Pizza cook
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Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
On my Platinum, I put the stone on an old set of cast iron grates and turn all burners to the medium setting. I wait until the hood temp is about 450 deg (which takes about 20 mins depending on ambient temps), then I turn the gas down 1 notch on all the burners and prep the pie. By the time the pizza is ready to bake, the total preheat time is about 30 mins, the hood temp is about 500 deg, and the stone temp is about 600.
I've never actually timed the cooks (I just look at the pizza, and when it's done it's done), but I think they're in the 7-8 minute range.
Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
I've found that a smoker box works really well for pizza. When I get the amount of smoke just right, the results are indistinguishable from a wood-fired oven.
THyde
TVWBB Guru
So the one other thing I'm thinking to try is to grate my own mozzarella. I looked at almost an entire you tube video, so as an expert I can say that the pre shredded stuff has some kind of crap sprinkled on it to make it *not* stick to itself. If I had shredded the cheese myself I probably would not have sprinkled cheese all over the inside of the oven while I was trying to slide the pie off the peeler.
Semolina I will surely look for next time I am at the grocery store.
But the big problem is how to up my smoke detector game. I set the bar pretty high. Maybe I can repeat another of my wife's favorites, like the time I used the shop vac to clean ashes out of the fireplace without realizing that there was no filter at all in the vac. That one was hilarious! The fireplace was spotless, but the wife was making noises almost exactly like those that a smoke detector makes!
Semolina I will surely look for next time I am at the grocery store.
But the big problem is how to up my smoke detector game. I set the bar pretty high. Maybe I can repeat another of my wife's favorites, like the time I used the shop vac to clean ashes out of the fireplace without realizing that there was no filter at all in the vac. That one was hilarious! The fireplace was spotless, but the wife was making noises almost exactly like those that a smoke detector makes!
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
not stick = cellulose = refined wood dust. used in a lot of foods (and sports drinks so the color doesn't fall to the container bottom).
costco sells a part skim milk mozz in a big block (i will confirm the make up this block). cut it in logs that will fit into a food processor, par freeze if for 10 mins, then place in food processor using the large grating disk. works every time.
or buy the fresh mozz (sometime called buffalo mozz if you can find the real stuff) at Costco (or your fave store) and hand pull and top onto your pizza.
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Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
I grate my own using a food processor with a coarse grating disc. Not only does it taste better, the texture is more pleasant as well. I could never get the pre-shredded stuff to melt properly, probably because of the starch/cellulose coating they give it. If it doesn't stick together in the package, it's probably not going to melt together either.
My preference is for whole-milk, low moisture mozzarella (WM/LM). It melts nicely and has great "stretch" (which to me is half the fun of eating pizza!) The part-skim is less oily and less stretchy, but IMO also less tasty. I also find that the part-skim gets more rubbery and harder to chew as it cools.
If you're used to NY-style pizza, you'll want WM/LM for that characteristic (and slightly greasy) taste. The whole milk doesn't brown as readily as the part-skim, if that's important. It tends to be harder to find in supermarkets, but I'm seeing more and more of it in the last couple of years.
Purists will argue, but of readily available supermarket cheeses, I find Galbani to be decent. I got some Supremo brand from a restaurant supply store once, and it was pretty good.
DanHoo
TVWBB Olympian
How long do you pre heat the steel?
THyde
TVWBB Guru
Yes, I prefer whole milk too, thanks for this! Now I'm wondering if they have it at my local Restaurant Store.
Well, the only thing left is the sauce! When I was substantially younger, I worked in a pizza place for a while, and they taught me that the sauce should be a little watery compared to what you would use for pasta. So for that first try, which there are no pictures of, I just took some Hunt's "sauce" and added some pepper and water to it. It was OK, but my preferred sauce recipe, from my old grandmother who lived in Bensonhurst, is this, which is what I usually make. For pizza I would thin it with water probably one volume of sauce to one half volume of water. Anyway, if anybody's interested, here's the recipe:
1 can of crushed tomatoes
6 to 8 cloves garlic, finely diced or pressed
Olive oil to sautee garlic, about 1 tablespoon
Parsley
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Whole Bay Leaf
Sautee garlic in a small amount of olive oil, I use 6 to 8 cloves per tin of tomatoes. Sautee until golden and not longer or it will burn.
