First High Heat Cook

Tettletime · April 2015

Well folks, I had so much success with low and slow, I thought I could conquer anything. So naturally, I watched a few youtube videos, became an expert at homemade pizza in an afternoon and waited for the accolades to pour in. Unfortunately, nothing went as planned. I couldn't form the dough into decent pizza, and it stuck horribly to my pizza peel, resulting in an inadvertant, horribly disfigured thing that more resembled a calzone than a pizza. No pictures of the mess, unfortunately, as I was scrambling to provide something edible. I do however have pictures of the cracked fire ring that resulted from my first venture into 600 degree territory.

Greeno55 · April 2015

Sometimes with the Egg we learn more from out failures than our successes. My first pizza turned out exceptional, and that made me a bit cocky, and the next couple were complete failures. I learned a lot from that. Get that pic sent to your dealer and get the fire ring replaced under warranty. Don't let this set you back from doing more pies. Once you get them right, you'll love them.

Tettletime · April 2015

Greeno55 said:

Sometimes with the Egg we learn more from out failures than our successes. My first pizza turned out exceptional, and that made me a bit cocky, and the next couple were complete failures. I learned a lot from that. Get that pic sent to your dealer and get the fire ring replaced under warranty. Don't let this set you back from doing more pies. Once you get them right, you'll love them.

Thanks Greeno. You wouldn't happen to know if the egg is still functional with a cracked fire ring? I found this out while prepping the egg for its dinner cook, not sure if I need to make other arrangements.

THEBuckeye · April 2015

I buy dough from the local pizza shop I like. Sauce sometimes too, Takes the stress out of it.

In terms of sticking, dust the peel with some corn meal before placing dough on. Others use a layer of wax paper.

Try try again!

Brisket_Fanatic · April 2015

A break in the fire ring is no big deal. I've been cooking on one for several years

theyolksonyou · April 2015

My fire ring has been in two pieces since October. Egg on!

also, a piece of parchment paper is a great crutch for us "less experienced" pizza cooks. I use it every time.

4Runner · April 2015

I wouldn't even send that in just yet. Just make sure you registered your Egg and have your receipt. Once you get more cracks In your ring you can send it for a warranty claim.

KenfromMI · April 2015

I've made about 100 successful pizzas since buying my egg without any failures until my last one. Even my first pizza turned out with zero experience. My first pizza this year after the long Michigan Winter was a disaster. 1/4 of it ended up overhanging the stone and in the fire. LOL.........It happens.

Tettletime · April 2015

Thanks for the kind words everyone, I definitely plan on giving it another go soon! As for the fire ring, it is actually cracked through in two different places, at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. I have already registered my egg, so I'll make a warranty claim in the next few weeks. Will they ship me a new one or can my local dealer give me one?

paqman · April 2015

Do you have a wooden or SS pizza peel? If wooden it should not stick if you add more flour under the pie. If SS, good luck. In all cases, I recommend using parchment paper that you can leave for the whole cook or remove after a few minutes.

Tettletime · April 2015

Paqman-I have SS, because I thought that since it was thinner it would be easier to handle the pizza. However, the restaurant supply store near me sells wooden peels for like $10, so I might go ahead and get a wooden one too.

4Runner · April 2015

Tettletime said:

Thanks for the kind words everyone, I definitely plan on giving it another go soon! As for the fire ring, it is actually cracked through in two different places, at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock. I have already registered my egg, so I'll make a warranty claim in the next few weeks. Will they ship me a new one or can my local dealer give me one?

As long as you can keep it pieced together it will work just fine. Having typed that, your local dealer and do the paperwork for you and they typically just put warranty claim in with their next order. Depending on the size of the dealer and the timing of their last order, it could be next week to next month. It will come from the Mothership and not out of dealer stock...at least that is what has been my experience.

Froman · April 2015

I second parchment paper. I use it every time now. I slip it out after the first few minutes of the cook.

Eggaroo · April 2015

I love pizza on the Egg and have used cornmeal and flour on a wooden peel to slide the pizza on to the stone. However, I get the most consistent results when I put parchment paper under the pie when it first goes on and then removing it after a few minutes. I use a wooden peel for transporting the pizza to and from the Egg and a stainless steel one to turn the pie on the stone if there is a hot spot.

mlamb01 · April 2015

If you are doing multiple pies, use parchment paper. You can build the pie on the counter, then later pick it up with the peel. Works great when you only have 1 peel. Also makes it impossible to mess up the transfer from the peel to the hot stone.

If you are the boss, and get it perfect every time, use cornmeal. Frequently give the peel a quick 1" shake to break the pie loose. The heavier the toppings, the harder it will be to get a good transfer to the hot stone. The longer the built pie sits on the peel, the harder it will be to transfer to the hot stone.

KenfromMI · April 2015

I use a synthetic pizza peal and cornmeal. No trouble getting it off the peal. I bought three cutting boards made of the same material. Not sure what it is but it looks like compressed sawdust. (Looks like but I know its not).

