Jeff Varasano

[tonyb]

Most people know that I follow the Jeff Varasano method which uses a sourdough base: www.varasanos.com/PizzaRecipe.htm . Jeff started his own pizza business and there is a series of articles just started on Serious Eats based on discussions with him around all things pizza, which you may find interesting: slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2014/04/jeff-varasano-interview-on-opening-a-pizzeria-atlanta-georgia.html?ref=thumb

In the first article which is mostly about the commercial aspects of running a pizzeria he makes an interesting comment about not favouring small backyard brick built wfos.

[barney]

In some ways I think he is right. If you are going to look at it dispassionately and just go for the perfect bake, then something precisely controllable is always going to win out. If however you like a more experimental method and favour taste over perfect finish, then you are going to want a WFO every time. If you've got the space, demand, time etc then that is going to be big and efficient and controllable, if you are at home then there are going to have to be compromises made along the way. Some of those compromises will affect the flavour, some the bake, but I have baked pizza at home on electric, gas and wood; without a doubt the best flavour and the most fun is had on wood.

[spinal]

I disagree on so many levels - look at any good pizzeria in Italy, and they will get a perfect bake on wood. Electric just isn't the same.

I've played with a high temperature electric oven (SWMBO's family owns a restaurant), and while the results are reproducible, it's just not got the same taste and humidity as a wfo.

Anyone suggesting that an electric oven will get better results than an WFO is generalizing; a good WFO will consistently get better results than an electric oven (ceteris paribus).

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[tonyb]

I agree with both of you!

WFOs for home use, electric for restaurants. Restaurants can't match the love you put in nor the taste you can get out of a home made wfo pizza.