Not all Pizzas are created equal

[hakuna matata]

Pizza, I loves me some good pizza, but I loathe bad pizza. About a month ago we tried this place that someone raved about, but it was pretty bad. First time I have had pizza that didn't have any sauce, all cheese, man I felt like I gained 20 pounds from the salt in all that cheese.

Last night we tried a new place and it was pretty bad too, I tried heating it up today (some pizzas, not many, heat up better I have found). Going to throw the rest of it away. The main problem was way too much cheese, and a bland sauce, the crust was okay but overall the pizza was disappointing to say the least.

Pizza by definition is a simple dish but what a variance in the ways to put that simple dish together. My personal favorite pizza is a thin crust (the kind that creates big air bubbles is awesome) with a good pizza sauce (with taste and flavor and a bit of an edge), then put on some good pepperoni, mushrooms and some crumbled bacon. I am a happy man.

I do like Chicago deep crust, like the New York style bend in the middle kind, like a traditional pan pizza, love the wood fired type, love the more traditional Italian pizzas (such as Neapolitan or Lazio or Sicilian), in fact really enjoy 'most' pizzas, but you have to balance the cheese, sauce and ingredients in my humble opinion. Some places seem to get that but man so many do not.

Just curious to what people here like on their pizzas. I am afraid though that pizza might be like religion and politics, Strong opinions on all sides and death to those who don't agree!

[heeyy_joe]

I always order extra sauce on the pizza. Somehow that seems to get just the right amount of cheese on it too. I like the Fave 5 at Papa Murphy's and put some extra stuff on it at home before baking.

[mpeirce]

I never understood people who only liked/ate one kind of pizza. Certainly being loyal to your hometown style is one thing, but forgoing all the delicious variations of pizza out there is another.

Try them all!

Oh, what do I like on my pizza? Just about anything. Once had burnt broccoli that was awful though.

Sadly, I haven't had a pizza in years. Low carb eating and all that. Sigh.

[Walt34]

I enjoy a good pizza but am limited in what I get as it has to be gluten-free. That is not an option, I get seriously sick if I eat a slice of bread and still feel lousy the next day.

They're getting better. Initially the crust was like cardboard but there are now some good ones out there. Fortunately, one is local, but unfortunately not local enough to deliver. That's probably a good thing. But I was so happy to have found the place since I hadn't had a pizza in 20+ years.

I'll order the extra cheese, pepperoni, bacon, ham, beef, and probably any other meats they have and green peppers and onions.

However, under no circumstances will I eat one with anchovies on it. Yuck.

[Amethyst]

I make pizza at home; that way we get what we like.

My observation is that most Americans will eat anything, if you put enough cheese on it.

Amethyst

[GrayHare]

Around here when I order a pizza they ask "A CHEESE pizza?" That's like ordering a sandwich and being asked "A BREAD sandwich?" Heaven forbid if I ask what the default pizza is. "DeFault? Who? Is he Italian?"

Yes, of course, a "cheese" pizza. It's all too common here as well that pizzas are smothered in cheese. Sometimes "light cheese" can be the right order, but it takes multiple pizza-visits to determine.

[Theseus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hakuna matata My personal favorite pizza is a thin crust (the kind that creates big air bubbles is awesome) with a good pizza sauce (with taste and flavor and a bit of an edge), then put on some good pepperoni, mushrooms and some crumbled bacon. I am a happy man.

Oh yeah, your talkin' my language!

Best of all worlds, a more local than regional pizzeria is wholesaling a thin crust pizza under their name to local groceries, last ones we picked up went for only $1.69 each on sale for 12" pepperoni. We soup them up with whatever ingredients we have on hand or out of the garden... probably still less than $3 for our "pizza night" special. They have an awesome sauce, as that is what makes it great. I agree - some makers just don't get it about the sauce and that can make for an awful pizza.

[jerome len]

The only pizza chain pizza I like is Pappa Murphy's. Other than that we have one or two small family pizza restaurants in every town we have lived in. Same is true of good Mexican food.......hate the chains, love the old time family restaurants. Basically we like cheese.....we believe that is "pure" pizza. At times we will add pepperoni or mushrooms.love the mushroom since they are veggies....pepperoni adds calories.....not good for me trying to keep the weight down.

[splitwdw]

Love good pizza and doesn't matter if it's thin crust or thick crust. As far as trying different toppings, if there's a "Jules Thin Crust" near you, order one of the veggie pies. I love their brie, sliced pears, toasted almonds, rosemary, mozzarella pie.
http://http://julesthincrust.com/menu Not that they sell them but I like fruit sandwiches too, favorite is whole wheat with thin sliced pears or apples with poppy seed dressing. You can make a thin crust at home using tortilla rounds and any topping. Throw it on your pizza stone for about 5 minutes. Now I'm hungry for pizza and can't have cause I just had a root canal.
Walt34, Just saw your post. If there's a Jules near you (there aren't that many stores) they have gluten free pies. I shared one with a friend that's got issues with gluten and it was pretty good

[rodi]

My preference is for thin brick oven style pizzas. Back east you could get them at Bertucci's. Here in San Diego there's Sammy's Woodfired pizza.

