Invertalon

Latest pies! A little Ooni action this weekend with a cheese and olive pizza... Then a Detroit from last week (Supreme).

Yeah, same here. I think the texture of the pizza is better for it as there is less moisture directly on the dough... So you get better crisp and the sauce tends to be brighter and more 'punchy'. Love it! Now my latest... Two pies from this past weekend, both NY style, a plain cheese and a supreme (with sauce dolloped on top!).

A little Ooni action last night... Two day cold ferment sourdough dough, whole milk mozz, fresh basil from the garden and some EVOO drizzled on top. Sauce was strained Stanislaus Tomato Magic. No added salt/sugar/spices.

On average, two per week I'd say. Usually we make them just one day a week, often on the weekend (and then eat the leftovers later in the week), but we have been known to make them twice a week here and there! When we do make them, it's usually just a single pizza (especially when doing a Sicilian, Detroit-Style or a 16 or 18" NY-Style). But we will make two if doing smaller Neapolitan (14" or so) or our coal fired ones. Surprisingly enough, after years and years of eating so much Pizza (and beer!), have not gained any weight at all... Lol. But we do indeed balance the rest of the days with healthier stuff we cook of course (lots of veggies/salads, vegetarian-based dishes, freshly baked breads (little to no sugar added), lean meats, etc...) plus good exercise with the dog every day... Always getting our 10K steps and such. Def has turned into a passion of mine, though, trying to perfect the pizza! lol

Another Sicilian/Detroit hybrid from last night... However, after another trip to NYC recently for 'research', one of the prevalent flavors in more of my favorite slices (Joe's, for example) is a buttery character from the cheese used. I've been through a handful of different types of mozz cheese (block v. per-shred, various blends, different brands, etc...) but unable to find that cheese that gives that signature flavor I've been after. Found a new whole milk, low moisture mozz to try this weekend, and I think I found my new go-to cheese! That signature buttery aroma and rich flavor was there and it was SO delicious. The melt of this cheese as well, is just stunning. Really looking forward to making a NY style cheese this coming weekend with it. This particular pie was 1/3 extra cheese (for science!) and 2/3 a mix of Sausage/Pepper/Onion. I call it a "Detroit Hybrid" only because I also got a bunch of Wisconsin Brick cheese which is the go-to cheese on Detroit style pizzas for that delicious crust. First time I had seen it locally, so picked up a chonk of it. It's only used on the very edge of the pizza for a cheesy-crispy crust.

Yeah, I basically set up the heat deflector plate on the grate and use 4 stainless steel elbow brackets to get the pizza stone above it a few inches in order to get the pizza higher in the dome for more top heat. In the picture above, I tried putting a pizza steel down first and then a stone directly on top of that to see how that did (if it would help the stone retain heat when doing a few back-to-back pizzas). Didn't really notice much difference though. So next time I will go back to just doing the deflector plate - brackets/risers - pizza stone setup. But yeah, I really love the flavor of doing pizzas in the Kamado. The added touch of smoke is quite nice! Make sure to use hardwood lump (not charcoal) as it gets much hotter and performs better for pizzas. It will easily get to 700F+ and cook them up in minutes. It posted out of order, but the pizza above the Kamado setup picture is the pizza end result from that day (one of three).

It's been a minute, so here is a collection of my pizzas the past few weeks. Mostly been doing 18" NY style, but also have Sicilian and some coal-fired pizzas in there as well.

In a nutshell, it does not matter which way the lateral support goes... It either puts that lateral column in compression or tension depending on which direction and is typically chosen based on space considerations. Nothing odd at all here.

For me, it would be to fly into Frankfurt and get over to Cologne for Phantasialand... Then go to Toverland (just over an hour into Holland). Then just take the drive down south to get to Europa (~4hr drive). On the way down or back up, hit up Holiday Park. Phantasialand and Europa are some of the best parks in the region. Also, for a trip this short, just get a car. You can specifically rent an auto. We just got back from a 9-10 day drip through Holland/Belgium/France/German and our car for the entire time was only like $280 for an automatic. Driving there is far less stressful than in the US, they are MUCH better drivers. And the autobahn is a blast, too.

I was thinking/planning on bringing flip flops that have been worn/smooshed basically flat. So that may just be enough to squeak by!

So it appears Intamin rolled the dice and decided on a 196cm max rider height for this one, per the website. Kondaa was 195cm, which prevented me from riding (height checked and denied). Yet Toutatis was 198cm and I was able... And of course, no issue with Velocicoaster or Taron. Pantheon is 193cm, but somehow I squeaked by on that for a few rides without issue, which is crazy, considering the multiple height check positions in place when there. I just wish Intamin would just default to a single max height, like 198cm or something and stick to it... Wonder if they will strongly enforce this one or not. I was surprised Kondaa was 195cm, given the proximity to Holland and how tall that population is. One place that I did not feel so tall for once! But just so frustrating, though... It seems a bit silly to me limiting people at 6'5" or 6'6" in height... That's not really that freakishly tall or anything. I can see something like 6'8" or above. I know Intamin does this to ensure the head is supported by the headrest, but peoples body proportions are different. I don't have a lengthy torso, so my head/neck are fully supported on any new-school Intamin without issue. FWIW, I am 196cm without shoes on... So with shoes, that throws me up to about 198cm (I'm sure they won't let me take shoes off, like kids who get to put shoes on to make height...) We are planning a Barcelona/Madrid trip in the fall, so obviously I would like to ride Gothem City, so it would be a bummer. But so is life with new Intamin rides. I wonder how strictly they will enforce this one. (The only rides I ever have been denied out of 350+ due to my height have been Green Lantern at SFMM and Kondaa).

Just got back from our Euro trip and while I do plan a small TR in the future for each park, I will say Toutatis was sooo good! We both thought it was a very solid upgrade over Pantheon. Theming aside, it just had a better flow of elements, more complete layout and especially the first half being significantly better prior to the swing launch. Add in the theming, easy win for Toutatis. I still keep VC as my top Intamin for those types of rides, but Toutatis is pretty close! Really great ride.

Typical RMC. I think this same exact thing about Vengeance, Twisted Timbers, Storm Chaser, etc.... The endings are just too much, too abrupt and it's just terribly uncomfortable. I don't "get" it, personally. The endings are the worst part of most RMC's. That is why Iron Gwazi is an easy top RMC for me... Larger elements, don't need 50 abrupt little bunny hills to snap my shins in half. It also gets super repetitive. Ever since Arie was announced, the ending looked horrible to me. The first half looks really great, but that finale sequence is a big nope.

Bummer on Zeus, we will be there in about a month on our trip and looking forward to it. Thought it was running better than it sounds, though. Oh well. Still really looking forward to Oziris and Toutatis, though! (And the rest of the park).

Happy Pizza Day!