Mineos Vs. Aielos- Which has better Pizza? (Penn: live, oil)

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

I don't think a Mineos Pizza lover would like Piccolo because that pizza is done. Mineos is meant for those who like a raw dough section in the crust. Lots of raw pizza in the burgh for some reason. Never understood that. I have never had raw pizza in NYNY and doubt it would be welcome there, but in the burgh it is considered great.

I have to tamp Mineo's slices with paper napkins to get the oil off before I can eat one. Why is there oil in cheese?

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by greg42

Anyone like Pizza Sola? I haven't tried.

I liked it at first, but it's expensive for a slice place. Admittedly, there's a better selection of toppings, and they supposedly use better flour, cheese, tomato sauce, but I had a couple delivered (Wheel Deliver), and didn't like them at all. I haven't been back.

[h_curtis]

Originally Posted by greg42

Anyone like Pizza Sola? I haven't tried. Getting to be a chain though with a 4th store coming in Cranberry so might go downhill. If they continue to live up to what they say it could be good though.

Such a sad story about Pizza Sola. They had a little location in the Southside. It went by a different name and they had to change it because that name was in violation of another place somewhere. Anyway, when that place started out it was great and was a real NYNY pizza. Then they wanted to open another location and another. The pizza is really inconsistent, which is a no-no in the restaurant business. You have no idea how good it will be when you go. Sometimes the crust is tough sometimes not done enough, etc. What a shame. I don't go anymore because I just want to know what I am getting. Oh well, it was good while it lasted, but that wasn't all that long.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Why is there oil in cheese?

The oil is liquid fat, and there is fat in cheese.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

The oil is liquid fat, and there is fat in cheese.

But isn't it dairy? I've done a lot of cooking, and I don't remember cheese separating that way.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jay5835

But isn't it dairy?

Sure, and milk has fat in it. See also butter.

I've done a lot of cooking, and I don't remember cheese separating that way.

So the fat in milk is emulsified--the reason it can mix with water is the fat globules are surrounded by a phospholipid and protein membrane.

Oil will separate out from dairy products if somehow this membrane is broken (and other conditions apply). So, for example, when you churn to make butter, you are breaking up this membrane and allowing the fat globules to combine.

High temperature can do the same thing to cheese. It varies by type, but often you are talking about really high temperatures--500 degrees or more--before you get a lot of oil separation. So lots of home cooks don't see it happen very much because they are rarely cooking at high enough temperatures.

By the way, freezing can also break up the membrane, so cheese that is frozen then melted may separate more or at a lower temperature.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Sure, and milk has fat in it. See also butter.

So the fat in milk is emulsified--the reason it can mix with water is the fat globules are surrounded by a phospholipid and protein membrane.

Oil will separate out from dairy products if somehow this membrane is broken (and other conditions apply). So, for example, when you churn to make butter, you are breaking up this membrane and allowing the fat globules to combine.

High temperature can do the same thing to cheese. It varies by type, but often you are talking about really high temperatures--500 degrees or more--before you get a lot of oil separation. So lots of home cooks don't see it happen very much because they are rarely cooking at high enough temperatures.

By the way, freezing can also break up the membrane, so cheese that is frozen then melted may separate more or at a lower temperature.

What do you know. I've never cooked cheese that hot, I guess.

I'm not doubting you. I was a professional chef for a while, though, and I never saw oil separate from cheese.

I think Mineo's is the only place I've ever seen it happen. Do you know if this is indicative of Mineo's using a higher grade of cheese than most? Mineo's cheese is also tough (grainy, chewy) in a way most cheese on pizza never gets, so I've always assumed the opposite, that it's cheap, crappy stuff. But maybe the really cheap, crappy stuff is the other cheeses, which stay emulsified at any temperature. (I'm just wondering out loud here. I have no idea about the science.)

I've made butter in the cuisinart from heavy cream. It happens when the water and the solids separate. But I don't think oil came out. Of course, everything was room temp or (not much) colder.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Do you know if this is indicative of Mineo's using a higher grade of cheese than most?

I'm not sure grade per se has much to do with it.

Generally, I've seen this other places--probably more in very thin-crust cases, which may be a temperature thing. Anyway, I just did some googling, and here is a discussion in a trade magazine:

PMQ Pizza Magazine | Magazine Archives (http://pmq.com/mag/200708/lehmann.php - broken link)

I've made butter in the cuisinart from heavy cream. It happens when the water and the solids separate. But I don't think oil came out. Of course, everything was room temp or (not much) colder.

What you have done with the Cuisinart is break up those aforementioned membranes, which eliminates the emulsion effect that allowed the butterfat to mix with water in the first place. The exposed fat clumps together (it also traps some unexposed fat globules, water, and other constituent solids of milk), forming the stuff I presume you pressed into butter. Because you already broke up the membranes, now you can turn that stuff into oil at much less than 500 degrees. That is what "melted butter" is.

Edit: Oh, and "clarified butter" involves separating out the remaining water and non-fat solids from butter. What you have then is more or less pure fat/oil (depending on temperature).

[Sideblinded]

After reading this, I think is odd when people find out I HATE cheese.

It is rotten milk or soured something.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

After reading this, I think is odd when people find out I HATE cheese.

It is rotten milk or soured something.

I love it, but I can relate to your perception of its grossness. That's how I feel about tofu.