I guess I was being a little nostalgic today. Looking through my Amazon order history I had to both chuckle and cry at some of the completely useless items I've purchased over the years. Then I ran across the Pizzazz I bought way back on June 28, 2008 (Today is Feb 14, 2016.) I rarely write reviews but I like and use this oven so much that I'll make an exception.
Usage:
I've probably used the oven an average of 1 to 1 1/2 times a week. Sometimes 2 - 3 times a week and then I might go 2 - 3 weeks before using it again. It's been used almost exclusively for pizza. I used it maybe 5 times for other things and it worked well but it just doesn't come to mind when I can finally drag myself into the kitchen and cook something.
Durability:
Like the title says I've got almost 8 years out of it so far so A+ there. The pan itself could have a better non-stick coating on it and the newer ones may have but the '08 model leaves a little to be desired. When I first got it I made sure to wash it after every use. Now that I'm older and lazier I generally just hold it over the sink and wipe it off with a paper towel. Big deal if it's not completely clean and has a few crumbs or burnt cheese stuck to it. That will just add texture and flavor to the next pizza. Who doesn’t like those crunchy crispies at the bottom of the french fries box? And besides, it hasn't killed me ... yet.
My Frozen Pizza Prep Method:
I have done “from scratch” pizzas that turned out quite well but remember in the paragraph above I mentioned that I’m older and lazier now? Anymore I usually just stick with the frozen variety that can usually turn out very good if you doctor them up a bit.
I do my pizza prep on an
Oneida Commercial 16 Inch Pizza Pan
I purchased just for this purpose. (It was on sale at 2 for $6 when I got it.) It’s larger than the Pizzazz pan so it will catch most of the enthusiastically thrown toppings that are coming.
1) Remove frozen pizza from packaging and place the 16” pizza pan making sure there is no cardboard stuck to the bottom (special attention needed if it’s a Tombstone pizza).
2) Apply a liberal dose of pizza sauce such as
Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce, 15-Ounce Cans (Pack of 12)
or
Contadina Pizza Sauce, 15 Oz
. I like using the Contadina squirt bottle so I rinse them out and save them for use with the Muir Glen. I’ll also water either sauce down slightly because they are both rather thick after being refrigerated. With a squirt bottle I put the sauce on in a spiral pattern and just leave it that way. It seems to spread out okay while cooking later. Otherwise, like with a freshly open can of Glen Muir, I’ll smudge it on with a tablespoon.
3) Dust lightly with Garlic Salt.
4) Place a pepperoni slice in every open space that did not have a pepperoni to begin with. Overlapping slices is perfectly acceptable. Any pepperoni should be okay except for maybe that Turkey or some other fake pepperoni. If you have a Publix Supermarket nearby you should really consider trying the Publix Brand pepperoni … good stuff.
5) Cover entire pizza with mozzarella or your other favorite cheese. Quoting from The Huffington Post that was reporting about a pizza cheese study … “the researchers concluded in their study that mozzarella can be combined with any of the other six cheeses (cheddar, Colby, Edam, Emmental, Gruyere, and provolone) to create just the right amount of browning and blistering you prefer on a gourmet pizza -- for instance, try cheddar for less blisters or provolone for less browning.”
6) Transfer the pizza from the 16” prep pan to the Pizzazz pan. Pour any excess, enthusiastically thrown toppings caught by prep pan to pizza.
7) Set Pizzazz pan onto Pizzazz oven spindle and if the oven is plugged in you should hear the motor start and the pan will start rotating. This can get a little tricky. I usually have to kneel down and watch the underside of the pan to make sure it sits on the spindle properly. There’s gotta be a better way of designing the oven to make this easier and foolproof.
8) Make sure the heating elements switch is in the correct position. Since all I do anymore is frozen, I just leave the switch in “Dual” which heats the top and the bottom of the pizza.
9) Turn the timer switch to the appropriate time. For normal crust pizzas like Tombstone I’ll use around 13 or 14 minutes. For thick, self rising crust like DiGiorno I set it for the full 20 minutes. (Side note: I used to never like the thick, rising crust pizzas because the only one I’d tried was DiGiorno. One day I was getting pizzas and Pepsi’s at Walgreens and a nice lady in the checkout line turned me on ... ... ... (where was I? ... oh yeah) to the Walgreens brand called Good & Delish Frozen Rising-Crust Pizza. I was impressed with it. I can’t say it’s my favorite but it is definitely a regular now. Also, Jack’s pizza available there and other places is quite good if doctored up properly.)
10) Set some other audible timer for 4 to 6 minutes longer than you set the Pizzazz timer for.
11) Go watch TV or if you like, just sit there and anticipate the yummy goodness that is coming your way.
12) When the 4 to 6 minute delayed audible timer goes off the Pizzazz pizza pan may be cool enough to handle with your bare hands. With the Pizzazz in place and still rotating, push the pizza around just a little to make sure it’s not stuck to the pan. Holding the 16” prep pan next to the oven in one hand, slide the cooked pizza off the Pizzazz pan onto the prep pan with the other hand.
