General Pizza tips & Quick Questions

stustu92

...you might not use all 3 but share them with family or friends if you don't use it often.

A great way to always have garlic on hand but without it going off is to peel 2 or 3 cloves and drop them in a bottle of olive oil. In 2 or 3 weeks you'll have lovely garlic oil. Also when it runs low, just top it up with more oil - it'll last ages.

kethry

stustu92 wrote: »

A great way to always have garlic on hand but without it going off is to peel 2 or 3 cloves and drop them in a bottle of olive oil. In 2 or 3 weeks you'll have lovely garlic oil. Also when it runs low, just top it up with more oil - it'll last ages.

I really wouldn't do this. garlic cloves treated this way can - as they're being dropped into the oil - form an air bubble, and within that airbubble, botulism can develop, so it can make you extremely ill.

if you want garlic flavoured oil, cut the garlic cloves in half, put in the oil in a pan, and heat gently. remove the cloves, and allow to cool. pour into a sterilised (i.e. wash in hot soapy water, swill in hot water, then put in a cool oven to dry, as soon as its dry, use) bottle/jar then keep in the fridge, but use within a couple of weeks.

keth
xx

phizzimum

silly question maybe...but do you actually like garlic?

pizza sauce will be fine without it - there's no point buying something that you'll never use just because it's in a recipe.

PasturesNew

Well, lots of great advice I can use. And lots of great advice I can't due to my situation.

buy a small tube of garlic puree - you'll find it near the pasta cooking sauces with tubes of tomato puree. It's easy to use & keeps for ages

Thanks - I will look out for this

If it's a pretty plain pizza I just spread the base with tom puree and add cheese, whatever toppings, sprinkle with herbs (whatever you fancy) and a little drizzle of olive oil. Garlic isn't essential.

I think that's what I saw myself doing, but something in my head was telling me that having garlic in it would give the sauce part an 'edge'

I very often don't use garlic. I simply simmer a tin of toms till they are thick. When they are cool I spread them onto the base and cover it with whatever I have

I would find this too much effort for little result really. It's more for people who enjoy this sort of thing

Cooking for one I find quite a solitary experience, it's an activity that seems to amplify that you are alone.

I tend to use garlic powder ... Garlic granules are stronger than powder, also garlic puree or lazy garlic ... note: NOT garlic salt but just powder. Lidl sell it in a
shaker ... it can be used in virtually every cooking situation where fresh garlic is called for and is indistinguishable in the final result ...

I think this is what I was looking for. That's the solution for me. Thanks.

buy one clove of garlic. Put in the blender and make it into a paste, you can then use what you need to and freeze the rest for the future

I have no blender and no freezer. Everything I make has to be cooked and eaten. I just have a small fridge.

Your local chinese/indian shop or market stall will have jars of Garlic paste (minced garlic in a little water/oil) which keeps indefinitely

I have never seen one of these shops, but I now live in a big city so will look out for one.

share them with family or friends if you don't use it often

shh... I don't want to seem odd, but I don't have family or friends.

... peel 2 or 3 cloves and drop them in a bottle of olive oil ....garlic cloves treated this way can - as they're being dropped into the oil - form an air bubble, and within that airbubble, botulism can develop,

I'd have not done this, but it's great you pointed this out to people thinking about it.

So, overall, I will be heading for the shaker in Lidl I think!

THANKS!

PasturesNew

phizzimum wrote: »

silly question maybe...but do you actually like garlic?

pizza sauce will be fine without it - there's no point buying something that you'll never use just because it's in a recipe.

I do like garlic. And I just had a notion that a sauce would be much better for having it.... and I thought, who knows, if I used it and it turned out brilliant I would do it again. But not if it involved keeping/using real garlic.

belfastgirl23

Just to say that italians don't normally use garlic in pizza sauce, they use oregano and a little bit of good olive oil and some salt. If you taste it with oregano it does somehow taste more authentic and you can buy it dried in lidl too.

BTW it seems to be oregano for pizza sauce and basil for pasta sauce for some reason??

Shelley84

Hi,

I'm making HM pizzas for dinner tonight. Just wondered, after the dough is ready and rolled do I need to cook it a bit before adding the toppings?

Worried it may go soggy?!

Thanks

Gingernutmeg

I cook the bases for about five minutes-ish before I add the toppings (p-rick them REALLY well before you cook them, otherwise you end up with massive balloon like things in the oven lol). I've only started doing this recently, and I've found it solved the problem of pale, undercooked-looking bottoms and gives you a nicer, crisper pizza.

maypole

We have just had homemade pizza for lunch, delicious by the way.

I don't make the base with yeast, it is a quick pizza base recipe. I just roll it thinly on to a baking tray, I put the filling straight onto it and into a very hot oven 220-230 for 10 mins, keeping an eye on it! reducing the heat to moderate 160 for a further 15mins. The base was not soggy. However if you are doing a smaller round one it may require less time. I have a fan oven so I use an oven thermometer to get the right temperature. Enjoy your pizza.

Shelley84

What is a basic pizza base recipe?

I think I have everything I need but on the net they have so many fancy recipes!!