Blimpie Subs is one of those restaurant chains that not everybody has tried, but those who try it love it. That gives it somewhat of a hardcore cult following amongst submarine sandwich fanatics. Blimpie is the third largest submarine sandwich chain in America, behind Subway in first place and Quiznos in second place. But Blimpie’s diehard fans don’t care that it’s not number 1. In fact, it might even give the chain a little more charm and charisma, as the sub sandwich underdog. It has 2000 outlets worldwide, which is nothing to sneeze, but when compared with Subway’s 32,000 outlets you can see that Blimpie is very far from taking over the number 1 spot. Not that they’re trying!

Some people are surprised to discover that Blimpie has been around for over 20 years, which is longer than Subway. It is likely Blimpie’s commitment to quality and simplicity rather than diversifying too much and harming the quality of their core menu. Blimpie offers a few options, for example you can choose to have your sub sandwich either hot or cold, and either by itself or as a combo that features a drink and a bag of potato chips. Nowadays Blimpie has added a salad bar to many of its locations, a positive move that offers some nutritious balance to the sandwich. But aside from that innovation, Blimpie keeps its menu straightforward, simple, and reliable.

If you are like me, always on the go and only have time for a quick bite, sandwiches are usually the meal of choice. You get so good at whipping up a quick one you can almost do it in your sleep (most often I do). Only to be horrified during lunchtime at work that you have now made the same sandwich for 2 straight weeks.

Don’t despair, I have brought a few teasers to get you through the week.

GLORIFIED BLT SANDWICH

1 piece toasted bread
Lettuce, shredded
Onion, thinly sliced
Tomato, thinly sliced

Cover this with cheese sauce, topped with two or three pieces of crisp bacon.

–CHEESE SAUCE:–

2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 tbsp. flour
Salt and pepper

Add one cup of milk. When thickened, add 1 cup grated cheese. Cook until thick, stirring all the time.

HERO SANDWICH

3/4 lb. ground beef
1/3 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. ground cracker crumbs (bread)
1 egg
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/8 tsp. pepper
3/4 tsp. salt
1 c. grated cheese

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Wrap in foil and spread on buns or bread.

STUFFED SANDWICH TO GO

1 8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped green onion
1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 loaf unsliced French Vienna 12″ x 5″ bread
1/4 lb. fresh spinach
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese
1/2 c. alfalfa sprouts
Butter
3/4 lb. boiled ham, sliced thin
Heavy duty foil, enough to wrap loaf.

Stir together cream cheese, walnuts, green onion and garlic. Set aside. With seraded knife, slice top off the bread. Cut down around loaf edge about 1/2″ from the side and bottom crust. With a fork pull out the interior bread. Butter the cavity and top slice, line the cavity with ham so that slice overlaps sides. Top with half the spinach then half the Swiss cheese. Spread cream cheese mixture over Swiss cheese layer. Top with alfalfa sprouts, the the remaining Swiss cheese and remaining spinach. Fold the ends of ham over spinach to cover top. Wrap bread in foil. Chill several hours. Slice and serve.

6 chicken breasts

1 bottle of Outlook

1 tsp of cooking white wine

2 cup of self-rise flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp of black pepper

Burger buns

Kosher pickle lice

Step 1.

Combine Outlook and wine in small bowl. Stir in chicken breasts cut in
sandwich size or cubes; cover and chill for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

Step 2.

In bow: mix flour, salt and black pepper together.

Take chicken out fridge and roll chicken in flour and seasoning mixture once.

Deep fry chicken Sandwich at 320° for 8 to 10 minutes or golden brown.

Deep fry chicken nuggets at 320° for 4 to 6 minutes or golden brown.

The same great taste whether it is cooked in peanut or vegetable oil.

Place chicken on burger with pickle slice and serve.

My parents have owned a restaurant for years so I used some of my experience with food and formulated the sauce I call: Outlook. This sauce is awesome! You can use it to marinate any meat you like, add flavor to your salads or many of your favorite foods you like that have no taste. I mainly use this sauce to marinade my chicken breast so I can make nuggets and sandwiches. I have made chicken biscuits and sandwiches for many of my friends and they loved it and suggested that I open a restaurant. However, most of them want to have the recipe so they can make it at home.

Carolina Hot Sauces are gourmet hot sauces that offer a number of different flavors, and range from hot and spicy to sweet and tangy! These culinary masterpieces are developed and marketed by Timmy Tran founder of TTTran Company LLC.