THEBuckeye · April 2015

Cornmeal. Easier than using scissors to cut parchment. IMHO, of course.

JohnnyTarheel · April 2015

Parchment for me works best.. When I make multiple pies I can slide them on counter. Works every time and you don't have mess of cornmeal.

BeerNBBQ · April 2015

THEBuckeye said:

I buy dough from the local pizza shop I like. Sauce sometimes too, Takes the stress out of it.

In terms of sticking, dust the peel with some corn meal before placing dough on. Others use a layer of wax paper.

Try try again!

What pizza shop if you dont mind me asking? Not too far away.

Tettletime · April 2015

I'll definitely give parchment paper a try, and I think I'll just roll the dough out next time instead of doing it by hand. It's on the menu for Saturday, I'll post pics this time!

KenfromMI · April 2015

I tried parchment a few times but I prefer my peal with cornmeal. I read an article as well from a pizza maker in Italy who said you have to have the raw dough hit the hot stone without a barrier in between IE. parchment. He said it is important for that hot stone to immediately pull moisture from the dough for the best results.

jtcBoynton · April 2015

Parchment will not be a "barrier" that interferes with heat transfer. Moisture is not "pulled" from the dough to the stone. A 600º surface is too hot to adsorb any moisture. Moisture is "pushed" away from the stone. The moisture is turned to steam, rises up through the dough (or at least tries to) giving the dough the oven spring.

poster · April 2015

ive had good luck with pizza screens, they are cheap and reusable over and over. They are just rigid enough to hold there shape with a pizza on it so I am able to put the dough on top then toppings and then throw the whole thing on the stone for the entire cook. After cooking I can pick the whole thing up bring it inside and slide the screen out.

KenfromMI · April 2015

@jtcboynton. Maybe something was lost in translation between Italian and English, who knows. All I know is my crust browns better without parchment even if its only under the dough for a few minutes. I do my pizzas at a lower temperature than most on here so maybe that has something to do with it. Who really cares as long as it tastes good. I never make my pizzas higher than 450 degrees.

UCFFAN · April 2015

Tettletime said:

"Well folks, I had so much success with low and slow, I thought I could conquer anything. So naturally, I watched a few youtube videos, became an expert at homemade pizza in an afternoon and waited for the accolades to pour in."

Welcome to the world of "wrecked pizza's"! Tettletime! Been there/done that! SO what I learned was back off on the heat....these baby's do a great job on pizza at 400-450. Just takes a little longer... heavy on the corn meal in prep on and on the cook was another lesson I learned. I mix the CM with flour during prep in the kitchen. Always prep the sucker on the Peel.... Another lesson learned the hard way .... had a variety of bad dough experiences .... I go to Publix and get their prepped pizza dough they made fresh daily. No more stickk globs of pizza the size of basket ball. The Queen has a great recipe for sauce with canned chunky tomato seasoned to our preference. Can be zip-locked and frozen.

Here's another trick I've found....I cook using the Digique set at 450...Indirect! Put my stone on the rack ..... let the Egg get to temp about an hour before throwing the pizza on. I used to fire the ole girl up and sling in the goods and start cooking. Huge difference in performance if you give it time for the entire mass of the egg to get up to temp....cuts the cook time in half..... but be prepared ... the indirect method produces great results but takes a bit longer. For a large pizza about 20 mins.... Also love to do deep dish... same way ... maybe 30 mins.... but the wait is worth the effort! Gooooood Luck.... Just keep practicing till you getter like you liker... Least your not burning a $20 stake! Oh the crack....Cook with it till you get your replacement.... Fire ring will perform fine....

jtcBoynton · April 2015

@KenfromMI I normally use semolina, but when I use parchment, it gets pulled out from under the pizza after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking. I never leave it in for the full cook. The crust browns up nicely. I would not use parchment for a Neapolitan or similar style pizza. The high heat and short cooking times don't work well with parchment. I am sure that Italian pizza maker was thinking of this style when making his comments.

I can't see where any commercial operation would use parchment - they don't need the added cost and slower production times. As for the pull the moisture out comment he made, he is just wrong. It is one of the common phrases in pizza making. It is technically wrong. Sort of like the old adage of searing a steak to seal in the juices. Many professional chefs repeated that for years.

KenfromMI · April 2015

@jtcBoynton. How many Italians do you know? I dare you to tell them they are wrong to their face. LOL I know better, I get a gallon of homemade wine every time I stop by a guys house I know. He makes an extra 200 gallons a year just to give away. Even if I think they are wrong I just smile and nod my head. LOL

THEBuckeye · April 2015

BeerNBBQ said:

THEBuckeye said:

I buy dough from the local pizza shop I like. Sauce sometimes too, Takes the stress out of it.

In terms of sticking, dust the peel with some corn meal before placing dough on. Others use a layer of wax paper.

Try try again!

What pizza shop if you dont mind me asking? Not too far away.

Alessio's on McGinnis Ferry near 141. I'm sure there are other non-chains around Ptree corners you can check out.

First High Heat Cook

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