Customer Reviews

The Pizza Book: Everything There Is To Know About the World's Greatest Pie

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is still "the" comprehensive cookbook on pizza, even though published in 1984. The author had taught classes in classic French and Italian cuisine for several years, and then to match a demand for homemade pizza by students, developed a pizza workshop which evolved into the cookbook. Extensive pizza history and background, as well as advice on ingredients, equipment, and technique, and more than 200 recipes for all types of pizzas are provided. The recipes include classic Italian pizzas, French pizzas, folded pizzas, stuffed pizzas, rolled pizzas, New York-style pizzas, New England-style pizzas, Chicago-style pizzas, Tex-Mex pizzas, and California pizzas. The best regional pizzerias from New York, Boston, New Haven, and Chicago are identified, and their signature pizza recipes are also provided. This pizza cookbook will stir you to begin your own quest for the perfect pizza made at home!

This book is only one of two books that I would recommend for making pizza at home (the other is "The Great Chicago Style Pizza Cookbook"). I'm a Chicagoan, relocated to NY state, and I like pizza! My apologies to the rest of the county, but Chicago is STILL THE PLACE for pizza. Ask any Chicagoan (ha ha).

This book has wonderful recipes. I cannot wait to try some of the author's very inventive and tasty suggestions. She has interested me in branching out from my stand-by Chicago styles to sample the early NY pizzas, traditional Italian pizzas, herbed breads, special sauces and spreads, and interesting pizza fillings and toppings.

Evelyne is obviously no weekend warrior-chef like most of us. She did not develop her skills in a vacuum, cooking alone in her kitchen like authors of other pizza books. She knows what she's talking about and does a great job of assembling her information. The book is well researched and gives equal time to many regional styles of pizza that were available throughout the country in 1984. As soon as my loan from the library expires for this book, I'll be buying it from Amazon.

i first saw this book in the library years ago and checked it out so much i had to have a copy for myself. since then i have made most of the recipes in it, and loaned it to many friends to get in on the secret of my great pizza. i am sure you will love the recipes and just reading the book.

I had wanted to make authentic pizza at home and had tried to learn on my own for many years. I had read many books that claimed to give you authentic recipies. This is the first book which lived up to that claim. My friends and family now rave about my home made pizzas.

I recently received a copy of this book when it appeared on my desk at work while I was away at lunch. I have been trying to make good pizza and this book appeared to hold a lot of promise. So, I dug in! I discovered that some of what I discovered in this book has been improved upon in the time between now and when it was written.

I cannot say this is a bad book, because it's not. It's actually quite a good book and a VERY good introduction to pizza. At the time, this probably was quite authoritative and complete, and while some of the material can be set aside as having been improved upon, it still holds value for allowing someone starting out to make pizza that is worth serving to company.

The book has a number of sections, including sauces and crusts as well as some complete pizzas that you can make in your own kitchen. There is good variety in it and there are a number of angles with which to experiment.

My primary interest in pizza is in the crust, so I attacked the recipes in this book for crust first. My family complained that I had changed the way I made pizza when I did so. The difference is that the crusts in this book are all "fast rise", bowl to peel in a short period of time, and several other books on the subject have migrated to a slower rise and more gentle handling of the crust. The result with the former is a firmer crust but with less flavor, while patient handling and letting the dough age longer results in a stronger flavor.

I experimented with the sauces and this worked out better than my attempts with the crusts. There are a few sauce recipes in the book and the ones that I have tried have definitely improved my offerings from the oven. That said, each is a matter of personal preference I and found myself tweaking and adjusting. This is not a shortcoming; I suspect the author had this in mind.

I have not tried to make the specific pizzas. That is a matter of pairing the crusts and sauces together with specific toppings.

There are other recipes for things such as focaccia, and I have found these to be ok at best and dull at worst. Again, this comes down to method and patience, and neither of these seem to be considered. That said, for a quickly-produced product the end result is usually pretty good!

It depends on what is important to you - speed or quality. I personally prefer quality, whereas this book favors speed. That said, the results that come from following the recipes in this book are certainly better than take-out pizza and are likely better than what you will find in other basic pizza books. There are better books on the subject now, but this one is a fine starting point.

I was surprised to see that this little gem is out of print. Shame! As a pizza freak, I've toiled for ~20 years in search of the perfect homemade thin-crust pizza. The closest thing to a perfect guide is this book. A great pie is only as good as the dough/crust it sits on, and it's this emphasis that convinced me Ms. Slomon knows her stuff. Knowing where to look (NYC's finest pizzerias) for clues doesn't hurt, either. A great variety of pizzas are covered here, from thin-crust or deep-dish to calzones, strombolis, and more. What's appealing about his book is the passion the author exudes about her subject, something that genuinely comes through.

Always remember: If you must add oil to the dough for thin-crust pizzas, NEVER add it at the start; instead, make a sponge with the full amount of water, half the amount of flour, and yeast. Add salt, oil (if you must!), and the remaining flour later. This way, the dough stays elastic while developing a more tender crumb than if you were to avoid using oil altogether (as in the classic Neapolitan recipe). Adding oil at the start will give you a short, crumbly dough. Sadly, most pizza recipes insist on this CRIMINAL shortcut!

Long live the world's most perfect pie!

This is the finest resource for outstanding recipies and instruction on how to make real, authentic pizza. I had a copy of this book that I lost, and had to replace it! If you only buy one book on Pizza making, this is the one!

What can I say? I have not made all the recipes of course, but what I have made has been a total success. We now use two of the crust recipes for our flat bread sandwiches.

We had this book about 15 years ago but lent it out to someone. It was never returned so we had to replace it. There is not a better pizza book on the market. Small, simple to follow directions. We especially like the flavored crust recipes. We also liked that the book explained pizza was traditionally made with the sauce on top of the cheese instead of under. That way the hot cheese doesn't pull off and drop on your chin. This book is well worth the money. Should be put back in print. When we originally bought it we paid approx $26.00. I see now it goes for as much as $132. online. You can find a better deal on Amazon.

This is a great book, it not only gives you lots of variations on pizza dough, and toppings, but also gives the history, the lore, and the legend of pizza. The book was in very good shape, and it arrived as scheduled