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Pizza - how hot, how long?

Carolina Q
Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I keep reading pizza stuff here and am a little confused about time and temp. So far, I have only done pizza in my electric kitchen oven (still working on getting my Egg), on a good thick stone set on the bottom rack just above the element. According to my uncalibrated cheapo thermometer, pre-heated oven temp is about 600 degrees. Pizza is done in about 3 minutes! Yet I keep seeing cook times of much longer. Is pizza on an Egg that much different?

On the other hand, even in the local pizza shop, it takes longer than mine. As I understand it, Blodgett commercial pizza ovens (mostly what I see around here) only go to about 700 - hotter than mine, yet longer cook time. If I left mine in the oven for 10 minutes @ 600, it would look like a pork butt after 10 hours! Nice bark!

Just trying to understand why my time and temp works differently - and what to expect when I finally DO get my egg. Is 600 too hot? Or is my stone just too close to the element? Next time I do one in the oven, I'll move the stone to the center rack and see what happens. Maybe that's all it is? Any thoughts? Thanks!

I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Michael 
Central Connecticut 

Comments

  • I cook at 450-500 for a little longer
  • pattont
    pattont Posts: 39
    I have tried with much success on several temperatures.

    600/6min (worst of the temps, but it worked ok)

    500/10-14 min (just have to keep an eye on it)

    400/14-18 min (only did this because I tried to ninja the rest of my lump out of my BGE and it was going out :-)

    Also, having the egg at these temperatures for 20 min or so before you cook is better because the top gets hot enough to radiate the heat back down.
  • The thickness of your dough and amount of toppings make your question tough to answer. Most of us will say 600-700+ in or about 10 minutes. But why rush things? Pour yourself and nice glass of wine, throw your pie on the egg at anything over 450. Check it once in a while. Don't go over 700. When it's done. It's done. Budget 15-20 mins. If it's cooked faster. So be it.
    (I did 10 pizzas today at a demo cook. Thin crust, only pepperoni. Temp 500. Less than 10 minutes each.)
    The important thing is the BGE bakes the best pizza anywhere! You are in for a real treat!
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Thanks guys. I will play with it when I get my egg. I'm sure I won't ruin TOO many of them before I figure it out. :) If I get in the mood for pizza before I get the egg, I think I'll reduce the oven temp just a bit and move the stone higher.

    That or Pizza Hut! :sick:

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • PopLar
    PopLar Posts: 5
    I'm looking for help gaining the 400 degree temp after adding the plate setter. I can't seem to get the EGG over 350 with the plate setter. Any clues?
  • PopLar
    PopLar Posts: 5
    Hi there. I'm asking around a bit as a newish EGGer. I have a medium sized EGG. Today, for instance, I got my EGG up to 450 then put in the plate setter, legs up, to do a pizza. Once the plate setter was added, I haven't been able to get the thing over 300 degrees, even wide open. Any clues as to my situation?
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    The composition of the dough, along with the thickness of it and the amount/type of toppings has a lot to do with how quickly a pizza will cook at different temps.

    Thin crust, no sugar in the dough, light toppings will cook quick and hot, whereas a thicker crust with a little sugar and oil in the dough will cook better at lower temps for a longer time.

    A simple as it seems, pizza cooking can really be a science. There is a lot of experimenting you can do. The best news is that even the mistakes are still not only edible, but very good. Have fun learning.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Thanks, Rod. I have yet to try making my own pizza dough - though that is certainly on my lonnggg list of things to learn. I usually buy it from one of the local pizza shops and don't know what's in it. I try for a fairly thin crust, though not New York thin. Toppings are all over the place; usually not too much, but occasionally, I load one up. Looking forward to my first one on the egg. I've done a couple on my kettle that turned out pretty good - whole different process though.

    As you implied - you have to work at it to make a truly BAD pizza!

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Two questions:
    First: How long do you burn before you put the plate setter in.
    And second: Is the temp stablized before you set the plate setter...Or do you leave it "cranking" once the plate setter is put in.
    Just wondering, as once the platesetter, stones, grids are all in...I let it get up to temp. before shutting anything down. Granted, once the pie / pies go on, the temp will drop, but recovers pretty well.
    My problem a few evenings ago....I was running low on fuel after 8 pies (two at a time.) The last bake really took a while as the temp was dropping....No lump left!!
    It still turned out really good...Just took longer.