Add one tin can of crushed tomatoes, stir. I've been using a brand called Sclafani lately, but generally I just pick a can at the grocery store with the most Italian sounding name I can find, bonus points if the can says "pomidoro". Stir. Alternatively, you can use canned peeled tomatoes and cut them up in the blender, but I have not found this to be worthwhile so I just use crushed. Stir. Add parsley to cover the top of the sauce, probably a few tablespoons' worth. Stir. Add a circle of oregano, probably about a teaspoon or two. Stir. Mix in 1 or 2 whole bay leaves. Stir. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir. Stir. Stir. When you get to a simmer, stir and lower the heat. Stir. Then I usually leave the lid ajar to let water evaporate. Stir. Stir. The longer you can let it simmer, the better it gets. Stir. Stir. Stir.
Then, "mangia".
Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
I would strongly disagree with that statement. In fact, every recipe I've ever seen says exactly the opposite: you don't want as much moisture in a pizza sauce, so as not to make the crust soggy.
I suspect they watered the sauce to increase their profits.
Here's the recipe I use; it's not unlike yours, with the addition of the tomato paste:
I use tomatoes from our garden that my wife cans up for this use. They're a mixture of 3 different kinds of tomatoes for flavor (don't ask me what varieties, that's her department. I just know it tastes good.)
Just to stir the pot...most pizza enthusiasts I've met are adamant about not cooking pizza sauce. As they point out, it cooks on the pizza and doesn't need to be cooked twice. I used to cook my sauce, but when I switched to this fresh recipe the taste of my pizzas took a big turn for the better.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
i've found that i can get it to temp in 30 mins, covered grill, target of 450-475 (using laser temp reader). the steel will settle in at 500F when cooking due to opening the lid. i cooked at hotter temps but didn't get the desired results. i use a pizza screen for the first half of cook (4 mins or so) then "deck" the pizza onto the steel for the crisping of the bottom and rotate it to ensure an even cook. total cook time runs 6-7 mins for how we like it; very much NY thin style. we don't like a bready type dough; more crunch on each bite with some pull from the dough and a little browned on the cheese.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
you go much farther than most NY pizzerias. most of them go no-cook on the sauce.
personally, i use Cento crushed toms, add in some quality EVOO, a pinch of salt, oregano and a pinch of granulated garlic. that is all.
when dressing the pie, first is a dash of pecorino atop the tom sauce you've spread out, then grated mozz, a very light evoo drizzle and a dash of oregano.
cook to desired texture then enjoy!
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Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
i like this peel for spinning pizzas: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NPQDVD8/?tag=tvwb-20
THyde
TVWBB Guru
I was posting the recipe I use for cooking sauce for pasta, I would say after reading and thinking maybe I'll make it like that for the next pizza attempt but just not cook it. I find it absolutely necessary to sauté the garlic, so maybe I will do that, add the tomatoes and other stuff and just turn the stove off after the garlic is done.
These things are complicated!
These things are complicated!
THyde
TVWBB Guru
All right, so I'm on round 2. This time, I activated the yeast in the water with sugar first, then added that and the oil and mixed up the dough. I might let it rise for a while tonight this time to see what impact that has, then I'll put it in the fridge. Tomorrow I'm going to the store so I can pick up semolina flour and block mozz, and so this should be a better attempt. I'll cook these on the 2000 tomorrow night.
Grant Cunningham
TVWBB Pro
For future bakes — no need to activate the instant dry yeast. Mix it in with the other dry ingredients, then add the water. It'll rise just fine.
THyde
TVWBB Guru
Grrrr. I can't come off the peel!
