OIL VS. SHORTENING: SOLVING A SLIPPERY, STICKY DILEMMA

When making pan pizzas, does it make a difference which type of oil or fat is used in the pan?

This is actually a two-part question, and the short answer to both is yes. The type of oil used in the pan can impact the flavor of the finished pan pizza. I recommend using either canola or peanut oil due to both oils’ high-heat performance properties and bland flavor profiles.

When you’re looking at using oil vs. shortening in the pan, the differences will be much more pronounced. If oil is used, it can be nearly impossible to open the dough ball in the pan; the dough will just keep sliding around and won’t stay put. If you’re going to use oil, I recommend opening the dough into a skin first and then placing the dough skin in the pan. Even with that approach, after 30 or more minutes of proofing, you will most likely still need to carefully stretch the dough a bit more to get it to fully fit the pan.

When you use shortening or a “plastic” fat in the pan, the dough actually adheres to the fat, making it much easier to hand-form the dough to the pan. Once the dough becomes “stuck” to the shortening, it stays put long enough for the dough to fully relax. Hence, in all probability, you won’t need to do any more fitting of the dough to the pan. This is especially useful when forming a raised edge on the pan crust. There is also a major difference between how oil and shortening affect the finished crust. Shortening will lend it an outer crust characteristic that’s very similar to that of a loaf of white pan bread. With oil, on the other hand, the crust will have a distinct fried characteristic.

If your customers are sensitive to fat or object to what might be perceived as a “greasy” or “oily” pizza, you should reconsider the use of oil in the pan. The oil will get on diners’ fingers, napkins, and possibly even on the bottom of your pizza boxes after baking. Shortening, on the other hand, will give your pizza a much drier, less oily perception, regardless of the amount used. And since shortening reverts back to its original crystalline state upon cooling, the crust is never perceived as greasy or oily, even in a delivery/

One Smart Cookie

You might say Mike Thomas, owner of Wild Slice in Roswell, Georgia, is one smart cookie. He’s the culinary and marketing whiz behind a trio of pizzas inspired by the famous flavors of Girl Scout cookies—Thin Mint, Samoa and Tagalong. Already known for his super-sized slices, Thomas hit upon the idea for the dessert pizzas one night last February while scrolling through Facebook. “When the Girl Scouts start to sell cookies, I noticed there was a significant number of people getting excited to pick up their cookies,” he says. “It was all over my Facebook feed.” Thomas bought several boxes of cookies and dreamed up recipes for pizzas loaded with crumbled-cookie goodness and other ingredients. The Thin Mint, for example, features a Nutella base, Thin Mint cookies and a peppermint chocolate drizzle. To create online buzz, Thomas hosted a special event for local foodie influencers.

“About 10 to 15 influencers simultaneously launched them for us on Instagram and Facebook,” Thomas recalls. “Almost instantly, we had guests coming in to try them, some coming from as far as two hours away!” The 10” pies sell for $10 to $12 for as long as the cookies are available. At other times, Thomas substitutes storebought cookies, such as Mint Oreos, upon request.

Loading Up The Front Line

With help from Kirkwood Pizzeria in Kirkwood, Missouri, members of the Kirkwood High School Pioneers took carb-loading to a whole new level on the day before their big annual Thanksgiving rivalry game with the Webster High School Statesmen. In the newest tradition surrounding the historic Turkey Day matchup—which dates back to 1898—the Pioneers’ offensive linemen sat down for an epic pizza eating contest, with senior Don Brown obliterating an entire 16” cheese pie in just seven minutes for the win. Fortunately, all that cheese and crust didn’t slow the gladiators down—the Pioneers wrapped up their 7-4 season with a 42-28 win over the Statesmen, their seventh Turkey Day victory in a row.

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Not Just Another Auld Lang Syne

New Year’s Eve feels like just another night for most parents of small children, so Mici Handcrafted Italian, with six locations in the Denver area, created a party just for them—no babysitter required. Mici hosted its annual Kids’ New Year’s Eve bash on December 31, with the childfriendly Bambini Menu, Italian cookies and locally made gelato. Every table received noisemakers and party favors, and children toasted the new year at “midnight” (actually 7 p.m.) with complimentary sparkling cider. The Bambini Menu features kid-sized pies, pasta, milk or chocolate milk, and a side of grapes or grape tomatoes. “We started doing a kids’ countdown to New Year’s as a way to do something fun for the families that dine with us all year long,” says Mici CEO Elliot Schiffer. “This is our third year celebrating it, and it’s a lot of fun—parents get to count down with the kids, and the kids get to enjoy all of the fun of New Year’s without the late bedtime.”

CAULIFLOWER’S RISE TO POWER

Once the veggie that every kid turned up his nose at, cauliflower is having a culinary moment, thanks to rising demand for vegetarian and vegan options on restaurant menus. In Grubhub’s annual “Year in Food” report, the third-party online ordering/delivery company named cauliflower pizza—that is, pizza with a cauliflower crust—its Top Food of the Year for 2019. Grubhub analyzed tens of millions of orders placed by 21 million diners on its platform to identify the flavor profiles that rose in popularity last year. Cauliflower pizza’s popularity rose by 650%, the company found. “One thing is clear,” the report stated. “Plant-based foods are here to stay, with a majority of 2019’s top foods comprised of vegetarian and vegan-friendly options.” Meanwhile, in its own food trends report, Yelp declared 2020 to be “the year of cauliflower.” Yelp scoured its online review data to compile “a list of words and phrases that were rising the fastest and most significantly between 2018 and 2019 in terms of percentage of users who were mentioning them.” Yelp singled out cauliflower as a “healthy-swap comfort food,” noting, “People are increasingly searching for healthy swaps for their favorite comfort foods. Cauliflower mashed potatoes and cauliflower pizza are just two of the creative dishes we’re seeing added to menus and searches.”