Pizza baking tray ..?

Piliger

Hi all,

I hope this is an appropriate place to post this.

I am looking for a pizza baking tray in Dublin ? Round, and is it best with holes ?

Anyone know where I can find one ?

The Hill Billy

Arnotts Basement
Heatons
Stock
Kitchen Compliments
Woodies DIY/Atlantic Homecare (homewares section)
B&Q (homewares section)

Piliger

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Arnotts Basement
Heatons
Stock
Kitchen Compliments
Woodies DIY/Atlantic Homecare (homewares section)
B&Q (homewares section)

Thanks for that. I was in Arnotts this week and none. Woodies had none last saturday. I can't get to B&Q or Heatons.

So I guess I'll try Kitchen Compliments :-) Fingers crossed.

Gunmonkey

You could also try the homeware departments of Tesco or Dunnes. Also Debenhams has homewares in some of their stores, used to visit the store in Blackrock and always had a ton of stuff. Or you could try TK Maxx, kinda an iffy choice since their stock shifts around so much its pot luck if the have any in stock.

Piliger

Thanks Gunmonkey - I have actually been to a lot of these places and was hoping people might have actually seen on very recently. I will visit Debs tomorrow, thanks.

The Lovely Muffin

I got one similar to this in Dunnes Stores for €5.



I also have a Jamie Oliver pizza stone which I got for €10 and it is fab, the base of the pizza comes out so crispy!

I'd personally recommend spending an extra few euros (if you can afford it) and get a pizza stone.



This is how the stone looks.



Only thing with the stone is, you can't get stains out of it, mine is like stained glass at this stage and nothing will get them out. Although the stone is always washed and cleaned thoroughly.

Guill

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Only thing with the stone is, you can't get stains out of it, mine is like stained glass at this stage and nothing will get them out. Although the stone is always washed and cleaned thoroughly.

As far as I was aware you shouldn't wash the stone at all! Just use a scrapper on it and throw it back into the press. Using water on them can shorten the life span and cause them to crack.

The Lovely Muffin

Guill wrote: »

As far as I was aware you shouldn't wash the stone at all! Just use a scrapper on it and throw it back into the press. Using water on them can shorten the life span and cause them to crack.

Really?

Personally I couldn't just scrape it clean and put it in a press. It just doesn't seem hygienic to me, although I am open to correction on that.

Toto Wolfcastle

I've had my pizza stones for years and I've only ever scraped them and given them a quick wipe with a dry cloth to remove and debris and I haven't had any problems with them.

Piliger

Where did you get the stone ? I was in Dunnes hardware last week and they had nothing for pizzas

The Lovely Muffin

Piliger wrote: »

Where did you get the stone ? I was in Dunnes hardware last week and they had nothing for pizzas

Sorry I forgot to say, apologies.

I got it in Texas in Mullingar, but they are closed down now.

I know Shaws sell them as my boyfriend bought his there (his was around €15 euros and he got a free Jamie Oliver pizza cutter with his).

Tesco.com has it - I wonder if your local Tesco would have it?

http://www.tesco.com/direct/jamie-oliver-pizza-stone/208-8780.prd

I can't see it on www.tesco.ie but that could be because my local Tesco might not have it in stock and Tesco.ie will only show me the stock that's available in my local Tesco's.

Amazon.co.uk have it, although it's expensive, especially with delivery.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jamie-Oliver-Simple-Pizza-Serving/dp/B006B5PBKM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337903868&sr=8-1

Shopcookware.ie has it for €15 + €5 postage http://www.shopcookware.ie/jamie-oliver-pizza-stone/dkb4868pd.aspx

There's one in Adverts for €30, which seems very expensive to be honest.

http://www.adverts.ie/kitchen-appliances/jamie-oliver-pizza-stone-33-5cm/1673940

Arnotts.ie have it for €14.95 + postage, although if you can get into Arnotts it would save you the postage, but could cost more in bus fares/petrol etc.

http://www.arnotts.ie/Product/Jamie-Oliver-Pizza-Stone/328607/400200200150

Piliger

So ... I got one in Arnotts today

They were sold out of the Jaime Oliver one but they had another for the same price.

