> (and superior)

Hey hey hey! waves hands in the air wildly

If it doesn't come from New Haven I ain't interested.

Besides, who wants to eat a saucy saltine. I like my gluten hydrated.

Seriously though, pizza science has such a weird intersection with computer-types. Why don't computer-types get all fired up about lasagna, or ice cream sundaes, or stir fry? Why only things like pizza, cast iron, and espresso?

I've never seen this intersection of computers and pizza before.

There's stir fry enthusiasts though. Or at least wok users. You need wok hei and super hot burners, electric won't cut it etc...

I've also seen some intense breakdowns of pad Thai, like it wasn't a recent invention for tourism

In fact, Kenji just released a book about Wok cooking!

Has Uncle Roger reviewed it?

Rice cookers, too. Lots of techie opinions about those, e.g. is induction worth the extra money.

I’m in the market - any advice?

I have an ancient Panasonic that’s still doing the job for me. I hear all the cool kids get a Zojirushi these days. My friend bought the super expensive induction/ pressure cooker one. He said it’s good, but he’s not sure it was worth spending $400… for rice.

What's with all the buttons? My rice maker is about to die, and I've had it since 2007. It has one button: cook. I looked at a Zoji and there are so many settings. Plus every type of rice has different ratios of water, which vary with quantity, so how do those settings do anything useful. I'm not too proud to admit I'm intimidated and don't want an overpriced "jack of all master of none".

Have you ever tried a Chicago neighborhood-style pizza? Or are you just dismissing it on spec?

(I think they misinterpreted the parent comment as saying that Chicago thin crust is superior to New Haven, instead of that it's better than the more well-known-outside-of-Chicago pizza style, which is what I think the parent comment was saying.

(If they _were_ actually saying that Chicago thin crust is in fact better than New Haven thin crust, well then I don't need to try this pizza either to know that it's not. /s))

I lived in Chicago for 15 years. Tavern-style pizza in Chicago can be good, but Piece's pizza (New Haven style) is better than most Chicago-style pizza. My go-to before I left the city was Crushed Pizzeria, which is Neapolitan-influenced. The only place I can ever remember eating decent tavern-style pizza is at dive bars. The thin crust from places like Giordano's and Rosati's is a soggy disgusting mess.

As you'd expect, since Giordanos and Rosatis are deep-dish spots. Malnatis will sell you a thin-crust pizza, too, and it's cut into squares --- but it's not Chicago neighborhood-style pizza.

Yes. I don't like any of it. The texture. The seasoning. The cheese. The bake. Awful IMHO.

I am not even a native Chicagoan, though I lived there for many years, and I am personally offended anyone could have such a stance. I want each slice to be a meal.

You can take your lasagna and have it.

Exactly. It has everything I want: meat, cheese, and the bread all pre-packed for consumption.

Right, but it's not pizza.

I think GP means pizza. The 'bread' really confused me (I even commented on it) until I realised (and deleted) - that's not how I make my lasagnes!

Yeah, sorry. Common complaint about a Chicago deep dish is that it is a lasagna or bread bowl and not a pizza. Different strokes for different folks but on the scale of New York thin crust to Chicago deep dish, I will veer towards the more hearty option every time.

I'm even more confused now, I thought the lasagne up-thread referred to ...lasagne, the pasta dish, but people call US/Chicago style deep pan pizza 'lasagne' too? I've never had one, maybe that would make more sense if I did!

Fans of the deep dish style call it pizza. It is the critics who will refer to it as a lasagna in a derogatory sense (eg "It's not real pizza"). Here is an infamous clip of Jon Stewart liking it to a casserole[0].

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCgYMFtxUUw

I was mocking Chicago style deep dish "pizza". My favorite American style is New Haven style.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Haven-style_pizza

People love to be riled up. It's clearly pizza but folks just love to argue.

Most Chicagoans I know do not eat deep dish often, nor do they even really like it. But...as someone else said, this isn't really the alternative. The crust is just plain wrong.

Yep. Of the several native chicago friends in my extended friend circle, all but one has a strong preference for the tavern square cut style

Tavern pizza is pretty common throughout Chicagoland—most non chains specialize in it. But it’s not always cracker thin.

