What is the Perfect Pizza?

[tafnut]

As long as we're being silly here, what's the Perfect Pizza? When I was in Palo Alto, there was a chain called 'Round Table Pizza' and they made a pastrami pizza that was to terminate with extreme preduice for.

What are the Best Ingredients and crust?

[MJD]

Has to involve double cheese.

[tafnut]

Has to involve double cheese.

What KIND of cheese - mozzarella & cheddar?

[MJD]

Has to involve double cheese.

What KIND of cheese - mozzarella & cheddar?

Mozzarella.

[tafnut]

Has to involve double cheese.

What KIND of cheese - mozzarella & cheddar?

Mozzarella.

OK, OK, OK . . .you don't have to to go running off at the keyboard and fill the thread with a bunch of inane chatter. Try to restrain yourself in the future, please!

[bad hammy]

What’s silly about pizza??

Round Table is my favorite large chain pizza joint. I’ve determined that what makes their pizzas stand out is the tomato sauce. They have some kind of spices in there that make for a great tasting pizza. Good consistent crust too.

The best pizzas I’ve ever had were from a small two-joint chain in the San Jose area – Giorgio’s. Great crust, tons of meat, great sauce and cheese. Haven’t been there in 20 years, though. Too far to drive for a pizza.

For Chicago style pizza an excellent small chain pizza is Zachary’s Chicago Style Pizzas. The pizzas are similar to Uno’s Chicago Pizzas, but with fresher ingredients.

[MJD]

Maria's in Brantford would almost be worth the trip for you guys. I'd buy.

[bad hammy]

What KIND of cheese - mozzarella & cheddar?

Cheddar cheese on a pizza??? That's the most inane idea I've ever heard!!!!! Well, you are from the south, where Goo-Goo Clusters are considered to be a gourmet dessert . . .

[bad hammy]

Maria's in Brantford would almost be worth the trip for you guys. I'd buy.

We'll all stay at your castle!

[mike renfro]

Best Pizza:

Uno: Good crust. Can be thick or thin, but must be real bread.

Due: Judicious use of sauce and cheese. Marinara with abundant herbs, fresh mozarella.

Tre: Don't go overboard with the toppings. Three max. More and the crust gets soggy. Its about the bread, stupid.

My favorite combos (as of this moment). Proscuitto and artichoke hearts (fresh, if possible, marinated will work in a pinch). A fresh grating of parmesan (or other hard Italian cheese) wouldn't hurt.

Pesto & grilled meat (chicken or pork works).

I am a disaster as a baker, but if I can get someone to make the dough for the crust, I can construct a pretty good pizza.

Mostly, I don't do chain pizza places. (Is Chez Panniesse and Chez Panniesse Cafe a chain?). Mostly because of the crust. A week ago, I watched the niner-chargers preseason game, and afterwards went to a local Italian place (not great, but some good dishes) and picked up a pizza. The crust was as bad as any frozen pizza you could imagine.

[SQUACKEE]

Thin crust, fresh and sweet sause, not tomato paste crap, lots of cheese which has created a pool of oil, cheese that has been slightly burnt on the edges of the crust, thin pepperori that is slightly burnt on the edges.

http://www.vapcoop.com/images/16flat.jpg

[kuha]

Pizza is the perfect food. It's the perfect shape--round--and if you eat enough of it, you become "perfect" too! I've had pizza in every city I've ever visited in the US and overseas. How about those German pizzas with a half-cooked egg on top?

[MJD]

Some of the best pizza I have ever had. Usually will hit the place up twice in a one week stay. Right across from the condo we stay at too:

http://www.eragazzi.com/home.html

http://www.eragazzi.com/mz-pizza.html

[JRM]

One of the best "non-traditional" pizzas I've ever had is right here in LA, at a place called Palermo. It's a family-owned joint that's been around for ages. The owner is always working, and does the rounds to the tables to check up on the customers. Sometimes he'll even give you free dessert for no reason. The restaurant closes for two or three weeks straight sometimes, when the family goes on vacation.

Anyway, pizza-wise, their speciality is called "Pizza Rosa", which is a sauceless pie, "just right" crust, topped with sliced tomato, mozzarella, and feta cheese. Absolutely addictive! Not only is the food price low, but so it the wine price. Furthermore, on nights when it's really crowded and there's a wait (pretty much every night after 6pm), they serve 75-cent generously-sized glasses of their house wine to sip while you wait.

If the SoCal board members haven't been, I encourage you to go, post haste (I'm going tomorrow night, actually):

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profil ... liano.html

[wineturtle]

Hardware
coal fired brick oven designed for pizza- best if you have 70-100 years to season the bed but around 10 years the cooking floor is 85-90% cured

high quaility anthracite coal-


Software
Tipo 00 pizza flour-~12% Gluten US is fine about 35% if flour exported to the US by Italian companies was imported from the US first.

H2O neither too hard nor soft-Possible my bias but NYC like tapH2O profile works best.There is a place in Southern California that actually attempted to ship NYC Tap for their pizza I DK if in ever got going

fine grind sea salt

whole milk buffalo mozzerella-made from fresh streching curd & must be done on site
A high quaility supplier is a must, he can tweek your curds to fit pie or fresh slab for caprese. Mozzerella for pie should be drier /lower moisture than for eating offplate. I think medium thin slices of the cheese delt on the pie is "truer" but wide shreds work well if not too thin.
a dust of parmesan is often added to spike the cheese flavor-I think if you must this should be done with restraint- great restraint.

canned whole D,O.C.San Marzano- in the restaurant world we use packers/importers from DOC companies who add a basil leaf ...this makes the same tomato a condiment and is imported at a more favorable tariff structure......deseeded and crushed by a hand mill. Do not be confused by whole tomatoes w/ the basil and tomato puree. It must not only say San Marzano D.O.C. it must have a seal and can number.

course grind sea salt -- (the fine was for the crust)
quaility dry spices-create your own blend oregano plus

Temps of over 750-760 must be reached to get the nutty char on the crust and the blister. Much hotter than 950 and you cook too fast to develop a balanced pie. There are a whole buch of moisture balances between dough cheese sauce oven temps ect so short answer is know your oven and products.

Toppings must be chosen and prepared for the quick ,5-8 minute cooking time. ie Lump raw sausage - the parcooked slices would burn.

Totonno's on Neptune Ave in Coney Island Brooklyn is the best example and template of this profile other info is from Frankie the mgr of the original Patsy's on 118st.&First Ave owned by Patsys & Carmella Lancieri.
Sac's Place- in Astoria Queens is one of the best coal fired brick oven pies in NYC and is just over the bridge from Ichan stadium. The oven was made under the direction of an italian company that sent a rep to over see the build and create the special imported mortar.

Add a guy/gal who has been doing pizza for a life time to the mix and....
It's easy as pie !!!!