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Thai Cooking: Creamy Tom Yam Kung
Great addition to the SE family. Welcome aboard, Leela. Let me add one item to Liz's list: mee grob!
Pizza Flavored Steamed Buns: Stupid, or Genius?
@kenji Photos are forthcoming. I considered putting 'steam' in quotes, though no pun was intended originally. I ran out of dough/time/energy, but I still have two days to rock them, so you never know. As for steam, the char siu, cumin beef, and red bean ones are in the freezer, awaiting revival.
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Recent Posts
Cambridge, MA: Area Four Café for a Great Breakfast Sandwich and Baked Goods
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, January 4, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Providence, RI: Nice Slice Pizzeria
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, December 22, 2011 at 9:30 AM
Behind the Scenes: Island Creek Oyster Farm in Massachusetts
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, November 18, 2011 at 10:45 AM
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Andrew Janjigian answered "Way!" to Anchovies on pizza: Way or no way?
Poll posted by Adam Kuban, January 24, 2011 at 8:55 AM
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Recent Comments
Cambridge, MA: Area Four Pizza
@Adam: Agreed. It's the clam chowder of pizza topping combos.
@MGrace: I've had the soft-serve, and it is very good. I should have mentioned that.
@guycooking: Alas, we often do not have the $$ or time to visit places more than once. I just happened to wait too long to post my original review, and had no choice, as they changed the pie sizes. Thanks for the photo praise, they were especially hard at A4, where it is very dark. Note to self: do SE review visits at lunchtime for better lighting.
@Jessica: I didn't mention the pretzels because we tried those, and found them dry and tough. But you're not the only one who is a fan, so maybe our experience was a fluke, and we'll have to try again. I am a serious pretzel-head.
Thai Cooking: Creamy Tom Yam Kung
Great addition to the SE family. Welcome aboard, Leela. Let me add one item to Liz's list: mee grob!
Pizza Flavored Steamed Buns: Stupid, or Genius?
@kenji Photos are forthcoming. I considered putting 'steam' in quotes, though no pun was intended originally. I ran out of dough/time/energy, but I still have two days to rock them, so you never know. As for steam, the char siu, cumin beef, and red bean ones are in the freezer, awaiting revival.
Pizza Flavored Steamed Buns: Stupid, or Genius?
No one will believe me now that you posted this, Kenji, but I was going to do this exact thing for a party this coming weekend. I was thinking of it as a Chinese suppli al telephono, but same diff.
Made the dough and the filling but ran out of steam after making 150 or so more traditional buns. (With help from Ms. @slice, who can shape buns like the best of them.)
Eyewitness Booze Investigation: Smirnoff Fluffed Marshmallow and Whipped Cream Vodkas
Hey, Will, congrats, couldn't have happened to a better guy. And best of luck surviving the wedding planning, I've been there. There's perhaps no better reason to be happy on your wedding day than knowing that it's all finally behind you.
International Serious Eats Day: February 18 or 25?
Whoa. Somehow I missed the first announcement. I'm down for either weekend, in NYC or at home here in Boston.
Daily Slice: Angelo's, Cambridge
Angelo's has long been my fave slice in town. If not for the school's-in-session only hours, I'd slice it up there more often myself. I'm pretty sure they even take summers off.
Chocoholic: Triple Chocolate Cream Puffs
Those look so good, they might have come from this amazing baker woman I used to work with. Welcome aboard, Yvonne.
Video: Serious Eats Bikes Brooklyn and Queens for Tacos (and Some Non-Taco Detours)
I have a bike too! I want in on any Boston area crawls, please!
My Pie Monday: Pumpkin, Welfleet Clams, Tuna and More!
My bad. I meant Franny's recipe. Motorino doesn't use cream in their sauce AFAIK.
Barrel Oven Fever
Hey all, been away for awhile, just catching up with comments now. I wrote this piece as much to get feedback from other WFO users and enthusiasts on how well this design might or might not work for pizza, so keep your questions and comments coming.
The way I see it is that a barrel oven is functionally equivalent to a home oven, except without a temperature limit. It can get as hot as you want it to, as long as there's wood to burn. Max at Firespeaking said that people haven't used them at high temps with regularity enough yet, but that doing so might corrode the barrel more quickly. That said, he's said that he's yet to see an oven corrode in the 10+ years he's been working around or with them. (It would be relatively easy to replace if and when it did, since it just slides in.)
As for even heating, I don't see why it would be any more uneven than other designs, especially once the masonry starts to soak up heat. I did imagine adding stones or tiles to the trays (Max said that was reasonable), since both bread and pizza benefit from direct conducted heat. Of course these would need more than 15m to heat up, but because they'd be relatively thin, much less time than a thick deck would.
As for the potential loss of "smoke" flavor in pizzas when cooked in a barrel oven, there is little consensus as to whether smoke flavor gets picked up in pies when cooked in the presence of a live fire (ash flavor is another story.) Personally, I don't consider it essential to a good pie; plenty of wonderful pizzas that come out of electric or gas ovens. The key (for me) is high temps, not smoke or fire.
@gaffer: rust is a potential problem, I suppose, but the clay exterior will wash away sooner than the barrel will rust, so most ovens are kept out of the rain with roofs or tarps when not in use.
Introducing 'Ask Paulie'
Whoa! Great get, Meredith. As someone who had to turn down an offer to do a column like this for Slice (conflict of interest with my other gig), I can say without reservation Paulie is a way better man for the job. I can't wait to follow along, and maybe ask a question or three of my own.
Provincetown, Massachusetts: Spiritus Pizza
@damian:
Thanks for having my back. Perhaps @mimolette is correct, though, in that the photos convey more than my words actually did. I should have added that it is a crazy, raucous scene, obviously loads of fun for everyone there. I'm not gay (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I know a good party when I see one.
