Thanks for watching! To catch up on previous episodes of the series, click here! th-cam.com/play/PLWKCVGwB1Bg1HK5CbBs4CGuVhE1mYkMPu.html To see the next episode, click here! th-cam.com/video/41O3nKpdjTU/w-d-xo.html
I'm not sure if you've tried this, but I grate my cheese ahead of time, then place it in a bowl, cover it and freeze it. It doesn't do away with the problem completely, but it definitely helps. And since I'm making my dough 1-3 days ahead of time, I just grate the cheese on the same day I make the dough, that way, on the day of cooking, it's one less thing to think about.
Charlie, have you tried the 50/50 method? 50% Mozz 50% Provalone. Mozz has almost no flavor but has great melting quality. The Provalone adds flavor. Also, yes to the grated Peccorinio Romano for base.
A lot of pizza shops don't grate the cheese--instead, the cheese is cut into little cubes. With pizza programs I've developed, that will greatly impact the amount of grease loss as the cheese melts slower in cube form. Great videos, keep it up!
Interesting. Then also wouldn't the temperature of the cheese matter as well? Something straight out of the fridge or even freezer may melt , without separating/ obviously depending on cooking temp and method. LMAO - such a deep rabbit hole.
@@truenorth2653 1000%. It's all part of this multi-variable equation... dowwwwwn the rabbit hole we go!😅 It's important to keep in mind, however, that at some point Occam's razor needs to be brought into the convo.
This series of watching you trying to perfect your pizza recipe has been really interesting. It's satisfying to watch you get closer and closer to your goal
I know you touched on it a bit here but I'll go from my experience working in multiple NY Pizzerias now,...all of them used Grande brand whole milk mozz, not part skim and not any "blends". They bought cases of the 7lb bricks, and shredded it themselves. The pre-shredded stuff is a bit more finely shredded, smaller pieces. We shredded it into bigger pieces, we thought it melted better and gave better distribution on the finished pizza. None of the places diced it into small pieces, although I know that's a popular method too now. Grande is a pretty iconic brand here for NY pizza, though yes it's hard to get outside of restaurant supply. If you've ever had NY pizza, chances are very high this was the cheese being used, extremely good quality and consistency. If we're talking low moisture mozz that is. As far as sauce goes, majority of places I worked used Stanislaus brand tomatoes. The two products from them I'm most familiar with are their "Full Red" pizza sauce, or the "Alta Cucina" whole peeled plum tomatoes. Those were the bases we worked with depending on the type of pizza. If we were cooking tomato/grandma style pies, we used a chunkier sauce, if it was regular round pies, we used a normal pizza sauce. Again, Stanislaus is more of a restaurant supply only product. You can find places to order it online though, just like with Grande cheese. Hope any of this info helps you on your pizza journey. 3 of the 4 places I worked at are still around and scored in the 8's on the onebite app. I don't live in downstate NY anymore so unfortunately it's been a minute since I've had great pizza.
Started as a Long Island pizzilolo in 69’, we used Grande WM Mozzy but 75% and WM Domestic Provolone 20% and Domestic Swiss 5%, we only used 1/4”cubed, and Stany Sauces too, never pre cooked, we won best NY Pizza 16 years in a row til we lost our lease in 83’, no matter what anyone says, it is the water!!!
After making thousands of these over the years, the one secret you're looking for is consistency. If there are any thin spots in the dough, the pizza cooks unevenly. It affects the taste massively. Try making pizzas of different sizes. 16" 18" and 20". To get the best consistency, weigh each dough ball to exactly 1.5 lbs, that's what we used at our shop. Then fold the dough over onto itself and pinch it off so one side is perfectly round, put them into an oiled plastic dough tray with the perfect dome side up. They have to be sealed inside between the dough trays so they don't lose moisture or crack. Let them rise at room temperature for about 30-60 mins, then put them into the fridge. They need to sit in the fridge for a few hours until they have become a malleable consistency. Try overnight too. It will take some time to perfect this process but trust me it's so important. When you pull them out, place the dough into flour, then put the perfect side down and cut into the underside to create your crust. It's best to work on a granite or stone counter with ample flour. It will take a lot of practice to get tossing the dough down perfectly but that's the key! Best of luck!
It's quite remarkable just how many of us out there are equally (almost) as obsessed with the perfect NY slice. Thank you Charlie, I'm following closely.
Great content. I think you’ll find (if you haven’t already) that a hotter temp with less overall time in the oven will keep the cheese from splitting, which results in less greasiness. A good way to reduce the cheese from splitting is to cube it with a knife instead of shredding it. Also keep the cheese ice cold. This slows down the overall time it takes for the cheese to melt and further prevents it from splitting while the pizza bakes.
This 100%. A restaurant oven is significantly hotter than a home oven so they can cook the pizza super fast and the cheese will not have time to separate it seems. The longer cook time of a home oven leads to the cheese separating. When I make pizza at home on a steel I keep my cheese frozen (I do a 50/50 mix) with grated on pecorino and the cheese comes out really well and doesn't separate.
One way to make sure your pizza doesn’t come out too greasy: don’t add any olive oil to your tomato sauce. I literally just use canned whole peeled tomatoes, which I blend in the can, and add a couple herbs and spices (like chili flakes). Salt comes from the parmigiana that I put over the sauce, and all the fat comes from the whole milk cheese. You can also add some chunks of fresh mozzarella for hits of extra creaminess
For anyone asking, these pizzas are being baked on a steel. I use the Baking Steel Pro (bakingsteel.com/products/baking-steel-pro-package?sca_ref=3277010.cIE0wUuej7) but I previously used the Original Baking Steel (bakingsteel.com/products/baking-steel?sca_ref=3277010.cIE0wUuej7) which is great as well, just a bit thinner and smaller (I'll be discussing the baking method in more detail in a future episode). UPDATE: I now have a discount code for Baking Steel. Use the code "CHARLIE10" for 10% off! Full disclosure, these are affiliate links so I'll receive a small commission for anyone who purchases through my links (at no extra cost to you). This isn't sponsored though, and I bought both of mine at full price.
