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Ask just about anyone what their favorite food is. I can guarantee that one of the top three is likely to be pizza. Everyone loves pizza and everyone has different opinions about pizza. Thin or thick crust? What toppings? New York, California or Chicago style? Small, Medium or Large? Even pick-up or delivery? Now you can have your very own opinion, options and your very own pizza!
Here we'll give you the basics of pizza preparation, condiments and cooking equipment. Pizza is very forgiving. It really doesn't care what you put on it or where you cook it. I've even made it on a barbecue! So don't worry and just have fun with it.
Equipment For Making Pizza
Food Processor - this is probably the most useful (although you can get by without it) piece of equipment.
Rolling pin - for those who don't want to toss the dough.
Baking stone or bricks - A heavy duty baking sheet can be used instead.
Pizza peel - Paddle like tool for removing pizza from the oven - a couple of spatulas will work fine too.
Pizza cutter - Don't have one? Use a big knife.
Cooling rack
Make the Dough
Bread flour is what I use, it produces a dough that's a little thicker, lighter and fluffier. If you prefer a thinner and crisper crust, use regular flour.
Make the Sauce
Not always necessary. Some pizzas have sauces some don't. Not only does a sauce add flavor, it helps keep the cheese on the pizza.
Cheese
Cheese is probably the single most important ingredient. Don't be cheap when it comes to buying cheese. Buy fresh, whole cheeses. You and your taste buds will be glad you did. It's OK to grate the cheese in advance (I use the food processor for this) and keep refrigerated or frozen for later use.
Prepare Toppings
I like to have all the toppings cut and ready prior to assembly. This makes the assembly fast, which is important.
Roll out the Dough
Roll out the dough on a clean dry surface. Use lots of flour so it won't stick.
Assemble and Bake
Place the dough on a cookie sheet or on your pizza peel. If using a peael, first sprinkle it with a little corn meal. The cornmeal acts like tiny "ball bearings" that helps the pizza to slide off into the oven.
Put the sauce on leaving a quarter to half inch border around the edge. This gives your pizza that pizzeria look. Cover with cheese. Also leaving a quarter to half inch border. Place toppings on top. Put pizza in a 400 degree (F) oven for about 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. If you are using a pizza stone or bricks, always sprinkle corn meal on stone just before the pizza goes in. This helps the pizza not to stick here too.
Remove and let cool on cooling rack for 10 minutes. If you don't let it cool a bit before cutting the molten hot cheese will flow like lava off your pizza and on to your counter.
Slice and Share
Slice it up any way you like and be sure to have enough people around to tell you how great it is.
Every pizza is pretty much made the same way. Any technique unique to a particular pizza will be described within the recipe.
Recommended Reading
Pizza lovers will certainly enjoy browsing through this book, even if not all of the recipes appeal to their tastebuds. But with such a varied selection of pizza recipes, there is definitely something for everyone. Choices range from classics to highly unique pizzas, such as breakfast pizza.
My only criticism would be that, since the recipes were chosen by an American poll, that calling this book a collection of the world's best pizzas is slightly inaccurate. Nevertheless, this book is well worth its price and should offer something delicious to everyone in the world.
(courtesy: Amazon)
About the Author:
Cheri Sicard and Mitch Mandell produce FabulousFoods.com, a comprehensive online cooking community that offers several types of cooking newsletters.
Let's Get Cooking!
While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important
reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability
to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...
by Mitch Mandell
Let's Get Cooking!