Believe it or not they had one selling for €127 ! the staff couldn't believe it either...


So thats everyone !!!

LaChatteGitane

I have only ever used my oven trays, they are black and atract the heat properly. Never had problems making a decent pizza.

We are greedy so I spread out the dough over the entire tray and bake the pizza on the hottest setting (preferably only the bottom element)

vicwatson

Wow they look good.

Recipe or GTFO

LaChatteGitane

I'll get back with a recipe tomorrow (promise).

LaChatteGitane

I have the recipe written down.

Mods, is it ok to link to my blog or do I have to copy and paste ???

Faith

We'd prefer if you copied and pasted . We try not to direct traffic away from the site where avoidable.

LaChatteGitane

I understand. Will do so in a while.

LaChatteGitane

My pizza making skills have evolved in the right direction over the years. Luckily !
I was in my teens, about 30 something years ago, that I got into making pizzas. They where very tasty as far as I can remember...... but oh so soggy.
I now know that my tomato sauce was too wet and ... I put too much of it on the base.
Still, I try to cram an awful lot on my pizza, because that's the way I like it (and Bert never complained) but I try to keep the ingredients as close to Italian-ish as possible concerning flavours.
Also, my base will always be rather thick (almost bread like)-it's a matter of taste - is it not ?

How do I avoid a soggy base ?

• Set your oven on the highest setting (mine is 250°C) and forget about the fan. The base will crisp up better with the heat from the bottom element.
• Use a dark (black !) coloured baking tray, it will atract the heat better. Any grey or lighter colour won't work as well.
• Roll out the dough and spread onto the tray only just before you add your toppings.
• Only add the toppings just before the pizza is about to go into the oven. If you leave it sitting around it will be soggy.

For the base
Ingredients (that is for 2 (yes, two) oven trays)

• 1 kg plain white flour
• 20 grs fast acting dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Cold water (quantity depending on the moisture level in the flour)

Preparation

• In the bowl of your food processor (haha ! if you don't have one, you'll have to knead by hand. I however, use my trusty old Kenwood) mix the flower and yeast together.
• Put the salt and sugar near the edge of the bowl and add the oil. Pour in some water.
• Start the food processer with the bread hook. Add more water as you go, until all the flour has been incorporated. You need the consistency of bread dough.
• Keep on kneading till you get a pliable elastic dough.
• Set aside, covered with a (clean) tea towel.
• Leave to proof until the dough has doubled
• Get your baking trays ready. Dust with flour.
• Divide dough into however many portions you need. I divide in 2.
• Roll out on a floured surface and stretch onto the tray.

For the toppings
Ingredients

• Green olive tapenade (recipe here) (*)
• 1 tin of peeled tomatoes (430 gr)
• 1 small tin tomato concentrate (140 gr)
• Dried oregano and basil, pinch of salt and pinch of sugar
• 400 gr grated cheese (I use gouda, but cheddar is ok to use, pecorino is better still, if you don't have to watch the pennies)
• Smoked dry cured ham (thinly sliced), sliced peperoni or chorizo (didn't I say, Italian-ish ?) enough to spread out later over the pizza.
• Onions peeled and sliced
• pepper red or mixed colours,sliced
• Mozzarella, broken into pieces

• Preparation

• Blend tomatoes and tomato concentrate in a jug or bowl with a handheld blender (or any other blender actualy). Add oregano, basil, salt and sugar.
• Spread some of the tapenade over the pizza base.
• On top of that tomato mix.
• Then sprinkle with as much grated cheese as you fancy.
• Layer the cured meats, onions and peppers to your heart's content.
• Finish off with the mozzarella.
• Bake in your really hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Take out of the oven and let the pizza rest for 5/7 minutes to help it set.
• Slice and overindulge.

I sometimes add sliced cougettes or aubergines that I have roasted on the griddle pan. Artichoke hearts are also a favourite of mine.
Do you like blue cheese ? Well you can crumble that on top and all.