Parents of Baby Boomers look toward their sixties, seventies and eighties as golden years, with the chance to enjoy the fruits of their labors. But what happens when those days become tarnished gold? What if nothing you or your parents do can restore the shine you all were expecting? This is what faces the Sandwich Generation each year when their parents are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, senile dementia or stroke.

Today, dementia of some kind has affected 14% of Americans over the age of 71 and the incidence is rising. Caring for these seniors generally falls to their Baby Boomer children; studies indicate that one in four families now take care of an elderly parent. Often the caretakers are women. According to a recent AARP study, 8.7 million American women aged 45 and older are caring for both aging parents and growing children. How they, and their brothers in some cases, cope with these demands is of increasing concern.

Now even Hollywood has begun to look at the dilemmas faced by these Boomers. With the Academy Awards season right around the corner, the buzz is out about “The Savages,” a film looking at Sandwich Generation reactions to an estranged, aging father. Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman play siblings, Wendy and Jon Savage, who can be described as Open Face Sandwiches – suddenly thrust into caring for their abusive father while they deal with on-going crises in their personal and work lives. How they respond, and what they learn about themselves in the process, mirrors the situation for many Baby Boomers.

If, like the Savages, you are propelled into caring for a difficult parent, undoubtedly you will sacrifice many things – time, sleep, emotional stability, money, energy, days at work, dreams of your own. Because of these extreme pressures, family caretakers report having some kind of chronic condition at more than twice the rate of non-caregivers and research suggests that this additional stress can shorten lifespan by up to 10 years. Here are seven tips to help lighten your load as you attend to your infirm father or mother.

1. Give up your ideas of perfection and be realistic about the path ahead. You will not have the benefit you had imagined of involved, wise, old parents in your life. Acknowledge that the dementia will steadily increase and your parents will become less and less responsive to you. Be respectful of your parents’ dignity even as you transfer control over their circumstances from them to you.

2. Evaluate your options as you keep an open mind. There is not one correct solution for everyone in your situation. It is helpful to hear from others what they have learned but you are still the only one walking in your shoes.

3. Look for resources in the community to help you. Recognize that you can’t, nor do you have to, do everything yourself. Contact local gerontologists, talk with hospital social workers, meet with health care aides, visit nursing homes, join a caregiver support group.

4. Be honest with your siblings about their responsibilities. Even if you’ve been in conflict when them in the past, resolve to have an on-going dialogue now and be firm about finding a way to share the care giving duties.

5. Take care of yourself to decrease the burnout that is common. A good support system gives you the opportunity to express your emotions and receive comfort. Set aside time for rest and relaxation, difficult as that may be to arrange. A sense of humor will get you through some tough times, as you laugh through your tears.

6. Look at how your past relationship with your parent has affected your present way of life. This is especially important if your parent was abusive when you were growing up. Decide to let go of the tendency to define your behavior today as a response to the memories you hold of your childhood. Make up your mind to make changes in your behavior that benefit you now.

7. Grow up. As you take on the complex chores of caregiver, you are the one ultimately making decisions about your own life as well as that of your parents. Both Wendy and Jon Savage matured as they reconnected with each other and their father, making dramatic changes in their lives after his death. They were able to trust themselves and take chances to achieve what they wanted, both professionally and personally.

Just as in the aptly named children’s game, tug-of-war, you in the Sandwich Generation may feel like you are in a battle zone – pulled simultaneously from both sides and stretched to the limit in the middle. It is a struggle to sense the breaking point, which must be done to protect yourself for the long haul. It’s not easy to put limits on the connection with your aging parents, but you need to place that relationship in the context of the rest of your life. Trust yourself as you design a plan that works for all of the family, yourself included.

Just like humans require supplements, chicken also requires certain supplements that would include minerals and vitamins to make them strong and keep them in optimum health. The intake for the chickens is essentially dependent on the farm that manages their dietary requirements and is also dependent on the breed of chickens as well. Usually the supplements that are necessary for the chickens include calcium, phosphorus, grit some amount of salt and some vitamins.

Calcium

Calcium requirement for the chickens varies with their age, weather conditions as well and whether the chicken are the ones that are laying eggs. The hens that lay eggs need more calcium in comparison to those chickens that are bred for their meat. If the hens don’t take proper amount of calcium then they may lay eggs with thin shells or even without shells. Their shells are also prone to breaking extremely fast.

