View Full Version : Too Much Pizza....
I'm going to start out by saying that I figure some people are eating way too much Pizza, these days. Case Study: There is a littlebitty, insignificant town way up north in the middle of nowhere, pop 5,000 city/4500 county, that has at least 6 places that serve piping hot, ready to eat Pizza, maybe more. Then there is a company that makes frozen pizzas, and several grocery stores and convenience stores selling frozen pizzas. One of the groceries has a deli, and I'll bet they sell pizza, too. I could see a community that size having 1 pizza & pasta parlor; but not pizza being served all over town, in addition to the deep-fried greasy foods like pork t's, barbeque, burgers, etc., etc., etc.. It's crazy. The stereotypical mainstream citizen there is one of those obese, middle-aged Harley Riders with his farmer sunburn, and his wife, who stuffs herself into her clothes, like sausage being made. They are a little more clean cut & somewhat less sleazy than the Harley People around here, due to affluence($10k/acre farmland), and small-town community standards of sorts, but the food abuse is really epidemic. The agenda is: Get on the Scooter, and drive to the next burg, and check out the fried grease establishments, there. It is a major pastime. I'm serious. Pizza, is at the epicenter of the food abuse epidemic. Did I tell you--when I was up there last time, I saw a trailer made by a company in that town all decked out as a route carrier for yet ANOTHER frozen pizza company up in the region. Pizza, is not just a luxury food for occasional consumption--it has become a staple of their diet! So, how much pizza do you eat? Can you get enough of it? Be honest.
Here's my local pizza place, they even have live music:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-JB8iGY4V4nw/UF03VFfUFhI/AAAAAAAAGPo/KPHRrQM5TUI/s640/Awesomized.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tB3Bc2sSFzE/UF03Os2Bi9I/AAAAAAAAGPY/e3v3rMKszxA/s640/Awesomized.jpg
Gardenarian
8-25-14, 4:08pm
I'm not crazy about the pizza in California, though I did have it twice on my recent trip to Massachusetts. They know how to make a proper pizza there!
Pizza can be part of a healthy diet; I don't see a problem with it.
My dh gets a pizza when he goes to Costco (every 2 weeks or so) and brings it home and tops it with tons of veggies. Costco pizza: not the real thing.
We are very fussy about our pizzas. Out of probably 50+ places to get pizza, there are only a handful that make it (and the sauces)fresh and cook it properly. Most serve frozen or as I call it Sysco pizzas without any input other than an oven at the pizza joint.
Our best one has the prep line and oven as part of the front of the restaurant.
Of course, the real religious question: what is pizza?
http://farmrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Hogstone-New-Years-7-of-14.jpg
Of course, the real religious question: what is pizza?
http://farmrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Hogstone-New-Years-7-of-14.jpgI believe that is genuine Islamic-Style Pizza, using genuine goat cheese and baked in an oven fired with camel chips. The customer prays toward Mecca, while they wait for it to be delivered to their table.
There is no such thing as too much pizza.
I could eat pizza alot, but we just have it on Friday nights. We used to get a Papa Murphy's veggie delite pizza, but then I started buying a frozen Freschetta grilled 5 cheese pizza and I add sweet onions, red pepper and lots of spinach to it. Yummy!
rosarugosa
8-25-14, 7:15pm
MY DH makes it at home, so we haven't bought a pizza for years. We probably have it twice a month. It does amaze me that there are 6 pizza places within shouting distance of our house. If we expanded the radius to three miles, I probably wouldn't have enough digits to count them. I do wonder how they all stay in business. DH's pizza is cheap, easy, and WAY better!
What kind of crust does he make rosarugosa?
I could eat pizza alot, but we just have it on Friday nights. We used to get a Papa Murphy's veggie delite pizza, but then I started buying a frozen Freschetta grilled 5 cheese pizza and I add sweet onions, red pepper and lots of spinach to it. Yummy!
We do the Friday pizza thing too! But ours is Papa John's, not Papa Murphy's (what Irish person makes great pizza? :). But I actually don't like Papa John's--it's too commercial, too sweet... but DH LOVES it. I'm with my DD who adores American Flatbread pizza, out of Vermont. We can't get that fresh here in NJ, though.
Pizza is great for us because you can be a vegetarian married to a meat eater and get half meat and half veggies, so it's very convenient.
We cheat around the house, as we usually have a vat of no-knead dough hanging out in the refrigerator, and it is trivial to turn this into pizza or other flatbreads.
