A taste test of <i>burratas</i>

It seems like another age now, but it wasn’t so long ago that burrata could be hard to find in Southern California. There are several brands available today, though, so I picked up four of the best for an impromptu at-home comparison tasting. The results were surprising. The two best burratas were also the least expensive. And considering burrata‘s reputation as a slightly bland cheese, the best brand was head-and-shoulders above the rest. Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise since it comes from the cheesemaker who pioneered burrata in America.

It should be noted that this was the result of what I could buy on a single given day; burrata is notoriously dependent on being freshly made and, theoretically anyway, another day could have yielded another result.

Gioia Cheese Not very promising at first. It comes in a huge 1-pound ball that has practically molded itself to the container. But cut the ball open and the picture changes completely. The skin is thin and silky, not rubbery. The filling is slightly firm and raggy but still voluptuous. And the flavor is really terrific, sweet with a complex dairy flavor. This is one terrific cheese. 62 cents per ounce, available at Bristol Farms.

Trader Giotto Yeah, I know; I was surprised too. But the house brand for the Trader Joe’s chain is actually quite ... acceptable. It comes in a pair of 4-ounce balls. The skin is slightly rubbery, the filling is fairly raggy, but not quite as voluptuous as the Gioia. The flavor is sweet and milky, almost like cottage cheese. 62 cents per ounce, available at Trader Joe’s.

Angelo & Franco Very soft texture with a lot of weeping liquid as it sits on the plate. The flavor is fairly bland with a slight lactic bitterness and a touch of sweetness in the finish. 93 cents per ounce, available at Whole Foods.

Di Stefano Burrata alla Panna (www.distefanocheese.com) This was a bit of a shocker, since it is Nancy Silverton’s favorite American burrata and had scored very well in a tasting last year at the San Francisco Chronicle (which didn’t include Gioia). But this time around, the cheese is a bit of a mess. It comes in a tightly wrapped plastic bag rather than a container, and it falls apart when removed from that. There’s lots of liquid in the center and not much rag. The flavor is bland and slightly bitter. $1.12 per ounce, available at Whole Foods.

—Russ Parsons