Older hens also need more calcium than the younger ones. In hot weather, the calcium requirement for the hens increases since; the chickens aren’t eating enough food and need that dietary requirement. Ground up oyster shells and ground up limestone are rich sources of calcium intake that the hens can take. However you would have to make sure that dolomite limestone isn’t fed to the hens and the chickens, as it can be harmful for them.

Salt

Usually some amounts of salt is present in the commercial poultry feed that is given to the chickens. Therefore the chickens don’t really require the salt intake. Occasional treats can also contain some amount of salt intake. If you find that their salt intake is less, then you may add small amounts of salt. In hot weather, ensure that they have plenty of water when salt supplement is given. In the winter, ensure that the water doesn’t freeze over; else it can be quite fatal for the chickens. Remember that too much salt intake can be really bad for the chickens as well.

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is required for the proper metabolization of the calcium by the chickens.

Grit

Since chicken has no teeth, grit must be added to their daily food intake. This is required for the proper digestion of the food by the chickens. Usually grit is stocked and sold by the poultry feed stores and is found as loose grain sand or small pebbles. When the chickens eat the grit, it is stuck in their gizzard. When the food passes through the gizzard it is broken up or crushed into small pieces and aids in the digestion of the food. Grit acts like teeth in the body of the chicken. Grit is essential part of the meal, even if you are feeding them chicken feed. However the chicken that roam freely on the farm don’t require grit as they get their daily share from the grass and the pebbles that are present on the farm itself.

Chickens also have a requirement for the vitamin uptake as well.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is crucial for the hens. Of course the chickens can absorb plenty of Vitamin D from the sun, if not then you would need to add the Vitamin in their food intake. Vitamin D is also present in cod liver oil and is required by the body for metabolization of calcium and phosphorus. Deficiency of this vitamin can cause the eggshells to break easily or the hens to lay eggs with very thin eggshell.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is also useful for the chickens as well. It’s especially important for those chickens that are used for breeding purpose. This is the reason that chicken farm owner that have breeding chickens must give ample Vitamin A to their chickens. Most commercial chicken feed will take care of the Vitamin A supplement. The chickens can also get this vitamin from yellow corn and cod liver oil.

Riboflavin

One of the B vitamins, this is required by the chickens to ensure that the embryo in the egg reaches it’s full stage and hatches as a small chicken. Usually commercial feeds are lacking in this and this needs to be supplemented by chicken breeding farms. The vitamin is usually found in dairy products, yeast; cod liver oil and lots of green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin E

This vitamin is essential for the chickens as it helps them to protect against diseases and raises their immunity levels as well. This vitamin is found in fresh greens and wheat germ oil as well.

Before you look at the sources from where you can buy the chickens, it’s important to understand that they are a number of species of the chickens. Just like any other farm varieties, the various species of chickens are also bred for a very special purpose as well. If you are extremely new to buying chickens and rearing them, then here are certain tips that can fare well for you.

As there are many different breeds of chicken, learn about them before you actually purchase the chicken. Primarily chicken can be segregated into 3 broad categories. These are pure breeds, egg laying hybrids and mixed hybrids. Each has their own special quality. For example the egg laying hybrids are bred for the specific reason of laying eggs and have small bodies and not enough mass for them to be slaughtered for their meat.

Buying the chickens from a breeder and online hatchery

Of course the first place to look for buying chickens would be a chicken breeder. Always buy from a reputable breeder. You can always get the reference for a local chicken breeder from those that own chickens in your area. Check out several breeders and look at their livestock, before finally making a deal. Always take note of their livestock and look at the living conditions of the chickens. If you notice that the chickens are looking unhealthy, then never buy from the breeder, even if their livestock is cheaper than the rest of the other breeders in that area.

Remember that there are a number of hatcheries that are also operating online. Even then you would first need to know the breed of chicken that you require. Find a hatchery that is reputable. There are several hatcheries that operate and you can always ask for references from the local chicken owners. Look at their website carefully before making any purchases. Check out their stock before you purchase the chicks online. Hatcheries won’t ship the chicks in the winter months as it becomes extremely cold for them. For this reason, the deliveries for the spring batch are booked well in advance. To ensure that you get your delivery, book for the spring batch well in advance.

The chickens that you have selected should be active, extremely vocal and energetic. If you see any signs of illness, contact the breeder and the hatchery immediately. The chicks should have an entire coat of full feathers without any thinning or bald spots.