@mimolette:
Maybe the caliber of restos in Ptown is better than in most other seaside resorts, but that doesn't mean they are inherently great. I stand by my assertion that most are mediocre, and that given the concentration of places, there should be more great ones than there are.
Provincetown, Massachusetts: Spiritus Pizza
@nycpunk1: My bad. I actually knew that, since I've been in bars in Boston & Cambridge plenty of times until 2. But even that is lame. Anyway, I just wanted to get a reference to the Puritans in a post about Provincetown, where they first ran aground.
@scottroberts: I think that rule is suspended in most beachside communities. Some of those dudes were probably barefoot too.
Ed's Cosmic Pizza Blab: On the Topic of Crust
Hear, hear! Thanks, Ed, for (yet another) great post. There are only two kinds of crust in my book: good and bad. Thick, thin, doesn't matter, so long as it's well executed.
Except cracker-style pizza, that's no good. But then it's not bread we're talking about, it's crackers.
The Kneading Conference 2011
@adam: Too cramped for regular use (mine is 5 times that size, and still too small), but big enough to cook a small (10" or so) pie, or a single loaf of bread.
Boston's Best Pizza and Beer Bargain
I'm always up for an old-fashioned gluten fight, friend. Bring it on.
Boston's Best Pizza and Beer Bargain
As much as it rankles to have anyone horning in on my Boston pizza beat (and truth be told, this low-rent sort of place isn't even close to my wheelhouse), I'll make an exception, since it's Will, and he's a master scribe. Welcome aboard, young man. Let me know when you want me to walk you through the ins-and-outs of gluten science.
East Boston: Santarpio's Pizza
Dead on review, Meredith. The place deserves respect as an old-school institution, surliness and all, the grilled meats are great, and the pizza is pretty good, though the crust can definitely be heavy and tough. One thing Santarpio's is not good for: takeout. That crust isn't half bad when its blazing hot from the oven, but once it cools down it is downright leathery.
Pizza Obsessives: Frank Pinello of Best Pizza
Nice get, Mert. The square/grandma at Best is killer. Haven't had the sub yet, but next time I'm in NYC, it's on the list. . .
Forcella: Yeah, You Kinda Need to Get Here
The ice thing is a sick idea. I too wish I'd thought of it.
Boston: Dumpling Cafe Dishes Out Soup Dumplings Worth the Trip
Also, Mary Chungs, in my 'hood, is not what it used to be. You're better off heading to the OTHER secret Sichuan joint down the street, Thailand Cafe, the best Sichuan this side of the Mystic River.
Boston: Dumpling Cafe Dishes Out Soup Dumplings Worth the Trip
Yep. This place rocks hard, it's my go-to Chinatown spot, since Slice Lady turned me on to it. I've had plenty of NYC XLB, and DC beats all of them hands down. (The hand pulled noodles are excellent as well.) I just hope they get a liquor license soon.
Secrets to the Perfect Pizza?
I'm in the windowpane is overdeveloped camp. I'm not saying you can't get a nice crust with that level of development, but I never take it anywhere near that far, and my doughs have all the development they want. That goes for bread too; none of the many bakers I've studied with ever mentioned windowpaning as a useful gauge of dough strength.
As for the list, other than high heat (duh - no secret there), I'm not sure any of those tips count as essential tips to pizza success.
Be sure to check out the comment thread on Eataly. It will make you appreciate the sophisitcation of Slice's commenters all the more.
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Recent Posts
Cambridge, MA: Area Four Café for a Great Breakfast Sandwich and Baked Goods
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, January 4, 2012 at 9:30 AM
Providence, RI: Nice Slice Pizzeria
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, December 22, 2011 at 9:30 AM
Behind the Scenes: Island Creek Oyster Farm in Massachusetts
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, November 18, 2011 at 10:45 AM
Provincetown, Massachusetts: Spiritus Pizza
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, September 9, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Somerville, Massachusetts: Flatbread Company
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, July 13, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Newton, Massachusetts: Maria di Napoli Ristorante
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, May 3, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Somerville, Massachusetts: Two Meals at Posto
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, April 5, 2011 at 11:00 AM
The Best Way to Reheat a Pizza Slice
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, March 2, 2011 at 11:00 AM
New Haven: Delicious Thin-Crust Pizza at Bar
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, February 1, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cambridge, 1
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, January 18, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Armando's Pizza Isn't the New York-Style Pie You've Been Looking For
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, December 23, 2010 at 8:00 AM
Ipswich, Massachusetts: The Riverview
Posted by Andrew Janjigian, November 24, 2010 at 9:30 AM
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Andrew Janjigian answered "Way!" to Anchovies on pizza: Way or no way?
Poll posted by Adam Kuban, January 24, 2011 at 8:55 AM
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About Andrew Janjigian
Website: http://thefermenter.dikaryon.org
Location: People's Republic of Cambridge
About: Writer and test cook at Cook's Illustrated Magazine. Also: bread baker, clay oven builder, and mushroom cultivator.
Favorite foods:
Last bite on earth:

@Adam: Agreed. It's the clam chowder of pizza topping combos.
@MGrace: I've had the soft-serve, and it is very good. I should have mentioned that.
@guycooking: Alas, we often do not have the $$ or time to visit places more than once. I just happened to wait too long to post my original review, and had no choice, as they changed the pie sizes. Thanks for the photo praise, they were especially hard at A4, where it is very dark. Note to self: do SE review visits at lunchtime for better lighting.
@Jessica: I didn't mention the pretzels because we tried those, and found them dry and tough. But you're not the only one who is a fan, so maybe our experience was a fluke, and we'll have to try again. I am a serious pretzel-head.