Try this mix and fresh grate all of it 1/2 Whole Milk Low Moisture Mozzarella 1/4 Monterrey Jack 1/8 3-6 month old Gouda 1/8 Gruyère Cheddar(they sell it at Trader Joe’s) Then fresh grate authentic aged Parmigiano Reggiano all over the top Absolutely amazing NYC Pizza blend 😋
I use a steel baking sheet but I assemble the pizza on a piece of parchment paper that is slightly greased with olive oil. This makes it easy to slide into the oven and it also makes the bottom have a perfect crispiness without burning. I also do not need to use any flour when assembling the pizza on the parchment paper so better for beginners (like me!)
When watching this I thought I was watching a big TH-cam channel. I'd say your quality is definitely on par with those guys, keep it up and you will grow in no time!
This is becoming an internet crusade to the promised home pizza! So glad to tune in on al this knowledge, and happy to know there are so many eho are serious about this for at home!
Really loving this series so far, the overall production and content are incredible and the videos are laid out really well. I’m really excited to see it all come together, are you planning on making a video at the end that contains all of the steps fully laid out?
With the grease, you will get less by not grating the cheese. Instead, cut it into small chunks. These melt slower and thus take longer to squeeze out their grease. Adam Ragusea does this with the string cheese by cutting them width-wise into rounds rather than grating them
The little Caesars uses muenster in it's cheese mix and honestly we've added it to our home made pizzas and it's definitely a great addition in flavour. We use mozzarella and muenster about 20% muenster
First time watcher ... big Scarr's fan. In the mid 60's NY pizzerias pretty much all used cheese that looked like turds, not grated or shaved. This was achieved by, I believe, passing the mozzarella or cheese blend through a grinder, which should aerate the cheese. I've done this with my Panasonic meat grinder and comes out great. I know that's not what happens now but try it.
Great series and I hope it ends up with positive results. Really looking forward to the next episode. Eagerly awaiting the next episode. Baking method is exactly what I need.
Tip: If where you live they don't sell low moisture mozzarella you can make your own by microwaving fresh mozzarella. When you do this it immediately releases a load of liquid, just massage it until the liquid stops coming out and then put it in some kind of shape and let it get hard in the fridge. Don't over-do the microwaving tho.
Another great addition to this series. I will say, my best experience has been buying 1-2 pounds of full fat mozzarella from the deli counter of my local grocery store, it usually ends up being Boar Head or another brand and ends up working great. Just ask them not to slice it and then shred it when you get home.
i made your dough 2 hours ago! hoping for some nice pies monday, i went to the store but couldnt find ANY whole low moisture moz so seeing i can use cheese sticks is an interesting solution!
Yeah it’s hard to find! At this point, I think I’ve been to 16 different groceries stores in my area, and only found 9 different WMLM mozzarellas. Only 4 of which I would consider to be decent quality (GFS, Kraft cheese sticks, Grande, and one from a local market here in Cleveland)
@@CharlieAndersonCooking One alternative to also look at is the spanish cheeses, in my experience you can find them more easily. "Nochebuena Queso Fresco," to me it has a bit better flavor that motz but an ok melty ness (maybe mix it). And you can generally get the different fan levels.
@@CharlieAndersonCooking I knew you was from Ohio bro. I live here too. Obsessed with pizza but I’m from the east coast, you guys don’t have it a lot out here, but seeing your videos changes my mind a bit.
To reduce the fat/grease in the finished pizza allow the chesse to come up to room temp before baking....the protiens and fats melt at diffrent temps: allowing the chesse to warm up before baking helps them from separating
I like a little provolone mixed in, it reminds me of Lodi Circle Pizza in NJ, but the wife and kids prefer straight mozz (they all grew up south of the Mason-Dixon). I’ve seen some chains mix in cheddar…
I've noticed that I don't get the cripsy bite with bread or AP flour so I picked up some 00 flour that I found at the store. I had a real italian tell me it makes a big difference so I'm excited to see how it affects it
Good info, love the deep dive into the part skim cheese especially. I’ve seen some recipes (maybe Kenji?) that freeze the shredded whole milk mozz so that it melts a little slower to mimic the fact that home oven pizza will (almost) always take longer to cook than pizzeria pizza.
Yeah it makes a big difference! I’m planning to talk more about them in a future video, but I think they’re basically essential for achieving a proper result in a home oven.
@@CharlieAndersonCooking I've been trying to do it with a Pizza Stone, and it just isn't working. Even letting the stone preheat for an hour (after the oven takes 45m to reach temp), the bottom of the pizza doesn't even brown. Additionally, it's really hard to slide a large pizza onto a stone that's basically the same size as the pizza. I lose ingredients, and if I don't have something to catch them they land on the bottom of the oven and catch on fire. I snagged a steel using your link; I can't wait to try it!
This series has me captivated - and hungry! I have not anticipated the next episode of something this much since Season 1 of LOST! 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕 Season 2: The Gluten Free NY Slice Nah, Season 2 should be how to get the edges of the pepperoni to crisp up at home! Keep up the great work! Your videos look great and you are keeping everything accessible for real folks, love that!
