More Scientifical Research

March 5th, 2010

Cheese Blend Fail

I made another experimental Sicilian pizza today, with around 75% Grande Cheddar Blend and 25% Grande East Coast Blend. I was hoping it would have the baking qualities of Grande Cheese, with more flavor than the East Coast Blend.

The verdict: I can barely taste the cheese. I thought pure Cheddar Blend was sour when I put it on a thin pizza, but on a Sicilian, it tastes like water.

There is nothing wrong with Grande cheese. No one questions the quality. But it’s not working for me yet. I still have to try their 50/50 mozzarella/provolone blend.

Pizza is amazing. Before an experimental pie goes into the oven, I always think I know how it will taste, and I’m wrong all the time. No other food is like that. It makes me realize how blessed I am to have a couple of recipes that work perfectly. I could have spent another five years making bad pizza.

I think I’m going to quit using the food processor at home. Non-kneaded dough is superior to food processor dough, in my opinion. The food processor is so fast, it can be hard to mix the dough just enough but not too much. Now that I’m weighing stuff to the nearest gram, I should be able to make dough with a wooden spoon and a bowl. It’s very easy to adjust ingredient amounts when you use a food processor, but with other methods, it’s a pain. When you have the amounts nailed down in advance, however, you can blend your ingredients with confidence regardless of the method.

I’m pretty sure.

The Grande rep says he’ll drop off some 50/50 when he gets his hands on it. After that, the Grande trials will be done, and it will be time to get started on Sysco cheese.

Posted in Food and Cooking | 1 Comment »

One Response to “More Scientifical Research”

  1. Virgil Says:
    March 6th, 2010 at 12:35 AM

    I mix by hand starting with everything in a big clear glass bowl with a handle and a lip on it like a oval shaped (in plan view) measuring cup with graduations on the side. You can sift your flour and go by eyeball/volume or better yet weigh it on a digital scale, and then pour in nearly enough water, stir with a wooden spoon, make final adjustments, and then dump the mixture out and work it over by hand…adding a little flour in the process until you get the right consistency.

    A minute or two or three at most…

    I also have a “pastry cloth” and rolling pin cover ( similar to this http://cooksdream.com/store/a690.html) that’s made from a heavy coarse fabric, almost like white colored denim, which I keep folded in a giant zip lock bag between uses.

    It stays covered with flour that’s worked into the pores and spaces and keeps me from having to work on the kitchen counter top or on a cutting board. (My grandmother used “oiled” kraft paper–like a heavy brown paper bag–in a similar manner for her biscuits.)
    Clean up only involves shaking the loose flour off into the sink, folding the cloth up, and putting it back into the bag until the next pizza urge.