Well, this WAS supposed to be an anti-pizza thread, wherein I'd get you kids to swear off pizza & go cold-pepperoni on your pizza addiction. But, it doesn't sound like it is gonna happen. So, what I'm gonna do is take a lemon and make Lemonade. I have decided to integrate my drive-through ro-chik scheme and the concept of lockered meat into: " Drive-Through Lockered Pizza!" Consumers will pay up front by debit card for a side-, or half side- or a quarter side- of lockered pizza on a scanner and touch screen out on the drive up; key in the type of crust, toppings, and how much artery-clogging GREASE they want dripping off their prepaid supply of pizza. Then we electronically "locker" their pizzas, and this will give my new company working capital, interest free! Patrons go through the drive up, make a withdrawal from their "locker", our employees quickly unthaw and rapid-cook the pizza on demand. The consumer pulls up to the window, and the pizza(s) come out through a slot below the window. As I said, it's basically a rework of my drive-through rotisserie chicken idea. Another gimmick that is certainly not new--but we'll do it too: We'll exhaust the vapors from our pizza ovens out to the road, where passerbys can be enticed by the smell of hot, baking pizza! More effective and better drawing power than all the Superbowl Sunday Ads in the World! Ha. "Papa Packy's Zurra-Style Lockered Pizza!"
iris lilies
8-25-14, 9:28pm
I am tired of pizza as the universal junk food. We have had pizza delivered to our house probably 2X in 25 years, it's just not something that we do. On the local restaurant discussion board someone raises the topic of best pizza in town several times a year, it's predictable and boring.
DH used to make pizza dough and I would load it up with stuff from our garden and hamburger. I much prefer thin crust, even cracker crust, to thick pieces. We haven't done that in more than a year.
Dh who was raised on a farm in a "littlebitty, insignificant town way up north in the middle of nowhere" had pizza as a kid years before I had it because his mother, from Switzerland, picked up a technique for making it from the Italian Swiss.
For the past 8 or so years, we've enjoyed the company of our grandkids every Friday evening. This has become pizza and wings night for the boys and I've never become so tired of any one item as I have pizza. I usually order an antipasta salad and a hoagy, although the hoagy is now getting a little old as well.
I have decided to integrate my drive-through ro-chik scheme and the concept of lockered meat into: " Drive-Through Lockered Pizza!" Consumers will pay up front by debit card for a side-, or half side- or a quarter side- of lockered pizza on a scanner and touch screen out on the drive up; key in the type of crust, toppings, and how much artery-clogging GREASE they want dripping off their prepaid supply of pizza. Then we electronically "locker" their pizzas.... "Papa Packy's Zurra-Style Lockered Pizza!"
Hey, Packy, you'll have my husband, hook, line and sinker! But you have to include special half-price deals if the Yankees win!
Simplemind
8-25-14, 9:42pm
Friday has always been family pizza/movie night. It is tradition and if for some reason something comes up on a Friday we still need to wrangle it in somehow. What is left over (and that is expected) becomes youngest kids breakfast in the morning. He is tall and as thin as a toothpick. As soon as the tomatoes are ripe we make fresh sauce and basil from the garden on Boboli bread. Delish.
Blackdog Lin
8-25-14, 10:27pm
What Tradd said.
catherine
8-25-14, 10:29pm
What is left over (and that is expected) becomes youngest kids breakfast in the morning.
OMG, I eat cold pizza for breakfast every chance I get.
We cheat around the house, as we usually have a vat of no-knead dough hanging out in the refrigerator, and it is trivial to turn this into pizza or other flatbreads.
This thread made me hungry for pizza for dinner so I've made up a bit of that no-knead dough for a yummy octopus and red pepper pie. Not waiting until Friday this week :)
rosarugosa
8-26-14, 4:52am
CathyA: We cheat on the crust and haven't ever tried making our own pizza dough, I'm afraid. We buy pizza dough at the grocery store frozen for about $1.50.
LOL, That's okay rosarugosa! Making the dough would take up a lot of time. That's why we do what we do too.
Sometimes, if my DD is home (she's a vegan), I use the brown rice tortilla shells for the base. It makes a very thin and crispy crust and works out great.
With pizzas, there's lots of room for variety.
goldensmom
8-26-14, 6:52am
I'm not a pizza person but look forward to our couple time a summer tradition of pizza on the grill.
We love pizza - home made, frozen, carry-out, dining in.
OMG, I eat cold pizza for breakfast every chance I get.
Good pizza is good cold, too!
We, too, are members of the "Friday Night Is Pizza Night" club. We were bringing in pizza on Friday nights because after a week of work crazy we just wanted to veg out that night. When I quit we kept it up because we liked it, though we switched to frozen pizza unless there's a Papa Murphy's coupon (btw, Papa John's last name is Schnatter, so I'm not sure what that tells you about their pizza ;)). It's not hard to find the pizza we like on sale, so we stock up a few. Sometimes we'll "doctor" it with leftover veggies and we'll add a salad or some finger vegetables (carrot sticks, cucumber slices, etc.). There's always enough left for breakfast.
Yes Steve........I'm always disappointed when there's no pizza left for Saturday morning's breakfast!