I've been doing a lot of the same tests that you have over the last year. I'm having good luck on keeping the cheese fat separation down by getting the pizza as low in the oven as I can, and shaving off a minute or two of cook time, or a couple of degrees lower for the temp.
I use the galbani whole milk low moisture string cheeses Adam showed in his video. They work well. I shred the cheese and put it in a stainless steel bowl in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to slow the melting since I have to leave it in my home oven longer than a real pizzeria would. I don't usually get the splitting you show, so I think the freezing must help in that regard. Great video!
Grande, there is no other. But that unavailable near me. So i do low moisture whole milk some provalone and a touch of young cheddar. Comes out perfect And yes pre shred is garbage.
I used sliced mozzarella both part skim and whole, that also reduced the cheese from splitting and over melting. With the sliced cheese you can also do upside down pies cheese first sauce on top. Both work well.
I feel like using san marzano tomatoes (DOP) and low moisture moz is the key. Getting a cold ferment on the dough too, at least 2 days. You can't get the 600 degree over in your home unless you have a sick outdoor pizza oven, but using top ingredients is definitely the key.
HECK YES. I just stumbled upon your channel earlier today and watched the pizza vids. You said "I'm doing cheese next" and I looked, and the video wasn't there yet. But I subscribed, refreshed my feed just now, AND THERE IT IS! :D
Back in days of old one of the key distinguishing characteristics of an authentic New York slice was the pool of molten oil floating over the surface of it, so that when you folded it, the oil would run into the funnel created by the fold, and would then either trickle down your arm giving you 2nd degree burns, or - if you were alert enough - drip off the tip on the the sidewalk where it burned a hole on the concrete. In other words: separation is where it's at baby.
LOL, heck yeah! It wasn't real NYC pizza if you couldn't do the crisp fold-in-half thing with the oil dripping out of the crease and then lose a layer of flesh inside your mouth from the molten lava burn!
It's amazing to me how different the Grande mix looked to me. There were basically no pockets and it didn't look greasy. It actually looked like something I could get from a New York pizzeria. I'm so curious if it could potentially come down to not using too much cheese, or if it's the fact that this was the only pre-shredded mozz Charlie used. Usually pre-shredded cheese is bad because of the anti-caking agents, as Charlie mentioned. But what if one of those anti-caking agents, such as corn starch, helps keep the cheese fats from separating? Maybe it causes the cheese to emulsify with the tomato sauce? Or perhaps this cheese was just of a different quality (not necessarily better, but different). It certainly looked low moisture, but had almost a cheese curd appearance to it, like it was very fresh. Anyway, these are my thoughts on the end of this video and I've really been enjoying this series. Thank you Charlie!
Yeah it did look different on camera here, although I think that was mostly because I had filmed those clips more recently, so I was using a slightly different baking method and I was also using more cheese than I was using before. I’ve found that most of the time, the grande cheese looks pretty similar to the other cheeses. Like I said though, I do still think it’s the best one I’ve tried! I’d be very curious to try the whole milk version though because if the east coast blend is this good, I think the whole milk version would be perfect. I may have to try harder to get some before this series is over haha.
I use Grande 50/50 part skim/whole milk low moisture shredded for my pizzas, its the best cheese I can find. Its not in grocery stores though, I get it through my foodservice for my restaurant. Grande doesn't add any additives to their shredded cheese, so it melts a lot better. Most grocery store shredded cheeses add starch so the cheese doesn't stick together
I honestly have never minded some excess oil on a NY slice, since I prefer it with pepperoni anyway, and oil is part of the deal. What I need is the NY cheese flavor and in my strictly amateur dabbler opinion, the best flavor is Romano forward. I love the Romano.
Man out here in Delaware, trying to find WMLM Mozz is SUCH A PAIN. Every local store didnt have it so had to run across the bridge to Jersey to grab some.
we always blended part skim and whole milk Grande together. it wasn't 50 / 50 either perhaps 60/40 or 40/60 it's been 30 years but the pizza was some of the best i have ever had & i have been to a lot of pizza places around the country due to traveling for work.
Great video. Just an FYI, I use a blend of Boars Head Low Moisture Whole Milk Mozzarella, Boars Head Non-Smoked Picante Provolone, and Boars Head Monterey Jack. I ask them to just cut off a 1 inch thick hunk of each at the deli counter and shred them at home. It's a fantastic blend and doesnt burn like the Polly-O at 550.
These videos are so good dude, I'm finally inspired to give pizza a shot. I spent months making wings every day until I felt like I perfected it, time to move on to the main course.
Charlie, thanks so much for putting these videos together, great stuff! Since there’s no place near me (Northern Virginia) where I can get Grande Cheese, Giant supermarkets carry a 16 oz chunk of Galbani whole milk, low moisture mozzarella and it works great as a back-up option - surprisingly great flavor IMO.
I delivered for Dominos back in the '70's and I don't remember too much, but I know our cheese was a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. I haven't order Dominos in decades but believe it or not back then it was actually really good! Not NYC pizza good, but different good. Of course I also worked at McDonalds before that and the food there wasn't going to win any awards, but it was cooked on an actual griddle and was WAY better than the garbage they have today. In fact, pretty much everything tasted better back then...
Use the fine grater to powder your Pecorino and Parmesan and do a 50/50 blend. Just enough to dust over the sauce. This is how the owner of the local NY Pizza place does it, and I'm told it's how most NY places do it. This isn't in NY, but my buddy grew up in the Bronx, and uses Grande cheese for his pies. I've also been to NY and had authentic slices on multiple occasions, and can indeed confirm he's legit and does his pies right.
I’ve had good results with Galbani’s and Trader Joe’s LMWM mozzarella. I suspect they may be the same product. I’ve been tempted to try the Boars Head, but it costs twice as much as the former. I also add either Parm or Pecorino.