My very favorite pizza is the Pizza Max at Barbarella's restaurant in La Jolla. It's a thin crust brick oven pizza - the sauce is creme fraiche, then a layer of salmon (sliced thin like lox), then some roasted capers sprinkled on top. We make a version of this at home - but they do it better than we can. Note - there's no cheese.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrayHare Around here when I order a pizza they ask "A CHEESE pizza?" That's like ordering a sandwich and being asked "A BREAD sandwich?" Heaven forbid if I ask what the default pizza is. "DeFault? Who? Is he Italian?" Yes, of course, a "cheese" pizza. It's all too common here as well that pizzas are smothered in cheese. Sometimes "light cheese" can be the right order, but it takes multiple pizza-visits to determine.

You better never order a 'tomato pie' from any pizza place in Philly. It's a pizza pie with no cheese - just the tomato sauce, then sliced tomatos. Very good - but it can freak people out if they're expecting cheese. I lived around the corner from Rizzo's outside of Philly - and they had a great tomato pie.

More to the point about cheese - I ordered a quesadilla at the work cafeteria years ago - and was asked if I wanted cheese. Um.... what does the "queso" part of quesadilla mean to you? Was he going to give me just a tortilla?

[aaronc879]

I LOVE pizza. More cheese the better. I like any and all meat toppings, nothing else. I eat Tombstone Brickstyle pizza nearly every single night. I'll occasionally splurge and get a Meat Lover's from Pizza Hut but can't afford delivery very often. Pizza is one food I can eat every single day and never get tired of it. Some days i'll even have two of them. For the record, I have a 21.2 BMI and have great labs and vitals. Pizza must not be as bad for you as some people claim.

[brewer12345]

I can't stomach the product of the inexpensive places or the prices of the good product places. So we DIY and get far better pizza for peanuts. I think a cheese pie costs me under $3 and it is way better than the cheap crap.

[aja8888]

I grew up back east with all the Italians ans Irish (I'm Lithuanian...but I was good at making friends). I went to school with kids that had family pizza businesses. Not the Irish, they just drank a lot and were Red Sox fans.

So, I like good Italian pizza from a local restaurant (not here). When I go back to Connecticut to visit the industrial calamity that's left, and visit friends and family, we always go out for pizza.

For me: thick crust, REAL cheese, good Italian sausage, good sauce, maybe some anchovies on 1/2 the pie (yes, Walt, I like anchovies on pizza).

[audreyh1]

We often get the pizza supreme at Costco. We order it with no cheese. Fresh grated parmesan goes on it at home.

I hate overloaded cheese on pizza or Mex food, and it's rare to find a place that doesn't pour on the cheese. DH really can't bear it.

Ordering less cheese never seems to work anywhere. Little cheese simply does not compute. Have to go no cheese.

Lady at Costco counter sees DH in the line, signals him, he gives the thumbs up, and our no cheese is already in the oven by the time he reaches the counter.

[38Chevy454]

My wife and I make our own a lot, even the crust. Bread machine and just do the dough setting. Add some spices into the dough mix and it is great.

Like a lot of toppings and generally 2-3 types of meat. Real mozarella is all the cheese type needed. Some italian sausage cooked into the sauce, with pepperoni and bacon is a great mix. Add some veggies and onions, top with parmesan cheese over everything. Bake it on a pizza stone, which gives a nice crust.

Or be lazy and get a Papa Murphys.......

[Chuckanut]

I like a thinner crust but there is nothing wrong with a thick crust either. Done right they are both good and far better than many pizzeria pies. I have started using 00 flour for the first time. I'll see if it lives up to its promise.

I keep the toppings to things like pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, olives and some roasted veggies. Cheese? A layer that covers the pizza with a thin but solid coating of cheese. I also make my own sauce which is easy to do.

I have noticed that pizzeria pizzas often leave me very thirsty, drinking a lot of water for hours afterwards. Homemade pizza does not have that effect.

[foxfirev5]

Anthony's coal fired Westbury LI, North Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale FL. About the only pizza we eat on the road other than Park Pizza in Williamsport PA. All thin crust and exceptional taste.

[John Galt III]

I like the classic NYC pizza best. It has to be too hot to hold or eat when it gets put on the table. It has to be runny and gooey, and oily, and steaming. Yep, the bend in the middle is OK too. Pepperoni is the preferred topping, but ham topping is OK too. Crust should be thin and crispy and partly blackened. And it has to be from an independently owned pizzeria. Don't mean to be snobby, but the national brand pizzas are horrible, IMO.

[anethum]

Besides "regular" pizza, which I like very much, there's a wonderful unusual summer pizza recipe that I love. Instead of pizza dough, you use filo (phyllo) dough sheets on a cookie sheet. Brush the filo sheets with butter, as is typically done with filo dough. Add grated parmesan cheese, a few pieces of raw onion, and instead of tomato sauce, a 3/8" thick slice of ripe garden tomato. You can add any other toppings you want. Prosciutto is excellent, for example. You bake it and slice it into rectangles. It's crisp, light, and delicious.

[aaronc879]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III I like the classic NYC pizza best. It has to be too hot to hold or eat when it gets put on the table. It has to be runny and gooey, and oily, and steaming. Yep, the bend in the middle is OK too. Pepperoni is the preferred topping, but ham topping is OK too. Crust should be thin and crispy and partly blackened. And it has to be from an independently owned pizzeria. Don't mean to be snobby, but the national brand pizzas are horrible, IMO.

Disagree with almost everything here except pepperoni being the preferred topping. Although I love pepperoni I don't like to drink my pizza. Too much grease in not a good thing. I like a pizza that is on the softer side instead of crispy. I like my pizza a little less done than most everyone else. If there's any dark brown, it's too done. Black=burnt=garbage