Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 247 posts

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#171

Post by myrandomcomment »

kenjilopezalt wrote: post #77
chitowneats wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well put. That being said, the Chicago version is still better. NYC pizza is a bad joke. As long as you're only paying $1 it's not that bad for the price. That price point and the places that offered it are going extinct unfortunately. The "slice" is dead. Imagine having to fold your "pizza" because it's just a nasty mess of sauce and cheese.

It’s ironic because those $1 slice places that popped up in the mid 2000s are what actually destroyed decent NY slices which couldn’t compete because transplants and students would rather pay $1 for garbage than $1.50-$2.50 for a true classic NY slice. Very few of them remain now. Instead there’s this divide with crappy $1 joints (that are now a little more expensive) and good $4-5 slice joints that had to differenti…

Kenji,

Have your books, watch your YT. Love the science behind the food aspect of it. My whole family does. I am proud to say my daughter, now in college, cooks a few nights a week because she grew up in a family that cooks. I have a challenge for you. In my 40s they figured out my heath issues turn out to be Celiacs. Fun. So do you think you could come up with a closes as possible recipe for NYC style pizza that is gluten free?

Cheers!

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#172

Post by wirthjason »

I love cooking but often it can be a project. When I’m too lazy or don’t want to cook (like during a Bears game) I don’t mind a frozen pizza. HomeRun Inn makes a very good thin crust. When cooked in a toaster over air fryer it gets very crispy. Topped with giardineria and cut into squares it’s a great snack.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/05ePk6RokvS1kX_UkNxvP5m6A

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#173

Post by frakkingcylons »

chitowneats wrote: post #123
boulos wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sadly, I think this is true about a lot of the food in Manhattan: the middle got squeezed. There's low end, high volume and high-end, low volume. I'm always amazed Manhattan can support so many on the low end with the economics on the rent, but I think they end up with just truly amazing foot traffic and volume that other cities can't touch.

Manhattan is an absolute wasteland for authentic, cheap food. Queens and Brooklyn are much better. Some of the best food in the country there.

Yep. Take the 7 train to queens and have your pick of great international food for like 30-50% of the price of Manhattan food.

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#174

Post by chitowneats »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #167
chitowneats wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are all Neopolitan style. I've had Grimaldi's and Lucali and enjoyed them. I asked about a New York slice, which is a style of pizza that people rave on and on about, and has been cargo-culted across the U.S., but one I've never been particularly impressed with. Especially when compared to Chicago tavern style or deep dish.

> are all Neopolitan style They’re more New York than Naples. > asked about a New York slice, which is a style of pizza that people rave on and on about, and has been cargo-culted across the U.S. You’re being snotty about people trying to answer your questions. Coal-fired pizza by the slice is a New York City invention. The crust is firmer than what’s served on the Gulf of Napoli, allowing it to be confidently held w…

> You’re being snotty about people trying to answer your questions

One of many bad habits I picked up from the locals in NYC. Working on it.

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#175

Post by quags »

jfengel wrote: post #163
JumpCrisscross wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the best pizza in the NYC area is in Northern New Jersey Keep going: the pies around central Jersey are a celebration of tomatoes. That said, not a New York slice (north shore included.)

That's a Tomato Pie. Which is of course a pizza; the name was to avoid scaring off Italo-phobes in the early 20th century. But that particular pizza is its own distinct thing and it does deserve its own name.

I have not tried the New Jersey version but grew up with pizza stops which is a style in Rhode Island that sounds similar to tomato pie.

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#176

Post by emidln »

AlbertCory wrote: post #26

Native Chicagoan here. Not totally a snob, but getting there. I didn't usually encounter really crispy crust growing up, but I'm not saying it's wrong. He does a lot of things here I've never tried, but now I'm going to. I had an Ooni, and after 5 or 6 meh attempts, I sold it. I also exited the r/ooni subreddit. I'm also out of love with the Neapolitan style baked at 700F+. Come at me. I think a pizza steel preheated…

Growing up in Springfield, IL (3 hours south of Chicago), most of the pizza served ourside of chains was the ultra thin crunchy square-cut pizza mentioned in the article (or NY-esque Neapolitan slices).

Vic's (rip) Sam's (rip) Gabatoni's Joe's JT Costello's (more recently)

all served delicious crunchy thin crust with heavily spiced sauce cut thin and usually sent out covered in paper. Any bar that didnt serve frozen pizzas served a variation of this thin crust pie.

Notably, Gallina's Pizza and Lucca Pizza were both Neapolitan style.

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#177

Post by recuter »

analog31 wrote: post #160
antihero wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best way to make pizza better is to drink more. I’ve eaten some fantastic artisan sourdough wonders here in London but nothing compares to being wasted as fuck and finding the one place that’s open at some ungodly hour after a heavy night of eating fuck all and getting your teeth into some greasy monster made of the worst possible ingredients.

The best way is to sit at the dining table with a glass of cheap wine, watching pizza being made in the kitchen, as I happen to be doing at this very moment.

Ah, the cycle of pizza.

               Broke, Single, Drunk, $1 Slices, Diarrhea, Regrets 

            ↗                                                    ↘


  Divorced, SVBed/FTXed, Weight gain       Gym, Steak & Eggs, Productivity, Redemption Arc                                  
            
              ↖                                                 ↙
                       Vested, Married, Primo Pizza, Carbs

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#178

Post by p0pcult »

OJFord wrote: post #145
fbdab103 wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, sorry. Common complaint about a Chicago deep dish is that it is a lasagna or bread bowl and not a pizza. Different strokes for different folks but on the scale of New York thin crust to Chicago deep dish, I will veer towards the more hearty option every time.

I'm even more confused now, I thought the lasagne up-thread referred to ...lasagne, the pasta dish, but people call US/Chicago style deep pan pizza 'lasagne' too? I've never had one, maybe that would make more sense if I did!

I was mocking Chicago style deep dish "pizza". My favorite American style is New Haven style.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven-style_pizza

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#179

Post by 0xB31B1B »

nemo44x wrote: post #141
mrmincent wrote: post #124

As an Aussie I find the American pizza scene so interesting - so many regional variations, I’d never heard of this thin style crust pizza until I saw Kenji posting on his Insta about it a while back. Looking forward to making it sometime.

I think it has become a bit line brew where people thought American versions were bad until they started to dig into it more and the craft scene started to take off. Similar with pizza. You have regional styles that no one really wrote about but in more modern times people are looking under more rocks. Locals always loved it hence why d sad one of these joints have been open so long. And a craft scene around those st…

As someone who grew up in the upper midwest, we ate tavern pizza at family dinners. Dominoes was the pizza for school events. Back then it wasn't really "craft pizza". What Kenji is doing definitely elevates the style with better ingredients and in general more effort, but its the same thing.

Re: Kenji López-Alt spent 5 months studying Chicago thin-crust pizza

#180

Post by kasey_junk »

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #167
chitowneats wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These are all Neopolitan style. I've had Grimaldi's and Lucali and enjoyed them. I asked about a New York slice, which is a style of pizza that people rave on and on about, and has been cargo-culted across the U.S., but one I've never been particularly impressed with. Especially when compared to Chicago tavern style or deep dish.

> are all Neopolitan style They’re more New York than Naples. > asked about a New York slice, which is a style of pizza that people rave on and on about, and has been cargo-culted across the U.S. You’re being snotty about people trying to answer your questions. Coal-fired pizza by the slice is a New York City invention. The crust is firmer than what’s served on the Gulf of Napoli, allowing it to be confidently held w…

Chicago tavern style (or really any of the tavern style pizzas I’ve had) aren’t bready, they are almost to cracker.
Post reply on HN