Patrick Oconnell
Pizza is a beloved dish for many, but it can be a greasy affair. Whether you're a blotting advocate or not, there are ways to increase your chances of a greasy cheese pizza. Firstly, cheese choice matters; cheddar and whole milk mozzarella are greasier than part-skim mozzarella. If you're making pizza at home, you can control the cheese, but when ordering, you may want to ask about their cheese and consider adding your own. Secondly, toppings like pepperoni and bacon contribute to the grease, so if you're looking for more grease, add extra. Pre-cooking toppings can render out some grease, so if you're ordering, ask for toppings to be added raw. Lastly, crusts brushed with oil or stuffed with cheese will add to the grease, so a thin crust with greasy toppings may be your best bet for a grease-laden pizza.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cheese | Mozzarella is a good option for minimizing grease. Whole milk mozzarella is richer and has more fat than part-skim mozzarella but is not greasy. Avoid cheddar as it has a high-fat content and produces visible grease when melted. |
| Crust | Choose a thin crust or pan pizza instead of a deep dish. Avoid crusts brushed with flavored oils or butter, and extra cheese stuffed inside or sprinkled on top. |
| Toppings | Avoid pepperoni, salami, and other fatty ingredients. Precook pepperoni to render out the grease, or add it to the pizza after it's cooked. |
| Sides | Blotting the pizza with a napkin or paper towel can remove some of the grease and reduce the calorie content. |
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What You'll Learn
Use mozzarella, not cheddar
When it comes to pizza, there is one cheese to rule them all: mozzarella. This is because mozzarella hits the high-moisture, low-fat sweet spot that makes for a bendable, bubbly, and brownable pizza topping.
Mozzarella is ideal when it comes to minimising grease. If you are making pizza at home, you can opt to use part-skim mozzarella. Many pizza shops use whole milk mozzarella, which is richer and has more fat than part-skim, but it is not greasy.
Cheddar, on the other hand, has a high fat content and produces visible grease as it melts. If you want a cheeseburger pizza or a similar pizza traditionally made with cheddar, try mixing your cheeses with half cheddar and mozzarella.
In general, it is better to choose a thin crust or pan pizza than a deep dish to avoid excess grease. However, the basic crust is not always the problem when avoiding grease. Additions to your pizza crust, such as extra cheese, can make your pizza greasier. If your local pizza shop offers crust brushed with flavoured oils or butter, ask them to skip this step.
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Choose thin crust
When making a greasy cheese pizza, choosing a thin crust is a great option. A thin crust pizza base is not only delicious but also easy and quick to make. The dough for a thin crust pizza typically requires just a few basic ingredients, such as flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and water. You can also add oil to the dough to make it more pliable and easy to work with.
One of the benefits of choosing a thin crust for your greasy cheese pizza is the speed at which it can be prepared. Unlike thicker crusts that often require time to rise, a thin crust dough can be rolled out immediately after kneading and does not need to be proofed. This means you can have a delicious, greasy cheese pizza on the table in under an hour.
To make the dough for a thin crust pizza, start by activating the yeast in lukewarm water with sugar. Then, add the dry ingredients, including flour, salt, and any additional seasonings you prefer. Knead the dough for a few minutes, and if you're using oil, incorporate it at this stage. Once the dough comes together, let it rest while you preheat the oven and prepare your toppings.
When it comes to baking, a thin crust pizza typically bakes faster than a thicker crust. Preheat your oven to a temperature between 425-500 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on your preference and the specific recipe you're following. Grease your pizza pan or baking sheet, and if desired, sprinkle it with cornmeal for added texture and flavor. Roll out the dough, making it slightly thicker around the edges to create a crust, and transfer it to the pan.
Finally, top your thin crust pizza with your favorite greasy cheeses and other toppings. Bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly. The exact baking time will depend on your oven and the amount of toppings, but it usually ranges from 8 to 20 minutes.
With a thin crust, you can enjoy a greasy cheese pizza that is crispy, chewy, and delicious. It's a great option for a quick and easy meal that satisfies your cravings.
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Avoid oily toppings
Greasy pizza is often caused by baking it at too high a temperature, which causes the cheese to separate into casein and fat. The high heat makes the butterfat in the cheese melt, resulting in a moist pizza. To avoid this, cook your pizza at a lower temperature, allowing the cheese and crust to cook at the same rate.