(*) Green olive tapenade
ingredients
300 grs pitted green olives
1 tin anchovy fillets
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 small chillies
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

preparation
Put everything, but the olive oil, in a measuring jug.
With your hand blender, blend until you get a smooth-ish paste.
Lastly stir in the olive oil.

That's the whole blog post minus the pictures. Hope I haven't missed anything out.
Didn't I keep my promise ?:D

vicwatson

LaChatteGitane wrote: »

My pizza making skills have evolved in the right direction over the years. Luckily !
I was in my teens, about 30 something years ago, that I got into making pizzas. They where very tasty as far as I can remember...... but oh so soggy.
I now know that my tomato sauce was too wet and ... I put too much of it on the base.
Still, I try to cram an awful lot on my pizza, because that's the way I like it (and Bert never complained) but I try to keep the ingredients as close to Italian-ish as possible concerning flavours.
Also, my base will always be rather thick (almost bread like)-it's a matter of taste - is it not ?

How do I avoid a soggy base ?

• Set your oven on the highest setting (mine is 250°C) and forget about the fan. The base will crisp up better with the heat from the bottom element.
• Use a dark (black !) coloured baking tray, it will atract the heat better. Any grey or lighter colour won't work as well.
• Roll out the dough and spread onto the tray only just before you add your toppings.
• Only add the toppings just before the pizza is about to go into the oven. If you leave it sitting around it will be soggy.

For the base
Ingredients (that is for 2 (yes, two) oven trays)

• 1 kg plain white flour
• 20 grs fast acting dried yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Cold water (quantity depending on the moisture level in the flour)

Preparation

• In the bowl of your food processor (haha ! if you don't have one, you'll have to knead by hand. I however, use my trusty old Kenwood) mix the flower and yeast together.
• Put the salt and sugar near the edge of the bowl and add the oil. Pour in some water.
• Start the food processer with the bread hook. Add more water as you go, until all the flour has been incorporated. You need the consistency of bread dough.
• Keep on kneading till you get a pliable elastic dough.
• Set aside, covered with a (clean) tea towel.
• Leave to proof until the dough has doubled
• Get your baking trays ready. Dust with flour.
• Divide dough into however many portions you need. I divide in 2.
• Roll out on a floured surface and stretch onto the tray.

For the toppings
Ingredients

• Green olive tapenade (recipe here) (*)
• 1 tin of peeled tomatoes (430 gr)
• 1 small tin tomato concentrate (140 gr)
• Dried oregano and basil, pinch of salt and pinch of sugar
• 400 gr grated cheese (I use gouda, but cheddar is ok to use, pecorino is better still, if you don't have to watch the pennies)
• Smoked dry cured ham (thinly sliced), sliced peperoni or chorizo (didn't I say, Italian-ish ?) enough to spread out later over the pizza.
• Onions peeled and sliced
• pepper red or mixed colours,sliced
• Mozzarella, broken into pieces

• Preparation

• Blend tomatoes and tomato concentrate in a jug or bowl with a handheld blender (or any other blender actualy). Add oregano, basil, salt and sugar.
• Spread some of the tapenade over the pizza base.
• On top of that tomato mix.
• Then sprinkle with as much grated cheese as you fancy.
• Layer the cured meats, onions and peppers to your heart's content.
• Finish off with the mozzarella.
• Bake in your really hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Take out of the oven and let the pizza rest for 5/7 minutes to help it set.
• Slice and overindulge.

I sometimes add sliced cougettes or aubergines that I have roasted on the griddle pan. Artichoke hearts are also a favourite of mine.
Do you like blue cheese ? Well you can crumble that on top and all.

(*) Green olive tapenade
ingredients
300 grs pitted green olives
1 tin anchovy fillets
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 small chillies
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

preparation
Put everything, but the olive oil, in a measuring jug.
With your hand blender, blend until you get a smooth-ish paste.
Lastly stir in the olive oil.

That's the whole blog post minus the pictures. Hope I haven't missed anything out.
Didn't I keep my promise ?:D

You did indeed, fair play, you just didn't want to GTFO really ! :D

Guill

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Really?