I have been on my own quest to perfect the pizza for the last 10 years or so, if not longer. I am really enjoying watching your quest to do so as well and look forward to seeing your progress and see how you handle some of the challenges. I do agree with one of the comments below, the hotter and faster you can cook this, the less greasy it will be. My oven gets up to 550, and cooks pretty fast with a preheated steel, which seems to do the trick.
The Kraft "Parmesan" Cheese is not really cheese by the fda your allowed to use an amount of Cellulose "Wood Pulp" Into your parmesan which kraft does so that might be the reasoning
Charlie, I'm enjoying watching this. I grew up across the street from Joe's Pizza in NYC, back when Giuseppe himself was actually still making the pizzas (in the 1980s). It's too bad, the Joe's pizza today is nothing like it was back then, when it was absolutely incredible. Joe's today honestly is nothing all that special as far as regular NY street pizzerias go, they're riding on their reputation a little bit (they became popular because of Giuseppe's skill and also the fact they fed hordes of hungry NYU students at 3am). I live in Canada now, but I still make NY-style pizzas. If you ever want some notes about true NY pizza, I'm happy to oblige :) I've been a bit of a student of it myself since moving to Canada, to try to recreate the great pizzas I remember from when I was a kid (Joe's, Golden's, Ben's, Pizza Box, etc). You're definitely on the right track with what you're doing!
I only use whole milk mozzarella. It can burn faster than part skim, but we’re going for flavor! And if u want a tangy flavor, you need to add some sharp cheddar. Try seriously sharp by Cabot’s
I think the best is to use two steels :)) that's also what Tony Gemignani recommends because NY Pizza is usually cooked by rotating maybe that has huge impact on greasiness. I agree with you, I think we gonna find out the best NY Slice at home soon. Thanks
My personal trick to reduce greasiness personally is to freeze the shredded cheese for a long time and keep it in there up until Jat before putting it into the oven. Keeping it as cold as possible up front seems to slow down grease seperation in my end. I lsontry to keep the shreds as thick as I can, again slowing down how much it heats up since larger chunks melt slower than smaller.
I worked in a pizza shop... one of my first jobs way back when. We used sliced mozzarella and provolone cheese, not shredded. The cheese came in logs, not blocks. Unfortunately I don't recall if the mozzarella was low moisture whole milk or not.
I've actually made it to Scarr's since filming this video, and I have some ideas but need to do more testing. I do think for the classic, "authentic" New York slice though, mozzarella is the clear choice. Scarr's cheese seems to have a slightly different flavor than most (although I did really like it).
Pizza in the Northeastern states in general in the '60s, '70s, and '80s often used non-smoked provolone as well, so try that, and also experiment with brick cheese and swiss, as pizzerias back then usually also served sandwiches that used those cheeses.
here on the west coast, there is a store called winco, its doesnt have high end products but their store named mozz, is low moisture whole milk mozz and it's actually pretty effing good for home pizzas.I've been using it for mine and until watching these videos did i realize how lucky i am on the west coast to find a low moisture whole milk mozz. Now to find good canned tomatoes.
Grande 100% whole milk is the way to go. Also, Boar's Head from the deli counter is very good and widely available. BTW, NYC pizza is inherently a little greasy. Especially when you go with pepperonis. I wouldn't focus too much on that aspect if I were you.
Thanks for watching! To catch up on previous episodes of the series, click here!
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I'm not sure if you've tried this, but I grate my cheese ahead of time, then place it in a bowl, cover it and freeze it. It doesn't do away with the problem completely, but it definitely helps. And since I'm making my dough 1-3 days ahead of time, I just grate the cheese on the same day I make the dough, that way, on the day of cooking, it's one less thing to think about.
Charlie, have you tried the 50/50 method? 50% Mozz 50% Provalone. Mozz has almost no flavor but has great melting quality. The Provalone adds flavor. Also, yes to the grated Peccorinio Romano for base.
A lot of pizza shops don't grate the cheese--instead, the cheese is cut into little cubes. With pizza programs I've developed, that will greatly impact the amount of grease loss as the cheese melts slower in cube form. Great videos, keep it up!
game changing
Interesting. Then also wouldn't the temperature of the cheese matter as well?
Something straight out of the fridge or even freezer may melt , without separating/ obviously depending on cooking temp and method. LMAO - such a deep rabbit hole.
@@truenorth2653 1000%. It's all part of this multi-variable equation... dowwwwwn the rabbit hole we go!😅
It's important to keep in mind, however, that at some point Occam's razor needs to be brought into the convo.
...and cold, like butter for baking croissants. That's how the good ones come out non greasy.
Would the cubed cheese have the anti caking ingredients?
This series of watching you trying to perfect your pizza recipe has been really interesting. It's satisfying to watch you get closer and closer to your goal
I'm glad you're enjoying it! It's been fun to make too.
I find myself wondering how many pizzas you’ve baked. I hope you’re keeping track because that would be a fun reveal at the end of the series.
I would be so fat if I tried perfecting my own pizza like Charlie. If there's pizza in front of me I'm eating it. Even bad pizza.
I know you touched on it a bit here but I'll go from my experience working in multiple NY Pizzerias now,...all of them used Grande brand whole milk mozz, not part skim and not any "blends". They bought cases of the 7lb bricks, and shredded it themselves. The pre-shredded stuff is a bit more finely shredded, smaller pieces. We shredded it into bigger pieces, we thought it melted better and gave better distribution on the finished pizza. None of the places diced it into small pieces, although I know that's a popular method too now. Grande is a pretty iconic brand here for NY pizza, though yes it's hard to get outside of restaurant supply. If you've ever had NY pizza, chances are very high this was the cheese being used, extremely good quality and consistency. If we're talking low moisture mozz that is.
