheese is aged can radically change its flavor. A perfect example is Parmigiano Reggiano. While all true DOP versions of this cheese have a sharp, complex flavor, a 12-month Parmigiano Reggiano will be lighter in flavor and smoother in texture than a 36-month-old wheel. The longer it’s aged the more intense the favor and more granular the texture becomes. 

Country of Origin

Many cheeses can only bear a certain name if they are produced in a certain region using strictly controlled methods. Manchego is a good example of this. It is produced from the milk of the Manchego sheep in La Mancha wilderness of Central Spain. 

Best Uses

Especially when it comes to pizza, I like to use different cheeses at different stages making a pie. Certain ones are fantastic base cheese and others the perfect finishers. 

Deciding when to add a cheese will also affect how it interacts with other ingredients. If you want the flavors to meld with your base, then add them before the pie goes in the oven. However, if you’re looking to have them round out the pizza or shine on their own, add them after they come out of the oven. One of my favorite finishing cheeses is Stracciatella. I love this post-bake because you can really discern the creamy, rich flavor and texture as opposed to adding it before where those elements are simply baked out. Another is Piave. Piave is an Italian cow’s milk cheese kind of similar to Parmigiano Reggiano but with a smoother, nutty flavor. Pecorino is also a great finisher. I know a lot of pizza makers who finish every single pizza with this hard cheese. It rounds out the pizza and adds a little sharp flavor that perks your taste buds and combines really well with tomato sauce. Then there are some cheeses which go great at any stage: Gorgonzola, goat cheese, ricotta and feta.

So, what are great base cheeses? Mozzarella is of course my top pick. Not only because it is the classic pizza cheese, but a mozzarella offers up the perfect flavor and texture to build upon. It is creamy with a slight hit of saltiness that allows you to build upon without getting in the way of other more dominant flavors. With mozzarella as a base, you can make everything from a Street Corn Pie to S’mores Dessert Pizza. 

When choosing a mozzarella for your base there are a few different options. You can go with straight up whole milk, my personal preference. Whole milk mozzarella offers a rich, creamy mouth feel with a little extra grease. Personally, I think it bakes better on the pizza and I love how it mixes with our sauce. Part skim has a lower butterfat content, melts evenly and has a fantastic stretch. So, if you’re looking for the Insta-worthy cheese pull, part-skim is for you. Then there is what a lot of cheese companies identify as East Coast blend which is comprised of 50 percent whole milk and
50 percent part-skim. 

Blends are also a great option. Some of the more popular are mozzarella and provolone, mozzarella and Asiago, and mozzarella and cheddar. Different regional pizza styles use specific base cheeses or blends which will change the base flavor profile. 

Detroit pizza uses Wisconsin Brick cheese. It is a semi-soft cheese with a high fat content that is similar to cheddar with a mild flavor. Coal-fired or New Haven-style pizza traditionally uses dry mozzarella. On St. Louis style pies, it is typical to find Provel, which is a processed white cheese consisting of cheddar, Swiss and provolone. Neapolitan pizza is made with fresh mozzarella or Buffalo mozzarella. 

As you can see, it’s always fun to experiment outside of your comfort zone. Find whatever base cheese you love and build your pizza from there. You have countless options. Don’t be afraid to reach out to local cheese makers, it’s most likely just as good as any imported cheese depending on what you’re looking for and where you’re located. 

Summer Corn Pie

This pizza features Cotija cheese, which is a Mexican cow’s milk cheese. It is crumbly, salty, moist and very addictive.

Get the Summer Corn Pizza recipe.

Audrey Kelly is the owner and pizzaiola at Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.

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