Well, not everything works out. The travertine tiles all but disintegrated in the first attempt to get the oven above 500. Fortunately the stone that came with the oven fared much better, so for now it is our main cooking surface. We have located a local source for medium duty fire brick which according to the Forno Bravo website, is the correct brick for a pizza oven. Here in part, is their justification: Continue reading “That which is Pizza, Part 3: The proof is in the pie.”
That which is Pizza, Part 2: Yes sir, yes sir. Three (and a skosh more) bags full.
The ceramic wool arrived and now its time to stuff the walls. The stuff that I wound up buying was the loose wool and it cost me $64.00 for four bags. That’s not a bad cost given the upgrade that it gives the oven. Continue reading “That which is Pizza, Part 2: Yes sir, yes sir. Three (and a skosh more) bags full.”
Road Trip Vacation pt. 1
I’ve not had a vacation this year yet and am on the tail end of a huge migration at work that went about as un-smoothly as can be expected. Joao will be here mid June and he’s not seen a lot of the great nature sites that are within driving distance of here.
So I decided we’d do Watkins Glen/Finger Lakes and Niagara Falls. To round that out, we’re going to see some roadside attractions. The route we’re going to take will get us out of the Philly area quickly and to our first attraction, Roadside America. I love this place and take everyone I can to it. It’s like stepping back in time and being a kid again. Continue reading “Road Trip Vacation pt. 1”
Burgers
“Meat” of choice: Chuck, Turkey, Crimini/Portabella
Size: Slider, Lunch, Dinner (1, 4, 8 oz) Continue reading “Burgers”
That which is Pizza, Part 1: Can a $199 Pizza Oven Perform Like a $6,945 One?
The Tuscan Outdoor Oven. The name says it all; Italian flag waving, huge brick ovens with delicious pies being whisked directly from under the flickering flames, still steaming and bubbling directly to the plate in front of you. But why not The Napoli Outdoor Oven? After all, the pizza was invented in Naples-or at least its most famous one, the mozzarella, basil and tomato pie named after Queen Margherita. And the people of Napoli are nothing, if not deadly serious about their pizzas. Where else would you find a Comission, the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana, which defines pizza for all the world, down to each ingredient and where they are grown, each preparation technique-what’s allowed and not allowed-its exact dimensions, etc.? Our little oven is not so lucky to be in that league so I am sure that calling it The Napoli Outdoor Oven would have sparked an international conflict of opus proportions. Moving a bit north but staying within the Italian border we can still have some association, so The Tuscan Outdoor Oven, our $199 wonder it is-even if Tuscany is more famous for other things. Continue reading “That which is Pizza, Part 1: Can a $199 Pizza Oven Perform Like a $6,945 One?”