As far as sauce goes, majority of places I worked used Stanislaus brand tomatoes. The two products from them I'm most familiar with are their "Full Red" pizza sauce, or the "Alta Cucina" whole peeled plum tomatoes. Those were the bases we worked with depending on the type of pizza. If we were cooking tomato/grandma style pies, we used a chunkier sauce, if it was regular round pies, we used a normal pizza sauce. Again, Stanislaus is more of a restaurant supply only product. You can find places to order it online though, just like with Grande cheese.
Hope any of this info helps you on your pizza journey. 3 of the 4 places I worked at are still around and scored in the 8's on the onebite app. I don't live in downstate NY anymore so unfortunately it's been a minute since I've had great pizza.
Yep. His pizzas look greasy because of the fine shredd themselves
Started as a Long Island pizzilolo in 69’, we used Grande WM Mozzy but 75% and WM Domestic Provolone 20% and Domestic Swiss 5%, we only used 1/4”cubed, and Stany Sauces too, never pre cooked, we won best NY Pizza 16 years in a row til we lost our lease in 83’, no matter what anyone says, it is the water!!!
You sir know NY Pizza
After making thousands of these over the years, the one secret you're looking for is consistency. If there are any thin spots in the dough, the pizza cooks unevenly. It affects the taste massively. Try making pizzas of different sizes. 16" 18" and 20". To get the best consistency, weigh each dough ball to exactly 1.5 lbs, that's what we used at our shop. Then fold the dough over onto itself and pinch it off so one side is perfectly round, put them into an oiled plastic dough tray with the perfect dome side up. They have to be sealed inside between the dough trays so they don't lose moisture or crack. Let them rise at room temperature for about 30-60 mins, then put them into the fridge. They need to sit in the fridge for a few hours until they have become a malleable consistency. Try overnight too. It will take some time to perfect this process but trust me it's so important. When you pull them out, place the dough into flour, then put the perfect side down and cut into the underside to create your crust. It's best to work on a granite or stone counter with ample flour. It will take a lot of practice to get tossing the dough down perfectly but that's the key! Best of luck!
It's quite remarkable just how many of us out there are equally (almost) as obsessed with the perfect NY slice. Thank you Charlie, I'm following closely.
Great content. I think you’ll find (if you haven’t already) that a hotter temp with less overall time in the oven will keep the cheese from splitting, which results in less greasiness.
A good way to reduce the cheese from splitting is to cube it with a knife instead of shredding it. Also keep the cheese ice cold. This slows down the overall time it takes for the cheese to melt and further prevents it from splitting while the pizza bakes.
This 100%. A restaurant oven is significantly hotter than a home oven so they can cook the pizza super fast and the cheese will not have time to separate it seems. The longer cook time of a home oven leads to the cheese separating. When I make pizza at home on a steel I keep my cheese frozen (I do a 50/50 mix) with grated on pecorino and the cheese comes out really well and doesn't separate.
the production and thoroughness of these videos are really incredible, your channel's gonna be huge in no time
Totally agree! This is really good and he’s gonna be big if he keeps it up.
This is the best series on NY Style Pizza on the internet. I've been looking forward to this video for weeks. Thank you!
One way to make sure your pizza doesn’t come out too greasy: don’t add any olive oil to your tomato sauce.
I literally just use canned whole peeled tomatoes, which I blend in the can, and add a couple herbs and spices (like chili flakes).
Salt comes from the parmigiana that I put over the sauce, and all the fat comes from the whole milk cheese. You can also add some chunks of fresh mozzarella for hits of extra creaminess
I’m surprised your channel isn’t huge. The production quality, the way you deliver information, your attitude, it’s all A+. Subscribed! ❤️
I've loved this series! Everything is so well done! I subbed on part 2 and can't wait for part 4.
Same
For anyone asking, these pizzas are being baked on a steel. I use the Baking Steel Pro (bakingsteel.com/products/baking-steel-pro-package?sca_ref=3277010.cIE0wUuej7) but I previously used the Original Baking Steel (bakingsteel.com/products/baking-steel?sca_ref=3277010.cIE0wUuej7) which is great as well, just a bit thinner and smaller (I'll be discussing the baking method in more detail in a future episode).
UPDATE: I now have a discount code for Baking Steel. Use the code "CHARLIE10" for 10% off!
Full disclosure, these are affiliate links so I'll receive a small commission for anyone who purchases through my links (at no extra cost to you). This isn't sponsored though, and I bought both of mine at full price.
Try 50/50 whole milk low. Moisture. And provalone add about 20 percent good quality young cheddar cheese.
Stick with locatelli.
Trust me, try it
Try this mix and fresh grate all of it
1/2 Whole Milk Low Moisture Mozzarella
1/4 Monterrey Jack
1/8 3-6 month old Gouda
1/8 Gruyère Cheddar(they sell it at Trader Joe’s)
Then fresh grate authentic aged Parmigiano Reggiano all over the top
Absolutely amazing NYC Pizza blend 😋
This is truly a great video series. Love your attention to detail and thought process through the decision making. Loving this channel so far!
Super invested in this series. Thanks for the great content.
this series of videos is awesome! The great video editing skills and your passion and curiosity for the perfect at home slice is captivating
Loving this series! The pacing, editing, music, and filmmaking are all spot-on!
I mix in some cut up provolone for tanginess
Dude this series is insane. So good. Keep it up!
Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
I use a steel baking sheet but I assemble the pizza on a piece of parchment paper that is slightly greased with olive oil. This makes it easy to slide into the oven and it also makes the bottom have a perfect crispiness without burning. I also do not need to use any flour when assembling the pizza on the parchment paper so better for beginners (like me!)
When watching this I thought I was watching a big TH-cam channel. I'd say your quality is definitely on par with those guys, keep it up and you will grow in no time!
Great series! Can you post your final full recipe? Sauce, Dough, and Cheese. Anxious to try it.
This is becoming an internet crusade to the promised home pizza!
So glad to tune in on al this knowledge, and happy to know there are so many eho are serious about this for at home!
Really loving this series so far, the overall production and content are incredible and the videos are laid out really well. I’m really excited to see it all come together, are you planning on making a video at the end that contains all of the steps fully laid out?
Yes, I’ll definitely make a final recipe video once it’s figured out!
With the grease, you will get less by not grating the cheese. Instead, cut it into small chunks. These melt slower and thus take longer to squeeze out their grease. Adam Ragusea does this with the string cheese by cutting them width-wise into rounds rather than grating them
just appreciating your dedication and the method.
Once you’re done we need a full final recipe video that breaks down making a full pizza from scratch please.
The little Caesars uses muenster in it's cheese mix and honestly we've added it to our home made pizzas and it's definitely a great addition in flavour. We use mozzarella and muenster about 20% muenster
First time watcher ... big Scarr's fan. In the mid 60's NY pizzerias pretty much all used cheese that looked like turds, not grated or shaved. This was achieved by, I believe, passing the mozzarella or cheese blend through a grinder, which should aerate the cheese. I've done this with my Panasonic meat grinder and comes out great. I know that's not what happens now but try it.
I've been enjoying your series, and thanks for the Black Friday heads up!
You, sir, have just earned a subscriber. I'll be making the final pizza when this series concludes.
Great series and I hope it ends up with positive results. Really looking forward to the next episode. Eagerly awaiting the next episode. Baking method is exactly what I need.
Tip: If where you live they don't sell low moisture mozzarella you can make your own by microwaving fresh mozzarella. When you do this it immediately releases a load of liquid, just massage it until the liquid stops coming out and then put it in some kind of shape and let it get hard in the fridge. Don't over-do the microwaving tho.
Another great addition to this series. I will say, my best experience has been buying 1-2 pounds of full fat mozzarella from the deli counter of my local grocery store, it usually ends up being Boar Head or another brand and ends up working great. Just ask them not to slice it and then shred it when you get home.
Yellow grease on a pizza from separated cheese is quite authentic NY!
i made your dough 2 hours ago! hoping for some nice pies monday, i went to the store but couldnt find ANY whole low moisture moz so seeing i can use cheese sticks is an interesting solution!
Yeah it’s hard to find! At this point, I think I’ve been to 16 different groceries stores in my area, and only found 9 different WMLM mozzarellas. Only 4 of which I would consider to be decent quality (GFS, Kraft cheese sticks, Grande, and one from a local market here in Cleveland)
@@CharlieAndersonCooking One alternative to also look at is the spanish cheeses, in my experience you can find them more easily. "Nochebuena Queso Fresco," to me it has a bit better flavor that motz but an ok melty ness (maybe mix it). And you can generally get the different fan levels.
@@CharlieAndersonCooking I knew you was from Ohio bro. I live here too. Obsessed with pizza but I’m from the east coast, you guys don’t have it a lot out here, but seeing your videos changes my mind a bit.
To reduce the fat/grease in the finished pizza allow the chesse to come up to room temp before baking....the protiens and fats melt at diffrent temps: allowing the chesse to warm up before baking helps them from separating
Excellent stuff..great series, well done!!
Great videos. Congrats dude, the algo picked it up. You’re gonna get huge.
This may be the most important youtube series of all time. If we can make a NY slice at home, man, that would be life changing.
This series is carrying my homemade pizza making. Can’t wait for the baking and sauce episodes!
I’ve used Kraft cheese sticks multiple times in a pinch for they exact reason. Awesome to see it represented in the video
I like a little provolone mixed in, it reminds me of Lodi Circle Pizza in NJ, but the wife and kids prefer straight mozz (they all grew up south of the Mason-Dixon). I’ve seen some chains mix in cheddar…
I've noticed that I don't get the cripsy bite with bread or AP flour so I picked up some 00 flour that I found at the store. I had a real italian tell me it makes a big difference so I'm excited to see how it affects it
I really hope your channel blows up my friend. Very good content🤟🏼!
Good info, love the deep dive into the part skim cheese especially. I’ve seen some recipes (maybe Kenji?) that freeze the shredded whole milk mozz so that it melts a little slower to mimic the fact that home oven pizza will (almost) always take longer to cook than pizzeria pizza.
You are very underrated for these videos. i love em have a goodone!
I was just thinking about how I needed a baking steel!
Yeah it makes a big difference! I’m planning to talk more about them in a future video, but I think they’re basically essential for achieving a proper result in a home oven.
@@CharlieAndersonCooking I've been trying to do it with a Pizza Stone, and it just isn't working. Even letting the stone preheat for an hour (after the oven takes 45m to reach temp), the bottom of the pizza doesn't even brown. Additionally, it's really hard to slide a large pizza onto a stone that's basically the same size as the pizza. I lose ingredients, and if I don't have something to catch them they land on the bottom of the oven and catch on fire.
I snagged a steel using your link; I can't wait to try it!
This series has me captivated - and hungry! I have not anticipated the next episode of something this much since Season 1 of LOST!
🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕
Season 2: The Gluten Free NY Slice
Nah, Season 2 should be how to get the edges of the pepperoni to crisp up at home!