When you have booked for the chicks online, you won’t get the deliveries personally. Rather the deliveries will be made to your local post office and you would have to go and pick them up. Remember that these chicks would be quite thirsty and hungry; so ensure that you pick them up the very same day.

But before you buy the chickens online or from a reputed chicken breeder here are a few steps that you should have already fulfilled.

Prepare the living quarters. You will need to get the coop ready that can house the chickens and also house them once they are grown up. The ideal housing should have enough space for them for roosting and also provide protection to them from the outside predators. It’s important that the housing also has easy enough access for cleaning the area. Line the area with plenty of hay, dried leaves and keep enough feed and water for them to be well fed and looked after.

Buy the right kind of chicken feed for the breed that you have bought. Some feed are fortified with extra calcium to ensure that the chicken’s lay good and healthy eggs, while others ensure that the chickens increase their body mass considerably as these chickens are meant for slaughtering. Ask for the correct type of feed. Fresh water and the correct kind of feed are extremely important as well.

Chickens are very social animals and need lots of company pretty much like we humans do. So ensure that you buy at least a dozen or so chickens. In this way, the chickens will be happy and you will also get used to caring for the chickens as well.

Always check the chickens for any signs of illness as it can kill the entire lot quite quickly.

When thinking about chicken pen plans, you must consider how the plans may impact the livelihood and health of chickens. This is ultimately why we build chicken pens. I had personally built my own chicken coop for producing eggs and then selling them to our local market store. You may be building your chicken pen for their meat, show, or as a pet. Regardless of your reason for building the chicken pen plan, they all require that your chickens are not stressed and remain healthy for proper outcome. I wanted share two important points to consider when building your chicken coop plans.

Perch must be part of the plan

Perching is very important for your chickens. You’ll notice that chickens love to perch. They love going from one perch to the other. As they get older, they’ll prefer to sleep on the top-most perch and this is normal. In fact, you should have a concern if they are not going from one perch to another at the night time. This activity helps the chicken stay active, comfortable and happy. This results in a healthy chicken for producing consistent eggs or meat or as a pet. Also, please do NOT be concerned if your chickens or hens do not perch when they’re young. This is normal. Typically, the chickens will begin perching around 6 months, but all chickens are different and may start at their own schedule so be patient. However, please make sure that having few perch starting a little above the ground to little higher to even little more higher so chickens have opportunity to hop around to stay active.

Safety from predators must be part of the plan

Another important factor when thinking about chicken pen plans is safety of your chickens. You’ll need to understand what type of environment you live in and what different types of predators you’ll need to deal with (e.g. fox, coyotes, weasels, raccoons, hawks, etc). Based on the predator(s), your chicken coop design will need to change accordingly. For example, if coyotes and foxes are predators you’re encountering then you’ll need to build a solid barrier around your pen that’s at least 2 feet deep (e.g. concrete). This will ensure that predators cannot dig deep and then get to your chickens. If you encounter hawks and eagles that grab your chickens from the top then you’ll need to build an appropriate chicken wire or even a solid roof if you have other predators going over the top.. For creepers such as snake, there’s really not much you can do expect to make that the location of the chicken pen away from such places as bush areas or junk piles and etc. As you can see, knowing your environment is crucial when building your chicken pen plans.

These important factors of perching and safety are only two aspects you must consider when building chicken pen plans.

Pizza is an extremely popular and delicious food which started in Naples but is now served the world over. Although its production in Naples, Italy is still very tightly controlled and old-fashioned, pizza has developed a variety of different flavors and styles as it has travelled around the globe.

Frequently, pizza comes into a region along with a group of Italian immigrants. Although the pizza at first remains within the community of Italians who brought it into that region, as the Italians become more integrated into the community, so does their food. Generally pizza acquired within the core of Italian immigrants is still nearly traditional, but the pizza that starts to spread into the rest of the country acquires special flavors and topping which reflect the established cuisine of the culture. Here are some examples:

In the United States, pizza has developed many different regional forms, owing mostly to the wide and continuing impact of Greek and Italian immigrants in American culture. Some of these variations are so different as to be only vaguely resembling the original Neapolitan dish. Anyone who has travelled much in American will be familiar with “New York Style” pizza, as opposed to “Chicago Style,” deep-dish, thin-crust, or other varieties. Frequently American foods such as bacon double cheeseburgers, BBQ chicken, chili cheese dogs, or other foods will find their way onto a pizza in the state.