I made two pies last night, changes from the first try were that I used the grill (and that piece of marble as a stone, that worked great) and when I took the doughs out I used semolina flour to dip it in and shape the pies. Also semolina on the peel. Grated the mozz, made a better sauce.
I can NOT get the freaking things to slide off the peel right!
First pie came off OK, just a little rearranging of toppings toward the back of the pie. But overall ended up being circular and came out pretty good.
Second pie was really stuck on there. I could not get the freaking thing off. Should I be using more flour on the peel? That one ended up being very football shaped, and then I ended up freaking burning it. Probably because I almost definitely slopped cheese and sauce all over the stone trying to shimmy the bastage off the peel.
This is what cracks me up about the current time by the way. I mean, I am an EXPERT! I watched almost a whole you tube video for crying out loud, I know everything there is to know!
But when you can remember the times before everybody became such a freaking expert in everything, you know what the real problem is, as I do. First off, I am not Skilled in this Trade. I'm capitalizing to show respect.
Second, nobody really showed me how to do this. What I mean by that, and what is lost these days, is that nobody really showed me how to do it then watched what I did so we could figure out where I'm screwing this up.
Anyway, does anybody have any tips on how to get them to slide off the peel better? It's an aluminum peel, I am using Grant's exact recipe and I have tried regular flour and semolina at the dough shaping and sauce cheese stage, both tries for me resulted in sticky pies.
I made two pies last night, changes from the first try were that I used the grill (and that piece of marble as a stone, that worked great) and when I took the doughs out I used semolina flour to dip it in and shape the pies. Also semolina on the peel. Grated the mozz, made a better sauce.
I can NOT get the freaking things to slide off the peel right!
First pie came off OK, just a little rearranging of toppings toward the back of the pie. But overall ended up being circular and came out pretty good.
Second pie was really stuck on there. I could not get the freaking thing off. Should I be using more flour on the peel? That one ended up being very football shaped, and then I ended up freaking burning it. Probably because I almost definitely slopped cheese and sauce all over the stone trying to shimmy the bastage off the peel.
This is what cracks me up about the current time by the way. I mean, I am an EXPERT! I watched almost a whole you tube video for crying out loud, I know everything there is to know!
But when you can remember the times before everybody became such a freaking expert in everything, you know what the real problem is, as I do. First off, I am not Skilled in this Trade. I'm capitalizing to show respect.
Second, nobody really showed me how to do this. What I mean by that, and what is lost these days, is that nobody really showed me how to do it then watched what I did so we could figure out where I'm screwing this up.
Anyway, does anybody have any tips on how to get them to slide off the peel better? It's an aluminum peel, I am using Grant's exact recipe and I have tried regular flour and semolina at the dough shaping and sauce cheese stage, both tries for me resulted in sticky pies.
DanHoo
TVWBB Olympian
I make the pizza on parchment paper and pull the paper out partway through the cook. I cook on a stone and I turn the pizza 90 degrees a couple mins into the cook and pull the paper then.
I also use a wood peel as we tend to make larger pies and the larger pies are wider than my metal peel.
I remove the pies with the metal peel so I don't gunk up the wood.
I also use a wood peel as we tend to make larger pies and the larger pies are wider than my metal peel.
I remove the pies with the metal peel so I don't gunk up the wood.
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Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Use these to form and dress your pies. Cook on them for 5 mins then descreen (deck) your pie onto your stone.
Winco Aluminum Winware 14-Inch Seamless Pizza Screen https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CIEJZG/?tag=tvwb-20
Alternatively, blow a bubble under the pie right before you want to slide it of the peel. This helps by breaking the airlock you’re experiencing. And shimmy the pie before you get ready to send it onto your stone. You need to break the seal you’ve created when saucing and cheesing your pie.
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Wood peel is much better than metal. I speak from experience. Your dough hydration might be too high for metal and or you’re not using enough flour. But too much flour and the raw flour will burn on your stone. I’d recco you go wood.