Personally I couldn't just scrape it clean and put it in a press. It just doesn't seem hygienic to me, although I am open to correction on that.

Shouldn't be unhygienic in any way IMO.

When you preheat the stone anything that may be living on it would be obliterated.

The Lovely Muffin

Guill wrote: »

Shouldn't be unhygienic in any way IMO.

When you preheat the stone anything that may be living on it would be obliterated.

Thanks for that, I had no idea.

Won't be washing it again, just wiping it.

BailMeOut

nice one LaChatteGitane

We make pizza at home one a week and I really like to get my base crispy and thin. I found that using a lot more olive oil in the dough (at least 3 x times what you are using), replacing sugar with honey and then leaving the dough in a freezer bag in the the fridge for 24-48 hours after the initial proof works really well. Only problem in that you need to plan well ahead!

dazed+confused

The Lovely Muffin wrote: »

Thanks for that, I had no idea.

Won't be washing it again, just wiping it.

I think people are a little too concerned over food safety sometimes. I'm not saying it isn't important, just that food only has to be cooked through, not incinerated! Pork, chicken and shellfish (unless very fresh) are the only foods that have to be cooked right to the core. Wooden chopping boards shouldn't be washed either, just wipe them with half a lemon and rinse off.

vibe666

i got my pizza stone in aldi, looks identical to the jamie oliver one.

don't remember the price, but most likely cheaper than the posh one knowing aldi.

they pop up from time to time, so just grab one when you see it.

ditto on the not washing thing, a pizza stone preheated at 200+ degrees Celcius is going to have less germs on it than something washed in hot soapy water that is never going to get hotter than 100 degrees even if straight out of a kettle, and like they say, water seepage and uneven heating from the hot water *could* cause it to crack or break.

think of the black stuff like a wok, it's all good seasoning.

rubadub

If the stone did have stuff on it and you washed it then it might hold onto some water if it is porous, and this water could enable stuff to grow. If you have left stuff on and it is bone dry then it is dehydrated and in effect preserved and will not allow nasty stuff to grow as it usually needs moisture.

My mother washes some earthenware in the dishwasher and puts it in the oven to dry it out. If you know the weight beforehand you can reweigh to see if it is dried again, if you do insist on washing.

Mrs Fox

dazed+confused wrote: »

Wooden chopping boards shouldn't be washed either, just wipe them with half a lemon and rinse off.

Even after cutting raw meat on them?
Do you give it a good scrub with the half lemon?

LaChatteGitane

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Even after cutting raw meat on them?
Do you give it a good scrub with the half lemon?

It's not something I would do.
I always wash my wooden chopping boards in HOT water with a splash of Ecover and white vinegar. That should do the trick.

dazed+confused

Mrs Fox wrote: »

Even after cutting raw meat on them?
Do you give it a good scrub with the half lemon?

Yeah, I scrub it with the lemon half, adding a bit of sea salt if it needs scouring and then rinse it with really hot water. Wood as natural antiseptic properties, that's why butchers blocks are always wooden.
Lemon cuts any fat and grease on the board and is also a great antiseptic.

If you wash it with Ecover or Fairy a certain amount of it is absorbed into the wood and next time you put something moist onto the chopping board (like your big juicy striploin steak) it leeches back into the meat, tainting it slightly.

LaChatteGitane

@dazed+confused,
That's why I use Ecover. It doesn't leave any residue and any other 'weird' smells and flavours like Fairy does.

Using salt, like you do, disinfects. So that is more than just rubbing it with a lemon and rincing off. You now also tell us you use 'really hot water' to rince.
IMO one should be more careful when giving advice on food/utensil hygiene. Don't leave out important information in an initial post.:o

Faith

LaChatteGitane wrote: »

Using salt, like you do, disinfects. So that is more than just rubbing it with a lemon and rincing off. You now also tell us you use 'really hot water' to rince.
IMO one should be more careful when giving advice on food/utensil hygiene. Don't leave out important information in an initial post.:o

Exactly. This is why we discourage questions about food safety on this forum .