POLL: Which component of a slice of pizza is the most important?

sauce u got the love

assuming all the caveats about the monstrosity of breaking it down like this, I'd rather lick good sauce off bad bread than wipe bad sauce off good bread. cheese is least important imo

it's how many hamburgers you can fit onto it

Crust by far -- flavor, overall doneness, rise and char at the edge. Important shit.

are we just going to call the entire base the 'crust' then

Yes?

debatable but ok

How is this even close? Crust. It's the one thing you can't really do as well as a pizza oven at home (temp is too low), and is key to holding everything together. Plus, I would never eat just the sauce by itself, or really just the cheese by itself. But the crust? Hell yeah. For sure. Caramelized crust, or big carbon bubbles or foldable or firm or basically in any form. You don't even need sauce, or even much cheese, if you've ever had, say, a great fig/arugula/prosciutto pizza, or pizza with caramelized Brussels sprouts and honey. Pizza margarita, one of the all time classics, doesn't have much sauce, either (though in that case quality globs of cheese is vital). But hell, pizza bianca is basically *just* seasoned/herbed crust, and it's awesome.

One of the best things about kids is their weird tendency to leave behind bread crusts, which is gross when it comes to sandwiches but awesome when it comes to pizza. Basically bonus bread sticks!

voted crust but

while cheese rarely elevates a pizza from good to goodness gracious (except perhaps occasionally by sheer quantity), it can ruin a pizza pretty easily: thinking obv of provel but also emmental which is disgustingly normal in France, i.e. if a pizza place just lists "cheese" as a topping here then it's probably emmental rather than mozza & it's a fucking crime, they say it melts well but it's grossly sweet, ewww. you can find mozza pizzas pretty easily but you can't take it for granted.

Dough implies uncooked, so crust it was.

a great fig/arugula/prosciutto pizza

"ewww ewwww ewwwwww ew ewww ewww" - american ilx, 2006-2017 (at a generous guess)

assuming all the caveats about the monstrosity of breaking it down like this,

Not getting past this monstrosity.

A pizza is a unified whole.

^^^

is this poll strictly about cheese slices? bc not all pizzas have cheese and/or sauce
which means the default winner shld be crust.

we had pizza for lunch today. we oiled some slices of sourdough and placed upon them the following ingredients:

- tomato puree
- artichokes (marinated in oil)
- goat's cheese
- black garlic (fermented garlic)

then popped it under the grill for ten minutes, then at the end added

- quartered burrata
- sprinkling of arugula and other delicate lettuce

obviously it was incredible. now, what made it great? it wouldn't have worked with a lesser bread, but equally it wasn't made out of pizza dough, just normal sourdough bread. the cheeses were sublime, but the toppings were what really made it. but there is no option for 'toppings' here, just 'sauce'. i do not want to think of it as 'sauce'. i want to think of it as 'toppings' - this was no incorporated mulch, these were discrete, solid toppings, carefully placed in order that different mouthfuls would have subtly different effects

in consequence, i abstain

Crust, I like it to have a bit of crunch to it.

does french bread count as crust

definitely not cheese. i can kick it with any cheese, and if there's too much on the slice i can pick some of it off.

i'm thinking crust.

which component of a magnum is the most important?

⚪️ chocolate
⚪️ ice cream
🔘 stick

lol

Are there jokes printed on it y/n?

I suppose the most important component is really the spirit in which it is offered

crust -- sauce loses by default because of the existence of white pizza; cheese is important but mediocre cheese can't ruin a pizza like a mediocre crust can

insufficient sauce = bread

no rocket no cred

sauce being underappreciated. there shouldn't be too much so that cheese slides, and gives some acid to counterbalance other non-acidic ingredients

imago, your toasted bread with toppings sounds delicious, but it ain't no kind of pizza.

As others have well-noted, pizza is a gestalt. If any of these elements are out of whack, you have a bad pizza. However, crust is literally foundational.

Real heads know the answer is sauce.