13) Set the prep pan on a sturdy surface and slice the pizza to your liking. I’ve tried various pizza cutters and the style I like best is the
Bialetti Taste of Italy Pizza Chopper, 14-Inch
. (Yes, I know you should not use a cutter on a non-stick pizza pan but that was my entire purpose for my getting the pan. I bought it July ’13 and while it does have a few crease marks on it, there is no peeling yet. The only heat it sees is from a hot pizza sitting on it. The second pan of the set hasn’t even been used yet.)
14) If you must, fix up a salad so you can claim you ate healthy. Plop yourself back in front of the TV. Set your dinner on a
Table-Mate II Woodgrain Folding Table
and enjoy.
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Great little gadget when used for the intended purpose.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2015
Update: Here are a few photos of some fresh pizza made with Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough. Not as crispy as I like, but better than an oven and not bad for a first try. Also, package portion sized for two people: Frozen Tater Tots, chicken nuggets, Quorn "Chik-nuggets (Vegetarian)Now, on to the review:I was looking for a pizza maker/air fryer. They were all expensive. This little gadget kept popping up as highly rated. After a lot of thought and even discounting it after seeing one at a local store, I decided to take the plunge. I'm glad that I did. Is it perfect? No. Does it work as advertised? Yes! Use it for the advertised purpose and I doubt that you will be disappointed. It does offer a lot of control with the dual heating elements. You will need to tinker with it. Get to know it. It is just like any other cooking appliance. You have to experiment to find the right settings for your preferences. You might have a couple of failures, but don't give up. The first small pizzas that I made didn't turn out well. However, after I experimented a little more, I couldn't believe the wonderful taste.and crispiness.I expected to use the unit much less than I have. I place it on my smooth stove top. No worries about heat damage that way. The Pizzazz Plus, to my mind, is a PERFECT snack reheating gadget. It does a wonderful job. It isn't something that a "real" cook would want. It allows for adding crispiness to everything that is a precooked, frozen product: chicken nuggets, fries of all varieties, pizzas. You get the idea.You don't add much fat so I suppose some people will feel the food gets a little dried out. I think they are probably correct. It doesn't make a lot of difference. If you want a moister food, just adjust the cooking times or buy a high fat content frozen product. There are plenty of those on the market.I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years, but I live with a meat/junk food eater. I didn't think that I'd use the Pizzaz Plus much for myself. I was wrong. It makes some of the vegetarian frozen nuggets, burgers, and other mock meat products crisp up nicely too. I couldn't believe the difference between using it and the microwave. I find that I actually do cook a lot more frozen products than I thought that I did.The Pizzaz does have a few quibbles. That is the "why" of my four star rating. As many other reviewers have pointed out, the tray is awkward to place on the unit. I guide it on with my index finger and thumb. It isn't that bad, but it is fiddly. The other thing that you need to watch is the tray wobble. The food needs to be balanced when it is placed on the tray. I also leave the food outside of the center as the element doesn't necessarily reach there for heating (though the pizzas all seemed to cook just fine).The tray is small. I'd say that it can be used to prepare enough for a couple of people, but if you have more, you will be, as others have pointed out in their reviews, cooking in shifts. As an example, I can place the per person serving size recommended on the frozen fries package for two people. Then I can also place the per person size of chicken nuggets for one person. Finally, I can place 4-5 vegetarian nuggets. That quantity totally fills up the unit. What if you have big eaters? What if you want more than two servings? You could make 4 servings of french fries, but you'd have to cook the additional foods in another way. Not a big deal, but something to think about.Finally, the Pizzaz, as others have also pointed out, doesn't have an on-off switch. This isn't a big issue for me, but it would be nice not to have to keep plugging and unplugging it from the wall socket. Thinking safety here. Speaking of safety, be sure to use pot holders, oven mitts, or something when removing the tray.People have reported issues with cleaning the tray. I've had no issues, but I preconditioned it with a light wiping of virgin olive oil. Not sure if that took care of the reported issues, but I do tend to do that with all of my coated gadgets. I also don't cook anything that isn't recommended. I'm not much of an adventurer with new gadgets. I did try a fresh sliced zucchini. I was hoping to make crisps. That was a flop. Really, I do think this is a machine, at least in my case, that reheats previously prepared food well. Everything tastes better, but IMO, it isn't a cooker. It is a snack, precooked frozen food, sandwich, pizza, or crisper gadget.I've made cookies, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls as well as frozen pizzas and everything in the accompanying recipe book. It all came out beautifully. After I used the unit and got to know it for a while, nothing that I "cooked" was bad.I won't be giving up my crock pot, oven, or other cooking products soon, but this is a nice addition to my arsenal. It stores well in my cupboard. I did make a place for it. Some people with smaller kitchens may find storage to be an issue. On the other hand, regardless of the size of our kitchens, we gadget collectors seem to always find storage to be an issue.For some good video reviews on the Pizzazz, check out Youtube. I enjoyed watching them. The videos will give you a good idea of what to expect. There are also a few videos that show some alternative uses for the unit. HTHs.
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2015
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