If you're making pizza at home, opt for part-skim mozzarella, which has less fat than whole milk mozzarella and is less greasy. Avoid cheddar, which has a high-fat content and produces visible grease when melted. If you're ordering pizza, ask for the olive oil on the side, so you can limit the amount used.
Meat toppings, such as pepperoni and bacon, are also often the cause of greasy pizza. To avoid this, precook your meat toppings to render out the grease. You can do this by cooking the meat in the microwave on paper towels and blotting away the excess oil, or cooking it in a skillet. Then, add your desired amount of pre-cooked meat to your pizza before baking. Alternatively, you can try using beef pepperoni, which is less greasy than traditional pepperoni.
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Pre-cook meats
When it comes to making a greasy cheese pizza, there are a few things to keep in mind, especially when it comes to pre-cooking meats. While a greasy pizza may not be to everyone's taste, and can cause gastrointestinal issues, sometimes it's exactly what you're craving.
Firstly, it's important to note that raw meats, such as sausage, should always be cooked before they are added to a pizza. This is because homemade pizzas are cooked at very high temperatures for a short amount of time, around 10-12 minutes, which is not sufficient to cook raw meats. To properly cook raw sausages, they need to be boiled for 30 minutes, or broiled for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. So, it's best to pre-cook your raw meat toppings to ensure they are fully cooked and safe to eat.
However, cured and smoked meats, like salami and pepperoni, are an exception to this rule. These meats have already undergone a fermentation and drying process, making them safe to eat without cooking. In fact, cooking these meats for too long can dry them out and affect their texture and taste. So, if using cured meats, simply add them to your pizza without pre-cooking.
If you're using pepperoni, it's worth noting that it can be quite greasy, and may cause gastrointestinal issues for some people. To reduce the grease, you can pre-cook the pepperoni before adding it to your pizza. Try cooking it in the microwave on paper towels to absorb the grease, or cook it in a skillet and blot away the excess oil.
Additionally, if you like bacon on your pizza, you might want to try using shelf-stable bacon pieces. These can be added directly to your pizza without the need for pre-cooking, offering a convenient and less greasy alternative to traditional bacon.
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Blot grease with paper towels
If you're looking to enjoy a greasy cheese pizza without feeling guilty about the calories, there are a few tricks you can try. One common method is to blot the grease with paper towels. This technique has been a topic of discussion on Reddit, with some users claiming that it makes the pizza less unhealthy, while others argue that it may not make a significant difference nutritionally. However, blotting can help absorb excess grease, improving the texture of the pizza for those who don't enjoy a greasy slice.
To blot grease from your pizza, it's recommended to use paper towels or napkins. Simply place the paper towel over the pizza slice and gently press or pat to absorb the grease. This method can be applied whether you're eating a freshly baked pizza or a frozen one. If you're concerned about removing toppings or cheese along with the grease, be gentle and blot judiciously.
The effectiveness of blotting grease with paper towels depends on the quality of the pizza and the toppings. For instance, if your pizza has a lot of vegetables, the paper towels may absorb more water from the veggies than grease. On the other hand, if your pizza has toppings like pepperoni, which tend to be greasy, blotting can help absorb excess oil.
It's worth noting that blotting pizza grease with paper towels can be a way to reduce your calorie intake. According to an infographic by Labdoor Magazine, blotting the grease off a slice of Domino's pepperoni pizza could reduce your calorie intake by 6611.2 calories in a year, assuming an average pizza consumption of 23 pounds per American.
While blotting grease with paper towels can help reduce the greasiness of your pizza, it's not the only factor contributing to a greasy slice. The type of cheese and other toppings also play a significant role. For example, cheddar cheese is known to have a high-fat content and can make pizzas greasier. Similarly, adding extra cheese to the crust can increase the overall greasiness of the pizza.
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Frequently asked questions
You can make your pizza greasier by adding more cheese, especially cheddar cheese, which has a high fat content and produces visible grease as it melts.
You can add pepperoni, preferably cooked beforehand to render out the grease, or bacon.
A thin crust or pan pizza is generally less greasy than a deep dish, but you can make your crust greasier by brushing it with oil or butter, or stuffing it with cheese.
You can finish your pizza with a drizzle of olive oil or add pesto, which is a flavorful but oily ingredient.
You can blot the grease from your pizza using paper towels, which can remove up to 17% of its saturated fat, although some pizza lovers consider this to be sacrilegious.