DH and I used to eat a bit too much. Back in the olden days..........we would buy a large double cheese Little Caesars pizza and finish it off ourselves (while watching "Dynasty") hahahaha That pizza must have weighed 10#!
Waaaaayyyyy too much fat and carbs. We're into thin crust now. Another favorite in our past was the Noble Roman's Deep Dish Sicilian cheese pizza. OMG......that crust was soooooo good.
Hmmm......I'm getting hungry. :)
There is no such thing as too much pizza.
My sentiments exactly.
Six pizza places for 9,500 people sounds about right to me.
When I lived in NYC I calculated the estimated population of my block to be approximately 1,500. There were generally about 1-2 pizza places per block on the main Avenue. Figuring six NYC blocks would match the population that Packy is discussing, at 1.5 pizzerias per block that would work out to approximately 6 pizzerias for every 9,000 people.
When we go to visit DD, we go to a pizzeria that wood-grills their pizzas. My favorite is the caramelized onions on an olive oil and garlic crust, with gorgonzola cheese and rosemary. I should try something different, since they have a big wonderful selection, but I love this one so much I just keep ordering it.
Doesn't this pizza menu just make your mouth water?
http://www.pomodoris.com/#!menu/vstc1=pizza
I just discovered that Freschetta sells GF frozen pizza. At ten dollars, it costs less than half what a good GF pie costs at my local pizzeria. The crust is excellent--thin and toothsome, and with a little embellishment it's as good as many take-out pies.
In Indy we have Pizzology, http://www.pizzologyindy.com/menu/pizza-bianca/
Jocomo's, http://www.jockamopizza.com/
Napolese, http://www.napolesepizzeria.com/menu/menu.pdf
Love these places.
Ha Ha - I just finished eating a pizza - a mushroom and spinach pizza on a pre-made crust (a whole wheat pita bread crust). It was actually pretty good.
I live in an ethnic neighborhood (Vietnamese) and there are no pizza places (or any thing but Vietnamese and French food) nearby so it's generally frozen for me. I like the little personal pan sized pizzas by Lean Cuisine (the veggie ones) as well as Freshenette's $5 pineapple and ham (doggie gets the ham) self-rising thick crust. I add a few things to it (veggies) but it's pretty good on it's own. But I usually make my own from a store bought crust and sauce as I don't like a lot of cheese. Favorite is pineapple, spinach, onion, mushroom and olive. Next favorite is Margarita. But after living in Boston for awhile, I can say that nothing beats a good North-End Pizzeria. Nothing!
Gardenarian
8-27-14, 11:25pm
Spartana - I used to work at Regina's in the North End! So you understand how I feel about gloppy doughy California pizza.
I think the Friday night trend is interesting. I wonder if this has been documented. I'm sure pizza places are aware of this new American tradition, but I'd never heard of it.
I used to make all our pizza dough in a bread making machine with olive oil, it made absolutely the best dough. Bake at a high temperature at the top of the oven and i would add some wholegrain flour to the mix and just try and make it a bit healthier where I could, less cheese, more veg, tuna instead of chicken etc.
About the Friday Night Pizza Tradition.............DH grew up with it too. We've done it forever. When the kids were little, we'd have pizza on Friday night and watch "Full House" "Perfect Strangers" and "Family Matters". It was fun!
I know we've talked about this before, but for baking home made pizza I have a piece of 1/4" plate steel that goes on either the grill or the top oven rack. It is the perfect surface for recreating thin, crunchy, charred crust that IS pizza*. On the charcoal grill it even gets some of the smoky flavor you would get if you had a real wood fired pizza oven (not so much on the gas grill, but that is faster). Being a pizza freak its probably the best $25 I've ever spent.
* The stuff with thick, bready crust isn't necessarily bad, but its an open faced sandwich masquerading as pizza.
Added: I also grew up with Friday night pizza. My hometown was so small we didn't have a pizza place until I was in high school and frozen pizzas were scarce so Mom made them with Chef Boyardee pizza kits. Crust mix, a can of sauce and a can of a cheese like product to which you added whatever you had. We thought they were great!
Haha Gregg......yeah, we thought those were great too...........along with TV dinners and chicken pot pies! :)
Did you buy that steel plate as a thing that was made to bake/grill pizzas on?
I did a stupid thing once........I put a deep dish pizza pan (with a deep dish home-made pizza in it) on the charcoal grill. The pan is now black. haha the pizza wasn't bad though.
But we do love thin and very crispy now!
The steel plate was just cut to my dimensions at the local steel yard. They are kind of a specialty house who deals with a lot of restaurant applications, which is why they have thick, stainless steel in stock. Actually, first round I had it cut big enough for the grill, but when I decided to try it in the oven it was just a little too big so I had to go back and get it trimmed up. The guys did a great job of polishing the edges for me (in return for a couple pizzas one Friday at lunch). It is 1/4" thick, grade 304 stainless steel if that helps.
And just for the record...
1441
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.