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Pizza Physics: Why Brick Ovens Bake the Perfect Italian-Style Pie

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Re: Pizza Physics: Why Brick Ovens Bake the Perfect Italian-Style Pie

#81

Post by londons_explore »

elvinyung wrote: post #35

So, this doesn't work by itself in most setups (it won't heat the top and the bottom of the pizza at the same time), but I've seen a really cool trick used: a plate of silicon carbide in a microwave oven absorbs microwaves and turns them into heat (just like food, but it can withstand much higher temperatures). This can reach extremely high temperatures (IIRC, 800C+), hot enough to smelt tin.

When doing this, watch out for the impedance of the silicon carbide at microwave frequencies.

Too low, and microwaves reflect off it, going back into the magnetron, causing it to overheat and die.

Too high, and microwaves pass through it, reflect off the far wall of the microwave back into the magnetron, causing it to overheat and die.

Either do this in a microwave that has overheat protection (generally the ones which don't say in massive letters on the manual "DO NOT RUN EMPTY"), or put a glass of water in with any 'experiments'.

Re: Pizza Physics: Why Brick Ovens Bake the Perfect Italian-Style Pie

#82

Post by thomasfedb »

Broken_Hippo wrote: post #49
thomasfedb wrote: post #13

Is it only Americans that call a pizza 'pie'? As an Australian it sounds wrong, very wrong - a pie has dished sides and filling, not just topping.

I'm from the US - we always refer to pizza as, well, pizza. Pie is something that is usually (but not always) sweet. The closest reference I have from childhood is a song talking about "pizza pie".

Apparently the US does not have meat pies, or at least they are not ubiquitous like here in Australia.

Re: Pizza Physics: Why Brick Ovens Bake the Perfect Italian-Style Pie

#83

Post by TheSpiceIsLife »

evgen wrote: post #73
TheSpiceIsLife wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starting a fire on a fire escape sounds like it should be a prohibited activity.

It probably is, was just trying to think of the equivalent for a place like NYC where apartment balconies are less common than they are in CA. OTOH I am pretty sure I have seen a small weber or two on fire escapes on occasion.

Although, thinking about it, a fire escape should be the least likely part of a building to catch fire.

Re: Pizza Physics: Why Brick Ovens Bake the Perfect Italian-Style Pie

#84

Post by hutattedonmyarm »

pedrocr wrote: post #44
hutattedonmyarm wrote: post #41

The site just redirects me to their GDPA choice page. After clicking the option to not sell my soul I land on their plain text site (which itself isn’t bad, it loads amazingly fast), but only to the startupage instead of the article. That’s just a list of articles, that one not included, and no option to search. Well fuck it

Here you go: https://text.npr.org/s.php?sId=630544154 Someone needs to write an extension for this. The id number is on the URL so it's a trivial script. Activating Firefox's reader view makes text-only NPR articles not only fast but look great too.

Thank you!

Re: Pizza Physics: Why Brick Ovens Bake the Perfect Italian-Style Pie

#85

Post by Broken_Hippo »

thomasfedb wrote: post #82
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm from the US - we always refer to pizza as, well, pizza. Pie is something that is usually (but not always) sweet. The closest reference I have from childhood is a song talking about "pizza pie".

Apparently the US does not have meat pies, or at least they are not ubiquitous like here in Australia.

you are correct :)

I mean, there are a few, and likely more that are local in areas. I think they used to be more popular: For example, I found a salmon meringue pie recipe in an old pie cookbook my grandmother had. But alas, most folks will think more of cherry or apple than meaty goodness.

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