Pizza!

*Updated 6/24*
Ever since my weight loss surgery, I have had a struggle with bread. It is getting easier, but I find the bread I love is now a thing of the past. And for me, one of the best things was pan pizza - I love the Pizza Hut combo - lots of toppings on a thick, doughy crust. Now since then, I have tried their Thin and Crispy - a cracker consistency crust, and I like it. I don't love it, but I do like it.

Lately, I have been looking at ways of saving money. And I have been thinking a lot over the past year about eventually (years from now) building a wood-fired pizza oven in the back yard. Likely it is just a dream, but I'd sure love one. A few days ago, I came across an article about cooking pizza on a cast iron skillet under the broiler - because home ovens don't get even close to the 700-900 degrees of a pizza oven. So I thought I'd give it a try.

I selected a recipe for a New York crust - being more forgiving than a Neapolitan crust, and being perfect for high heat fast cooking. Plus, I could go thin crust and get a lot of flavor. After searching online, I settled on Serious Eats' Basic New York Pizza Dough.

Ingredients:
22.5 oz bread flour (weighing is important! Get a good scale)
.5 oz sugar
.35 oz kosher salt
.35 oz instant yeast (I used Red Star bread machine yeast)
1.15 oz extra virgin olive oil
15 oz room temperature water (filtered is best)


 I made a slight alteration - I didn't use the food processor, I used my stand mixer and dough hook for 11 minutes on low. Coat a large glass bowl with olive oil, toss in the dough and turn to coat it on all sides, cover with plastic wrap. Then, after an overnight proof in the refrigerator, separate into 3-4 balls. Next, I found the method for cooking.

Heat a 12" cast iron skillet on the highest setting on your biggest burner for 10 minutes. Turn on the fan, it will smoke. Meanwhile, place your oven rack to the highest level and turn on your broiler (high if it has settings). Prepare your pizza by stretching and/or tossing to form a 12" circle (roughly). Place on a thin cutting board or pizza peel (I used an Airbake cookie sheet - no lip, so it was perfect!) coated with corn meal to prevent it from sticking. Better yet, use parchment paper,  but you have to cut it to fit the crust - otherwise it will catch fire (voice of experience).

Sauce, cheese and top. I worked in a couple of different pizza parlours for almost a decade, this part was easy. When the pan has heated for 10 minutes, remove from heat and turn upside-down. Slide the pizza onto the pan, and place under the broiler, quickly closing the door.

After 45-60 seconds, check and turn the pan around so the hot spots are on the other side. Continue to get an even cook (and maybe slight char) all the way around.

Took me less than 3 minutes total cooking time. And the results?

Absolutely spectacular! The bottom - it was crisp, but not cracker crust. Nice rise on the dough, and amazing flavor. I don't see that I need to give Pizza Hut any more of my money!

My two daughters at home today both loved it. My son, who prefers cheese pizza with no sauce (and extra cheese), got the next effort - he love it too! Said he'd gladly eat it whenever I made it. Which may just be a regular thing. Certainly worth a try - not a pizza oven, but awfully good!

Health risks and benefits of cookware

A friend posted a picture of her cast iron pans on Facebook with the caption “The ORIGINAL non-stick surface!” A friend of theirs commented about the dangers of cast iron. Made me think – what are the dangers and benefits of each type of cookware? So I set out to find out.

Aluminum:

The good: VERY good heat conduction (only copper is better). Inexpensive.

The bad: Reacts with acidic foods (lemons, tomatoes, etc), sulfurous foods (eggs, baking soda, cabbage family veggies). Foods will absorb aluminum. Scratches easily. Linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

Anodized Aluminum (Calphalon, etc):

The good: all the same benefits as aluminum. VERY durable (diamonds and carbide are harder, but not much).

The bad: while it is virtually scratch-proof, it dents easily. Almost all of it available today is Teflon coated (see below). Expensive.

Copper:

The good: Will last basically forever. Uses less heat because it is the best conductor.

The bad: VERY expensive. Takes a lot of maintenance because of tarnish; darkened copper won’t heat evenly. Can leach into food, altering the flavor and turning food colors. In high quantities, copper is toxic (though in small amounts it is beneficial).

Lined Copper:

The good: Great heat conductor, even heating.

The bad: Takes a lot of maintenance (see Copper, above). Linings can wear off. Linings have the same limitations as pans of their material.

Cast Iron:

The good: Inexpensive. Even heat and good heat retention. Lasts forever. Properly seasoned, has a non-stick surface. Leaches a small amount of iron into food (this is in the good and the bad – small amounts of iron are good for you. High amounts are not.)

The bad: Can rust. Heavy. Must be seasoned, and may need re-seasoning. Leaches a small amount of iron into food (this is in the good and the bad – small amounts of iron are good for you. High amounts are not.) Can discolor foods (iron leaching). Most porous of all metals; grease can turn rancid in pores.

Enameled Cast Iron:

The good: Nonreactive. Doesn’t leach into food. Even heating and great heat retention.

The bad: Enamel can chip and crack – discard when that happens. Heavy and fragile. Can contain lead - Lead can cause reproductive harm and learning disabilities.

Steel (carbon or mild steel):

The good: Durable. Non-porous, so no mineral leaching. Properly seasoned, makes a fairly non-stick surface.

The bad: Uneven heat. Poor heat retention. Food can stick if not properly seasoned. Can rust and react with foods.

Stainless Steel:

The good: Durable. Non-reactive. Leaches a tiny amount of chromium into food (this is good for you – no negative effects)

The bad: Food sticks – a lot. Very poor heat conductor – uneven heat. Prolonged exposure to salt can cause it to pit.

Clad Stainless Steel (or with an aluminum or copper bottom):

The good: Non-reactive. Even heating. All the benefits of Stainless Steel.

The bad: Clad is VERY expensive. With an aluminum or copper bottom, not so much, but not as even heating as clad. Foods stick. Prolonged exposure to salt can cause it to pit.

Ceramic or Glass (Pyrex):

The good: Low sticking. Nonreactive.

The bad: Fragile. Not good for high heat. Very poor heat conductor (glass is an insulator). Most is not usable on the stovetop.

Teflon Non-Stick:

The good: Low sticking – Teflon is the slickest solid in existence. Uses less oil in cooking, so low-fat is easy. Even heating, good heat conduction (usually on aluminum pans).

The bad: Teflon has shown to put off toxic polymer fumes at 393 degrees, which can cause flu-like symptoms such as chills, fever, body aches, nausea and occasional vomiting. A chemical, C-8, used to make non-stick coated pans has been linked to birth defects in humans to cancer in laboratory animals. The chemical is also present in the blood for up to 4 years and can show up in breast milk. Normally on aluminum pans, which have been linked to Alzheimer’s.

Ceramic Coated Non-Stick (GreenPan, etc):

The good: Nonstick. Even heating. Nonreactive and non-leaching.

The bad: Not as nonstick as Teflon.