Keep up the great work! Your videos look great and you are keeping everything accessible for real folks, love that!
Wow! Just found your channel, subbed right away, going back to watch more and can't wait for future episodes! Very well done!
I've been doing a lot of the same tests that you have over the last year. I'm having good luck on keeping the cheese fat separation down by getting the pizza as low in the oven as I can, and shaving off a minute or two of cook time, or a couple of degrees lower for the temp.
I use the galbani whole milk low moisture string cheeses Adam showed in his video. They work well. I shred the cheese and put it in a stainless steel bowl in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to slow the melting since I have to leave it in my home oven longer than a real pizzeria would. I don't usually get the splitting you show, so I think the freezing must help in that regard. Great video!
Grande, there is no other.
But that unavailable near me.
So i do low moisture whole milk some provalone and a touch of young cheddar.
Comes out perfect
And yes pre shred is garbage.
Love this entire series of videos!
I used sliced mozzarella both part skim and whole, that also reduced the cheese from splitting and over melting. With the sliced cheese you can also do upside down pies cheese first sauce on top. Both work well.
Alright Kid.
You got me hooked and invested in this journey.
I like your style.
Til next time.
👌
The best NY style pizza I ever had used a combo of whole milk low moisture mozzarella and provolone.
I hope you do a video on your sauce. Keep em coming!
ur channe is SOOOOOOOOO GOOD ITS SO ADDICTING NEVER STOP MAKING VIDEOS
Insanely thorough!
I feel like using san marzano tomatoes (DOP) and low moisture moz is the key. Getting a cold ferment on the dough too, at least 2 days. You can't get the 600 degree over in your home unless you have a sick outdoor pizza oven, but using top ingredients is definitely the key.
NY "street" pizzerias like Joe's don't typically use San Marzano. Those are only used for Neapolitan-style pizzas.
@@canadave Also used in apizza recipes.
Finally! Been waiting hahaha
HECK YES. I just stumbled upon your channel earlier today and watched the pizza vids. You said "I'm doing cheese next" and I looked, and the video wasn't there yet. But I subscribed, refreshed my feed just now, AND THERE IT IS! :D
Back in days of old one of the key distinguishing characteristics of an authentic New York slice was the pool of molten oil floating over the surface of it, so that when you folded it, the oil would run into the funnel created by the fold, and would then either trickle down your arm giving you 2nd degree burns, or - if you were alert enough - drip off the tip on the the sidewalk where it burned a hole on the concrete.
In other words: separation is where it's at baby.
LOL, heck yeah! It wasn't real NYC pizza if you couldn't do the crisp fold-in-half thing with the oil dripping out of the crease and then lose a layer of flesh inside your mouth from the molten lava burn!
It's amazing to me how different the Grande mix looked to me. There were basically no pockets and it didn't look greasy. It actually looked like something I could get from a New York pizzeria. I'm so curious if it could potentially come down to not using too much cheese, or if it's the fact that this was the only pre-shredded mozz Charlie used. Usually pre-shredded cheese is bad because of the anti-caking agents, as Charlie mentioned. But what if one of those anti-caking agents, such as corn starch, helps keep the cheese fats from separating? Maybe it causes the cheese to emulsify with the tomato sauce? Or perhaps this cheese was just of a different quality (not necessarily better, but different). It certainly looked low moisture, but had almost a cheese curd appearance to it, like it was very fresh. Anyway, these are my thoughts on the end of this video and I've really been enjoying this series. Thank you Charlie!
Yeah it did look different on camera here, although I think that was mostly because I had filmed those clips more recently, so I was using a slightly different baking method and I was also using more cheese than I was using before.
I’ve found that most of the time, the grande cheese looks pretty similar to the other cheeses. Like I said though, I do still think it’s the best one I’ve tried! I’d be very curious to try the whole milk version though because if the east coast blend is this good, I think the whole milk version would be perfect. I may have to try harder to get some before this series is over haha.
I think that grande cheese makes the pizza taste good. Is that what they use in NY pizza
I use Grande 50/50 part skim/whole milk low moisture shredded for my pizzas, its the best cheese I can find. Its not in grocery stores though, I get it through my foodservice for my restaurant. Grande doesn't add any additives to their shredded cheese, so it melts a lot better. Most grocery store shredded cheeses add starch so the cheese doesn't stick together
I honestly have never minded some excess oil on a NY slice, since I prefer it with pepperoni anyway, and oil is part of the deal. What I need is the NY cheese flavor and in my strictly amateur dabbler opinion, the best flavor is Romano forward. I love the Romano.
I just have to thank you for doing all this research and work so I won't have to. Looking forward to your next video!
Man out here in Delaware, trying to find WMLM Mozz is SUCH A PAIN. Every local store didnt have it so had to run across the bridge to Jersey to grab some.
we always blended part skim and whole milk Grande together. it wasn't 50 / 50 either perhaps 60/40 or 40/60 it's been 30 years but the pizza was some of the best i have ever had & i have been to a lot of pizza places around the country due to traveling for work.
Great video. Just an FYI, I use a blend of Boars Head Low Moisture Whole Milk Mozzarella, Boars Head Non-Smoked Picante Provolone, and Boars Head Monterey Jack. I ask them to just cut off a 1 inch thick hunk of each at the deli counter and shred them at home. It's a fantastic blend and doesnt burn like the Polly-O at 550.
These videos are so good dude, I'm finally inspired to give pizza a shot. I spent months making wings every day until I felt like I perfected it, time to move on to the main course.
Charlie, thanks so much for putting these videos together, great stuff!
