Why is delivered pizza often oily?
Forgive the heresy, but I've recently had some pizza delivered. I noticed it was quite oily, and I have seen and heard horror stories of pizza basically drowning in oil.
This does not happen when I make pizza myself, even with salami on top the amount of oil is small, and certainly not soaking through and through.
Is the oil added intentionally? Some (e.g. Asian) delivered foods are put in oil to keep them hot, but that does not seem to be a viable option for pizzas.
Best Answer
I have had a pizza with a drizzle of olive oil on top (in addition to some basil, pesto, and something else). As best I remember, it did not end up looking, feeling, or tasting particularly "oily", although it was visually apparent (olive-green lines).
However, that was a high-end pizzeria; I've never seen oil on a delivered pizza, at least not any that was intentionally added as a separate ingredient. Oil that is orange or yellow comes out of the cheese (and salami or other fatty ingredients) during cooking. Inexpensive ingredients often have much more grease than higher-quality alternatives.
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Quick Answer about "Why is delivered pizza often oily?"
Delivery pizza is oily because it's been kept hot. You can see this in New York-style lunch counter pizza that's kept under a heat lamp as well. Melted cheese is primarily a mixture of casein (a protein) and fat.Why does my pizza come out greasy?
Most of the time, grease is a result of the ingredients cooking in the oven and the heat expelling the fat that's hidden in cheese, pepperoni, sausage and other meat products. If you order a veggie-loaded pizza, you certainly won't notice as much grease compared to a pizza covered in extra cheese and meat.Why is New York pizza so greasy?
Many New Yorkers claim that the unique taste of the crust is because of the minerals that can only be found in the city's water. And that melty greasy cheese comes from grated low-moisture mozzarella. The city is dotted with hundreds of little pizzerias, which in their truest form sell pizza, and only pizza.What is the oil on pizza?
Drizzle a bit of extra virgin olive oil onto the edge of the dough to give it a crispier crust. Carefully place the peel in the oven and slide the pizza onto the stone or baking sheet.5 Things I Hated About Delivering Pizza For Domino's
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Answer 2
Delivery pizza is oily because it's been kept hot. You can see this in New York-style lunch counter pizza that's kept under a heat lamp as well.
Melted cheese is primarily a mixture of casein (a protein) and fat. The casein in mozzarella is worked and stretched, like the gluten in bread dough, but is stabilized by being cool and containing congealed fat. Over time, if allowed by sufficiently high temperature and softened fat, it will tighten up, squeezing out the fat.
It'll even happen to your own pizza. Try making a pizza, then keeping it in a 150°F oven for half an hour. Oil will appear and pool on top of the pizza.
Answer 3
Oils can often be emitted from the cheese, pepperoni, meats, etc. Basically anything that is animal-based can have oils that seep out at high temperatures. Better pizza establishments will tend to use higher-quality (or at least more predictable) ingredients to manage the oiliness of their products.
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