iamaneviltaco

Mousetrap here. Today I'm going to talk about something that divides people so easily that I firmly believe that one day it'll cause a global war. Pizza. Now this isn't exactly a recipe. Today we're going to discuss the methods one should use when making a pizza. First, and I should mention this for the sake of my good friend who's already tried to beat this over your head, a pizza stone is cheap, and a very, very good investment. Ovens work on cycles, meaning the heat pulses, it waxes and wanes. A stone stores heat and keeps it always at a constant temperature. First the crust. I don't care if you make your own or cheat, like me, and buy prepackaged shells, just be sure its large enough for what you want. The more in the way of toppings you'd like, the larger and thicker the crust should be. Also, don't overdo it with flavor in this step. Mild garlic or other background flavors are fine, but remember this is the foundation, not the star. Thin, Thick, hand-tossed, deep-dish, pan or sicilian, it's all just personal preference.

Well, before you do anything else, you'll be putting down some sauce. If you skip this step, well, you're making cheese bread. There's the traditional pizza sauce, or you might use alfredo, ranch, barbecue, or do what I do, olive oil and chopped herbs. It's okay to like a lot of sauce, but remember to balance it.

Next comes a hotly debated topic. Some people would tell you that the toppings go on the pizza right now. Some would say cheese does. Well, there's advantages and disadvantages to each of these, but the  the truth is without an anchor, everything will slide off your pizza when your friends try to eat it. Assuming this isn't your goal, a very thin layer of cheese goes on the pizza at this point. Normally one would use a Mozzarella, Romano, and Parmesan blend, but nobody's set this in stone. Experiment to find the taste you prefer. Next, select your toppings, preferrably the smaller, thinner ones, and lay about a third to a half. Next, another layer of cheese. Yes, in the debate of "toppings on bottom versus toppings on top" I'm telling you to be conservative and go for "both". Next lay your thicker toppings like chicken or ham, and for god's sake balance them evenly across the whole pizza. Afterward, another thin layer of cheese to secure the meat or veggies while you're slicing or eating.

I've mentioned balance a lot today. That's because a good pizza -is- balanced, flavor, size, cheese, and topping. It may sound stupid or corny, but for inspiration, look to other foods and try to turn them into a pizza. Big pizza conglomerates do this constantly, so there's no debate as to whether this works or not. Cheeseburger pizza, with cheddar cheese, cooked ground beef, and a hint of bacon, is one of my favorites.