To be fair, an awful lot of upper-middle class esp. North Side Chicagoans aren't from Chicago. The inner suburbs are far more Chicago than a lot of neighborhoods in the city that are filled with various Midwestern emigrants (who didn't think they were good enough for NY, and didn't think they were good looking enough for California, so ended up in the second city.) The inner suburbs are filled with the descendants of white flight from the 50s-70s, who had been in the city for generations when most of its cultural touchstones were established.

I'm from Chicago and I like deep dish, but these big thin slices are also good. It's obvious what the default is: when I was a kid "pizza" meant Giordano's or Eduardo's or Lou Malnati's or The Medici, or Unos or Dues, etc. Thin crust was called "thin crust." This article uses the same convention.

edit: I think there was an exception for Reggio's. Maybe we thought of it as "pizza" because it's so dense and advertised as a "butter crust."

> Midwestern emigrants (who didn't think they were good enough for NY, and didn't think they were good looking enough for California, so ended up in the second city.)

Or because it's close to home and way more affordable? Also, while winter sucks, I'll take a Chicago summer over both those places every single year.

I grew up here as well. No one thinks deep dish immediately when talking about getting pizza. It feels more like a once or twice a year delicacy than anyone's go-to pizza.

Proper tavern-style pizza is cut into squares, not slices. Slices are for tourists.

I prefer the thin crust style as well. If I wanted tomato soup, I'd have ordered that, not pizza!

Is this similar to St Louis 's square beyond compare thin pizza or pretty similar? Mmm imos

I’ve only had St Louis pizza in St Louis once, and the big difference is the cheese. I didn’t like it, but certainly a lot of people do like it or it wouldn’t survive as a style of pizza.

Edit - Wikipedia says that St Louis pizza crust doesn’t have yeast in it. Chicago thin crust definitely uses yeast.

Provel isn't worthy of using the word "cheese" to describe it. (said lovingly as someone who worked in STL and was often handed pies of "office pizza" from Imo's.)

Each Imo’s franchise is independently owned, and uses either Provel or cheaper “Zesty Pizza Loaf” depending on location.

Now that I think about it, it’s like a white, grainy, Velveeta. One of the biggest problems with a cracker-thin crust is that you need to eat twice as much (or more) to get full, and it’s not any cheaper, but Imo’s does lay strips of bacon across their Deluxe and I’m a basic bitch.

Detroit style doesn't get enough love. I feel like it's the perfect balance of pillowy thick but not filling you up. Laying stripes of sauce on top gives you a different flavor in every bite too.

Kenji's Detroit-style is my go-to home pizza:

https://www.seriouseats.com/detroit-style-pizza-recipe

(It would be this Chicago recipe, but if you live in Chicago you're never more than 20 minutes out from someone delivering a better version of it than you can make).

That article mentions Pequod’s as a Chicago deep dish with the kind of burnt cheese crustiness of Detroit style. I absolutely agree. If you visit Chicago and think you are supposed to try deep dish to complete your tourist checklist, go over there - you will not be disappointed.

I live in Chicago and went to that place once. I actually wasn’t very impressed. If I have to eat deep dish, I will go to Lou Malnati‘s. Otherwise give me a good Midwest style thin crust. Something similar to D’Agostino‘s.

Lou Malnati's was my go-to for the year I lived in Chicago. God I miss that place.

Currently my favorite pizza style. If you live near a Jet's, you should be eating it. Their Stromboli's/boats are great too.

I’ll second Jet’s for Detroit-style, get the 8-corner or large deep dish. Tall, crispy edges. Little Caesar’s gets a pass on their Detroit-style, but Pizza Hut’s recent take was just disrespectful.

After trying the delicious Detroit style pizza found in Costco's frozen food section, I've been wanting to go to Detroit to try the real thing. It's my favorite frozen pizza.

Check out Kenji's recipe, it is really easy and forgiving to make Detroit style at home. Don't worry about getting the perfect rectangular steel pan either, a cast iron skillet works great. I use regular supermarket cheese too instead of ordering the more authentic brick cheese.

Detroit-style is widely available in Chicago. Fat Chris's is decent. The chain Jet's is everywhere too.

I think it is highly respected. There’s good joints all over the country that make them today. Even with real Brick Cheese.

Looks like a pretty close facsimile with less effort could be made using a tortilla as the crust.

Kenji agrees.

https://www.seriouseats.com/extra-crispy-bar-style-tortilla-...