Since there’s no place near me (Northern Virginia) where I can get Grande Cheese, Giant supermarkets carry a 16 oz chunk of Galbani whole milk, low moisture mozzarella and it works great as a back-up option - surprisingly great flavor IMO.
Love this series! I’m going to try to do exactly what you’re doing. Could you post your ideal dough recipe instead of using the percentages.
I delivered for Dominos back in the '70's and I don't remember too much, but I know our cheese was a mixture of mozzarella and cheddar. I haven't order Dominos in decades but believe it or not back then it was actually really good! Not NYC pizza good, but different good. Of course I also worked at McDonalds before that and the food there wasn't going to win any awards, but it was cooked on an actual griddle and was WAY better than the garbage they have today. In fact, pretty much everything tasted better back then...
Bro, this is great, I'm gonna up my Pizza game next time I make it! Great job.
I grew up in Brooklyn and if there wasn't a few grease spots on the double paper plate after the slice was folded in half, it's not a New York slice.
Use the fine grater to powder your Pecorino and Parmesan and do a 50/50 blend. Just enough to dust over the sauce.
This is how the owner of the local NY Pizza place does it, and I'm told it's how most NY places do it.
This isn't in NY, but my buddy grew up in the Bronx, and uses Grande cheese for his pies. I've also been to NY and had authentic slices on multiple occasions, and can indeed confirm he's legit and does his pies right.
I’ve had good results with Galbani’s and Trader Joe’s LMWM mozzarella. I suspect they may be the same product. I’ve been tempted to try the Boars Head, but it costs twice as much as the former. I also add either Parm or Pecorino.
Was looking forward to this :D
I have been on my own quest to perfect the pizza for the last 10 years or so, if not longer. I am really enjoying watching your quest to do so as well and look forward to seeing your progress and see how you handle some of the challenges. I do agree with one of the comments below, the hotter and faster you can cook this, the less greasy it will be. My oven gets up to 550, and cooks pretty fast with a preheated steel, which seems to do the trick.
The Kraft "Parmesan" Cheese is not really cheese by the fda your allowed to use an amount of Cellulose "Wood Pulp" Into your parmesan which kraft does so that might be the reasoning
Charlie, I'm enjoying watching this. I grew up across the street from Joe's Pizza in NYC, back when Giuseppe himself was actually still making the pizzas (in the 1980s). It's too bad, the Joe's pizza today is nothing like it was back then, when it was absolutely incredible. Joe's today honestly is nothing all that special as far as regular NY street pizzerias go, they're riding on their reputation a little bit (they became popular because of Giuseppe's skill and also the fact they fed hordes of hungry NYU students at 3am).
I live in Canada now, but I still make NY-style pizzas. If you ever want some notes about true NY pizza, I'm happy to oblige :) I've been a bit of a student of it myself since moving to Canada, to try to recreate the great pizzas I remember from when I was a kid (Joe's, Golden's, Ben's, Pizza Box, etc). You're definitely on the right track with what you're doing!
I only use whole milk mozzarella. It can burn faster than part skim, but we’re going for flavor! And if u want a tangy flavor, you need to add some sharp cheddar. Try seriously sharp by Cabot’s
The cheese I found that works best for me with low moisture mozzarella is Monterey Jack.
I think the best is to use two steels :)) that's also what Tony Gemignani recommends because NY Pizza is usually cooked by rotating maybe that has huge impact on greasiness. I agree with you, I think we gonna find out the best NY Slice at home soon. Thanks
I made NY style pizza in upstate NY for years. Grande 1000%
Love the scooter! What tricks can you do?
My personal trick to reduce greasiness personally is to freeze the shredded cheese for a long time and keep it in there up until Jat before putting it into the oven. Keeping it as cold as possible up front seems to slow down grease seperation in my end. I lsontry to keep the shreds as thick as I can, again slowing down how much it heats up since larger chunks melt slower than smaller.
Perfect, i needed this video
I worked in a pizza shop... one of my first jobs way back when. We used sliced mozzarella and provolone cheese, not shredded. The cheese came in logs, not blocks. Unfortunately I don't recall if the mozzarella was low moisture whole milk or not.
I use Grande WM mozzarella best in the world imo hard to find for most though
Looking forward to the next one
Someone with access to university laboratories: We need you to analyze the cheese mix on Scar's pizza and tell us what three cheeses they use.
I've actually made it to Scarr's since filming this video, and I have some ideas but need to do more testing. I do think for the classic, "authentic" New York slice though, mozzarella is the clear choice. Scarr's cheese seems to have a slightly different flavor than most (although I did really like it).
@@CharlieAndersonCooking scarr's taste different from the classic nyc slice
Pizza in the Northeastern states in general in the '60s, '70s, and '80s often used non-smoked provolone as well, so try that, and also experiment with brick cheese and swiss, as pizzerias back then usually also served sandwiches that used those cheeses.
Loving the videos
I’m glad to hear it!
You deserve millions of subs dude
here on the west coast, there is a store called winco, its doesnt have high end products but their store named mozz, is low moisture whole milk mozz and it's actually pretty effing good for home pizzas.I've been using it for mine and until watching these videos did i realize how lucky i am on the west coast to find a low moisture whole milk mozz. Now to find good canned tomatoes.
When you grated mozzarella you should use a electric grater attached to a mixer and put a bit of pressure on the cheese to get a nice thick grate.
Grande 100% whole milk is the way to go. Also, Boar's Head from the deli counter is very good and widely available. BTW, NYC pizza is inherently a little greasy. Especially when you go with pepperonis. I wouldn't focus too much on that aspect if I were you.
My husband and I feel like we have found the perfect pizza for us. I love comparing our decisions on pizza to your findings
I have pizza shop near me that uses Grande cheese and it really is very good.