The answer is "toppings", you need to have the right balance of sweetcorn to cheese or it isn't real pizza or whatever

indeed, the sweetcorn:pineapple:prawn ratio has to be just right to balance out the essential textures and flavours

A pizza is a unified whole.

― Feel a million filaments (Sund4r),

pizza is a flat circle. everything we have done or will do we will do over and over and over again- forever.

A good pizza is basically like a casserole where the crust replaces the dish or whatever

Like slow-braised beef and carrot on a pizza, is like delicious to me? That's what I think is good

lol, i came to the pizza thread to consider the merits of sauce vs cheese vs crust. i came away thinking of a carrot sticking out of a hunk of beef on a casserole sitting on a crusty plate

i don't agree with your pizza decisions but i respect the innovation!

Is pizza a hot dog?

respect to imago playing the very long game

a good hot dog is basically a delicious thin slice of pizza, so yes

wait is that true

it has always been true - take a solidly constructed thin slice of pizza, fold it in half, add a few toppings in the middle and you've got yourself a delicious hot dog

(add the optional accordion fold if you need a hot dog glider)

https://i.imgur.com/3k9dDat.jpg

The New York City water, baby!

Interesting. Put some doubanjiang on it, little bit of "tianjin preserved vegetable", you might have something approaching edible

voted cheese because I'm a monster but this is a silly question

A good pizza needs no toppings, get real.

confused about this 'crust' thing. that's the bit most people throw away

Ch...chicken Kiev, on a pizza

But you have to like, boil the Kiev in the sauce, which as we've established must be made with a base of doubanjiang and not tomato, and then spoon it into the crust

I am wading into the ocean as I type this

hahaha

This is a disgusting thread

start with Tianjin-preserved vegetable, boil the Kiev, then top with NYC water. fold in half, tear crust-flaps, and fly

Why is there so much ontological confusion about crust? Crust = the entire doughy portion, not just the puffy end bits.

^i agree with that, but i also think there should be a separate name for the part at the end (which my family also calls "crust")

Put a bad sauce on a good crust and you've ruined a good crust. Put a good sauce on a bad crust and you've improved a bad crust. For me, this describes the essence of their relationship.

xp Big crust.

I got some pizzas last week at an ILX-disapproved chain. I was the first customer of the day and the oven apparently wasn't fully preheated -- that underdone crust was fucking disgusting.

bloody crusties

write-in for "the pineapple"

Pizza (Italian: [ˈpittsa], Neapolitan: [ˈpittsə]) is a savory dish of Italian origin, consisting of a sour, boiled paste mixed with breadcrumbs,

no, sorry, the Base and the crust are two different things

cheese and crust and sauce = pizza

cheese and crust without sauce = cheesy bread
sauce and cheese without crust = cheesy dipping sauce
crust and sauce without cheese = vegan pizza, square one

cheese without sauce and crust = cheese
sauce without cheese and crust = sauce
crust without cheese and sauce = crust

--

so basically cheese, because as long as you have the cheese you know you're going to be fine

your pizzas got no middle

just a ring of crust with sauce and cheese piled in the middle, no base

I think my favorite part of pizza is the cum

eat it while it's hot, otherwise it gets crusty imo

i'll just show myself the door

^i agree with that, but i also think there should be a separate name for the part at the end (which my family also calls "crust")

― Karl Malone, Wednesday, May 27, 2020 11:48 AM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

a kid's book I remember reading many years ago had a character that called these "pizza bones" which has stuck with me as being v accurate and useful

are we just going to call the entire base the 'crust' then

I'm just staring at this in awe, bravo

I don't like your peaches
They are full of stones
But I like pizzas
Because they have no bones

https://www.easier.com/uploads/cache/thumbs/0/3/2/074/400x400/15271/findus-french-bread-pizza.jpg

