Bread, pizza, cost Oh My!

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JeromeBarry1
JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
in Food and Nutrition
First there was the pleasant little discussion about a fellow wanting to make bread.

Then there was a helpful mention of a Forkish book about bread.

Then he mentioned buying the Forkish book about bread.

Then I bought the Forkish book about bread. $
Then I bought also the Forkish book about pizza. $
Then I received both books.

Then I read the pizza book and learned about tomatoes and Brix.
Then I researched tomatoes and Brix.
Then I researched refractometers.
Then I found mt.com, which has a really good portable refractometer for measuring Brix for under $4000.

I think I'll hold off on going full artisan just yet.
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Replies

  • halimaiqbal00
    halimaiqbal00 Posts: 288 Member
    edited October 2016
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    You lost me at refractometer
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    It's flour and water with a few toping. Home made pizza and bread should be cheap!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I tried to look up Brix and it looks like a pizza restaurant? Is that what you are talking about.

    My husband makes fantastic pizza on a pizza stone in our oven. He just uses the little pizza dough packages from the store, canned sauce, etc. It's a pretty cheap meal for us.
  • kwtilbury
    kwtilbury Posts: 1,234 Member
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    I read the OP four times and still not sure what he's trying to say.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited October 2016
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    kwtilbury wrote: »
    I read the OP four times and still not sure what he's trying to say.

    He's saying he likes expensive toys! :)

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    kwtilbury wrote: »
    I read the OP four times and still not sure what he's trying to say.

    he is saying he likes to overcomplicate simple topics....
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    I tried to look up Brix and it looks like a pizza restaurant? Is that what you are talking about.

    My husband makes fantastic pizza on a pizza stone in our oven. He just uses the little pizza dough packages from the store, canned sauce, etc. It's a pretty cheap meal for us.

    this...all you need is dough, a pizza stone, an oven, sauce, cheese, and toppings of your choice....
  • jvcjim
    jvcjim Posts: 812 Member
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    well i use a $100 brix meter to check the sugar of apple cider and beer worts but they are also great to check sweetness of grapes in a vineyard....
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
    kwtilbury wrote: »
    I read the OP four times and still not sure what he's trying to say.

    He's saying he likes expensive toys! :)

    That's what I got.

    Pizza-making, like anything else, can be an expensive hobby if you want it to be.

    Resist, OP!
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    I tried to look up Brix and it looks like a pizza restaurant? Is that what you are talking about.

    My husband makes fantastic pizza on a pizza stone in our oven. He just uses the little pizza dough packages from the store, canned sauce, etc. It's a pretty cheap meal for us.

    I think he is referring to the sugar content of the tomato sauce and you can use a hydrometer to measure specific gravity for that for that. A refractometer measure composition but it seems to be a bit of overkill.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
    kwtilbury wrote: »
    I read the OP four times and still not sure what he's trying to say.

    He's saying he likes expensive toys! :)

    That's what I got.

    Pizza-making, like anything else, can be an expensive hobby if you want it to be.

    Resist, OP!

    I wonder if it can still be called "artisan" if it's technologically driven like that. Seems to me an artisan should be using old school methods but that's just my impression of the word.

  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited October 2016
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    If you want to go full artisan, get a Pizzazz.
  • StealthHealth
    StealthHealth Posts: 2,417 Member
    edited October 2016
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    Do you think that artisan Pizza places are measuring the sugar content of tomatoes with a refractometer? Do you think that this was/is the method used by the pizzerias of Naples?

    Sugar measurement is much more likely to be a feature of mass produced pizza/pizza sauces than artisan or historic/authentic pizza .

    How about using taste as your guide?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    StealthHealth wrote: »
    Do you think that artisan Pizza places are measuring the sugar content of tomatoes with a refractometer? Do you think that this was/is the method used by the pizzerias of Naples?

    Sugar measurement is much more likely to be a feature of mass produced pizza/pizza sauces than artisan or historic/authentic pizza .

    How about using taste as your guide?

    using taste as a guide is way too cheap ....you need 100,000.00 worth of equipment to make a truly great pizza...
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
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    JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
    First there was the pleasant little discussion about a fellow wanting to make bread.

    Then there was a helpful mention of a Forkish book about bread.

    Then he mentioned buying the Forkish book about bread.

    Then I bought the Forkish book about bread. $
    Then I bought also the Forkish book about pizza. $
    Then I received both books.

    Then I read the pizza book and learned about tomatoes and Brix.
    Then I researched tomatoes and Brix.
    Then I researched refractometers.
    Then I found mt.com, which has a really good portable refractometer for measuring Brix for under $4000.

    I think I'll hold off on going full artisan just yet.

    I have been following that thread too, have the books in my Amazon basket, along with a couple of the 00 bags of flour at $10 a pop. I am planning on developing my obsession along the expensive flour trajectory, LOL!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    extra_medium wrote: »
    If you want to go full artisan, get a Pizzazz.

    I think you need one of these to go full artisan.

    cooking-in-pizza-oven-los-angeles-ovenworks.jpg

    That is not me. That dog is ridiculous.
  • jeichelb83
    jeichelb83 Posts: 172 Member
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    I was thinking he was referring to extra sugar added to the sauce, not the actual tomatoes. Yeah...a little too overboard for me. I love Italian food and I'm not one to add any sugar to my pasta or pizza sauce. For me, the more garlic/onions, the better:).
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    My "favoritest" pizza making toy, the one that has let me conquer thin crust, is the Lekue perforated platinum-silicone pizza mat. Okay, it was only 20-bucks -- but it sounds impressive doesn't it.
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    extra_medium wrote: »
    If you want to go full artisan, get a Pizzazz.

    I think you need one of these to go full artisan.

    cooking-in-pizza-oven-los-angeles-ovenworks.jpg

    That is not me. That dog is ridiculous.

    That was my dream at one time lol.

  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    edited October 2016
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    jeichelb83 wrote: »
    I was thinking he was referring to extra sugar added to the sauce, not the actual tomatoes. Yeah...a little too overboard for me. I love Italian food and I'm not one to add any sugar to my pasta or pizza sauce. For me, the more garlic/onions, the better:).

    Actually, the more I think of it I think it's for vine or plucked ripeness not sauce itself, but as someone posted earlier you can just get a Brix meter for a fraction of the cost to test for ripeness. Of course, you can also just go with your gut like most and that adds nuance to the sauce.

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