It's the blend, the balance, or the irresistible alchemy of the parts coalescing, what sorcery is this etc, Sund4r otm

cheese and crust and sauce = pizza

cheese and crust without sauce = cheesy bread
sauce and cheese without crust = cheesy dipping sauce
crust and sauce without cheese = vegan pizza, square one

cheese without sauce and crust = cheese
sauce without cheese and crust = sauce
crust without cheese and sauce = crust

--

so basically cheese, because as long as you have the cheese you know you're going to be fine

― Karl Malone, Wednesday, May 27, 2020 12:55 PM (three hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Ever dip cheese and crust without sauce into sauce and cheese without crust while you wait for the cheese and crust and sauce to come out?

https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/images/190322-pizza-rustica-vertical-1553721278.png?crop=1.00xw:0.668xh;0,0.142xh&resize=980:*

whats the difference between pizza rustica and quiche eh?

Ever dip cheese and crust without sauce into sauce and cheese without crust while you wait for the cheese and crust and sauce to come out?

oh man, that sounds amazing! i could imagine enjoying that at a table without hard corners on a day without a cloud

crust or gtfo

crust or gtfo

^good 2 Chainz chorus

obviously the most important element of pizza is the ketchup you add to each slice before eating

not really interested in pizza without cheese so

cheese

not really interested in pizza without crust so...

the worst pizza i've had is the stuff with bad crust. usually "mall pizza" with thin, soggy crust that the sauce has seeped into. (was this the mall pizza experience everywhere?)

sauce

you're still calling the base the crust, morans

Is there a distinction between the two things in UK English?

This is how I've always understood it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza#Crust

crust = bit round the outside, like a slice of bread (always crusty)
base = bit in the middle (not necessarily crusty eg neapolitan style)

that’s how the newsy wewsie big bottomed blood sausage bagsy not in net crew break it down to an extent

Another baseless conspiracy theory. Name your sauce or violate our crust.

"base" ?

nobody talks about a pizza base. you talk about pizza dough.

i would eat good base/crust on its own anytime.
i often eat mozzarella on its own.
i would not eat any pizza sauce that i've had on it's own-- and no joke, i literally drink 6 oz juice glasses of hot salsa with some roasted hatch chiles added two or three times a week, so its not like i don't like sauces.

what is a good widely available pre-made pizza sauce? maybe that's my problem.

"pizza base" is a hilarious hill to die on, please continue

pizza base, report in, this is pizza captain

all your pizza base are belong to crust

Lil P the Based Crust

on pizza menus of my acquaintance, where multiple sauces are on offer, "base" commonly refers to the sauce (i.e. "olive oil base", "red sauce base", "barbecue sauce base")

^yeah, same.

needs a subpoll

bbq sauce base, easy

Do Americans call a whole slice of bread a "crust"?

on pizza menus of my acquaintance, where multiple sauces are on offer, "base" commonly refers to the sauce (i.e. "olive oil base", "red sauce base", "barbecue sauce base")

― silby

This should not happen because tomato is the only true pizza base.

Argh, look what you've made me do! Sauce is not base! Dough is base! Kill me now.

all about that base

(Please note: I do not actually feel strongly about what is the "correct" word, it's fine that there are differences, just handy to know what the differences are so we don't talk at cross-purposes.)

If I may offer a differing viewpoint from these isles, crust meaning base is a thing here too instance “thin crust”

https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/shop/frozen-food/frozen-pizza-and-garlic-bread/frozen-pizza/frozen-thin-crust-pizza

pizza sub-poll: DOES CRUST REFER TO BOTTOM OF PIZZA TOO OR JUST EDGE?

If I may offer a differing viewpoint from these isles, crust meaning base is a thing here too instance “thin crust”

None of those pizzas actually say thin crust on them, as far as I can see? And anyway I'd read that as "crust" standing in for the whole of the base, not being identical to the whole of the base. It seems like the Americans have taken the metonym and now that's the word for it, whereas I'd still maintain we haven't over here.

is the bottom of a pie the pie crust or the pie base? your answer for pizza should be the same

Oh no, now you're actually getting close to something I do have irrationally strong feelings about (pizza is not a pie).

well, the leaves on the trees are green
[ok we're agreed on that]
and the roads are not very clean
[ok we're agreed on that]
and the food we eat is not very healthy
[ok we're agreed on that]
and the music we make is not particularly good
[ok we're agreed on that]
and the planets sort of revolve around the sun
[ok we're agreed on that]
and the moon is a big ball with nothing on it, and I don't think anyone's ever been there
[ok, so we're kind of agreed to that, so what are we arguing about?
Well, I don't know..
Ok. so let's get together and smoke that pizza pie]

Some people with a pizza pie made me very high
The people with the questions smile
And the people with the answers lie
They lie

So no pizza for them

pizza base, report in, this is pizza captain

― Karl Malone, Thursday, May 28, 2020 2:41 PM (four hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

pizza base to pizza captain, we're under heavy rocket fire, over

The central question in this argument seems to be thus: will I ever find myself in a situation where I will need to make a clear and distinct demarcation between the crust running around the edge of a pizza and the crust which underlies the non-crust contents of the pizza?

Having worked in pizza cookery for a good stretch of time, I can confirm that the answer to that question is thus: no, no I will not ever find myself in that situation.

Crust on the BOTTOM, what do you MEEEEEEEEAN

Bottom of the crust? Do you mean like the bottom of that little rim around the pizza?

a kid's book I remember reading many years ago had a character that called these "pizza bones" which has stuck with me as being v accurate and useful

Was it The President's Daughter by any chance?

call me a curmudgeonly old stick in the mud but I just think crust should be crusty

and you're not sidelining the issue by starting a new thread. this is topline

guys we need three new sub-threads stat

This one ought to be disqualified anyway because it doesn't include an 'I hate pizza because it tastes like unshaven ass' option. I have no idea who would ever pick such a thing, but still.

Crust! Good cheese and sauce can be bought, but crust is difficult to get right at home.

I'm seriously contemplating a 1/4" pizza steel so I can sorta emulate NY thin crust at home. It's been on the back burner for months though, as I still haven't found yeast on my grocery outings...

FUCK EVERYONE HAS TO GO VOTE NOW

pizza sub-poll: what is the best pizza base?

there's no time!!

I fucked up

no way, you nailed it

this is the way it must be done

I loved seeing a poll started and terminated in 15 minutes! fuck the results

is this a uk vs us thing? how is it not obvious that the crust is the crust, it is not the 'base', it refers to every part of the dough ('thin crust', 'self-rising crust' etc)

the 'base' does not have a definite meaning to me unless it's the term for the foundation for the other toppings, in which case it's obviously tomato sauce

Wikipedia sez:

The bottom of the pizza, called the "crust"

I love cheese and eat it almost every day, but I think the crust is the most important component of a pizza

“base” is just kinda gross for the implication pizza is supposed to be piled up w/ shit that needs supporting

you know what’s a drag, when well-intended meat eaters order a vegetarian pizza and it’s all piled up w random vegetables

It’s a pizza! It doesn’t need like broccoli and shit on it

Crust is all the part of the pizza made out of bread. Old Lunch’s “central question” absolutely central.

There are things that are recognizably pizza that are cheeseless. There are things that are recognizably pizza that are sauceless. Ergo, crust is the most important component. YET! Pizza is about the component parts working together to make a pizza. Much like the Velvet Underground. Lou Reed being the crust, but Lou solo is not the VU.

Been drinking again.

Is so-called ‘stuffed crust’ the culprit?

nope

The most important component of any real pizza is the ring of TGI Friday's apps (mozzarella poppers, corndog bites, mini pizzas, etc.) baked into the crust. The pizza itself is just an app-to-mouth conveyance, in the end.

stuffed crust is a butthole

CGI pizza is the best

^ gets it

no

crust, without question, speaking as someone who has spent literally thousands of hours making pizza for money

someone who has spent literally thousands of hours making pizza for money

I did this too and I won't deny crust is important but sauce is the main thing. some places make really sweet sauce and it sucks ass.

does cheddar go good on pizza

do like dipping the crusts in chilli oil

crust is the hardest thing to get right

i want to have posted on this thread

so many spin-off threads, I guess pizza stimulates everyone's imagination

I just saw the word 'pizza' in the thread title and came in to make a remark about pizza. Some people seem to eat a lot of it.

I care about pizza.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

No clue how I voted

sweet justice

indeed

No idea why we needed a poll to spell out the obvious.

wisconsin wept

Sauce deniers will inevitably taste retribution

cheese is more important to me than sauce, but crust is most important, so mostly agree with this poll

also love pepperoni and anchovies

Just ate a pizza with fine crust and sauce but the cheese was not right. That's why I voted cheese. Pizza is a vehicle for melted cheese.

base

how low can you go

Eric makes a compelling case there.

I just really don’t like the words “bread” “sauce” and “cheese” all together so much, it does not evoke delicious pizza thoughts

bread let alone “crust” ick

I know pizza dough is considered a type of bread but it doesn't seem anything like bread to me. I guess it's just a matter of flour protein and yeast content and treatment

i would've voted for cheese even though i recognize that crust is the thing. but the cheese is ultimately why i'm there

I'd wager that pizza dough has been more intensively studied by 'food scientists' than any other bready substance.

would y'all eat an all crust pizza

otherwise known as bread

honestly yeah

Could you please stop bumping this thread, I wouldn't want to inadvertently order pizza right now.

wait can u place a pizza order via ILX thread now

I look forward to the cheese most, but I think that that is because most pizza crusts are good but not great and I love cheese.

I have only had a few experiences where the crust is perfect, but those have been memorable

I think a couple of those experiences were with wood fired pizza

ILX PIZZA ORDER

hi System, plz order me three cheese pizza, large
take the pizza back if they use the word "base"
-Neanderthal

I make pizza crust from scratch, while my housemate uses Trader Joe frozen pizza crusts. And yet his pizza is consistently better than mine, because he knows the secret of making really delicious pizza sauce. So I voted for sauce.

god it's all so important

beautiful balancing act, pizza

I suppose the most important component is really the spirit in which it is offered

Underrated insight

Speaking of all crust pizza, there was a pizza place in Boston I used to go to that served rolls made from their pizza dough, and they were damn good.

See also “garlic knots” and “breadsticks”

thought you meant actual “pizza rolls” for a second there, I was like wow

a pizza dough roll is hard to imagine. what do you all think of cornmeal crusts?

Vicolo Pizza was my first experience with cornmeal crust in the late 80s/90s. They are long closed now but I think their idea of a crust made of wheat flour, corn meal and soybean oil was really good

recently discovered a local pizza mini chain that makes it with

1. medium thickness crust/base, like a slightly upscale version of a corner place slice; not flimsy but not like eating a loaf of bread
2. slightly fancy toppings, many of them spicy
3. an uncooked tomato sauce base with a lovely sweetness (they have alfredo pizzas as well but have yet to try)

and I may never go back in any of these respects

As much as I love alfredo and all other non-tomato-based pasta sauces, I have never taken the plunge on a slice of pizza with anything other than the red.

Carbonara may be my favorite dish ever, but I'd never get a pizza version of it.

what do you all think of cornmeal crusts?

i'm a fan of putting some cornmeal in dough. adds a nice texture so long as not too much is added and yeast is rendered useless. like up to 20% by volume i guess, but probably more like 10-15%

I saw a place list "aioli base sauce" which seems terrigying

mmm white sauce pizza (olive oil, garlic, spices) with a spinach/marinated red onion/prosciutto top is an all time favorite

Kinda reminds me of this clam pie a buddy made once that I still plan on recreating.

Frutti di mare

have had frutti di mare as pasta but never as pizza

Seemed pretty common on pizza in Naples and Sicily

Glad to see this poll has the correct answer