One surprising locale where pizza has really taken root is in Pakistan. It was introduced there as recently as 1993 by Mr. Manzar Riaz, who opened the country’s first pizza place. Pizza Hut also moved into Pakistan in the same year, perhaps sensing the same burgeoning desire for pizza consumption that tipped off Mr. Riaz. The impact of pizza in Pakistan has not been as great as in India, though; it is a popular and well-known dish in provinces like Kashmir, Sindh, and Punjab, but it basically impossible to find in Baluchistan and the creatively-named North-West Frontier Province. Despite its inability to crack into those coveted other regions, Pakistan’s pizza sales are second in volume only to sales in the Unites States. In fact, Pakistan is home to the world’s largest Pizza Hut which as seating for more than five thousands people, if you can imagine such a thing.

Despite the enormous volume of pizza sales in Pakistan, and the thousands of Pakistanis who apparently sit down to eat pizza in even one restaurant, Sao Paulo, Brazil still has the stones to call itself the “Pizza Capital of the World.” This isn’t too a crazy a claim, considering that 1.4 million pizzas are consumed in there every single day. As is common when Italians immigrants introduce pizza, the dish was not available in Brazil outside of Italian communities until the 1950s. As it has spread out and developed its own new Brazilian flair, pizza has become increasingly popular throughout the country. Generally, though, pizza there is still pretty close to the traditional Neapolitan fare, with a thicker, more substantial dough, and frequently having no tomato sauce at all.

One of the most heart-warming pizza success-stories is playing out even as we speak in Australia. You may not have known this, but a significant portion of the Australian population is descended from Italy, so I guess you could say they have pizza in their veins, although not literally of course as this would cause an extremely painful and deadly condition. Because the Australians have so much in common with those of Italian descent, the classic, traditional varieties are available in Australia, but there is also an Aussie style pizza which has bacon and egg on it and sometimes also prawns. A couple of decades ago the “gourmet pizzas” began to be popular in Australia, with smoked salmon, dill, kangaroo meat, and other goofy Australian thins on top of them, but probably not boomerangs, let’s be honest.

Pizza is just one of many foodstuffs with a long and storied history which has spread across the world and changed as it went, but it is a very interesting case. It shows how a variety of different people are able to take the same concept and adapt it to their own unique preferences.

How often all of us have ogled hungrily at the pizza due to its lavish choice of toppings? It’s true, that how well a pizza can fulfill your cravings depends on the quality of toppings used on it. The kind of toppings also defines the time included in preparing a pizza. They can make it a one-dish wonder or something that is barely consumable. A mouth watering pizza with tangy toppings coupled with a glass of wine like Chianti can be perfect dish for a rainy night. For the more vibrant, beer with pizza is a zestier dish.

The choice of pizza toppings can be as varied as the taste buds of the different family members.

The simplest toppings are tomato and cheese for young children who have not yet developed an appetite for the more delectable vegetables and meat. For those with a penchant for consuming spicy meat containing pizzas, the ideal pizza toppings are sliced red chilli and chorizo cubes.

The variety of toppings that can be used on a pizza is simply endless, but too many toppings can intrude with each other and ruin the taste of pizza altogether.

If you are a meat-eater and nothing soothes your taste-buds which does not have a dose of meat in it, then ham can be on your pizza. Eggs can also be included along with ham on the pizza. The ham dissected into thin stripes should be placed on the pizza once the pizza sauce has been uniformly applied. As far as the egg topping is concerned, it has to be fried and placed in the middle of the pizza.

Seafood can also be a delectable addition to your pizza with choices like prawns, tunas and anchovies. Cooked chicken pieces can be another favorite for a mouth-watering pizza. Mozzarella layers can be sprinkled with sliced tomatoes and basil leaves for a vegetarian potpourri. Basil can be grown in the house for the purpose of adding it to a pizza, but if you want to save such efforts, then grown basil leaves can be procured from stores. Black jalapeno is also making the rounds these days as the most wanted choice for pizza toppings. Sweet pepper dews and jalapeno available in the market included in jars are a must for those who have a taste for fresh vegetables toppings on the pizza. Pesto also purchased in a jar from the supermarket store can also be added to the pizza to make it taste great. And how can one forget mushrooms, perhaps the most prevalent form of pizza toppings used in almost all the countries. Sliced mushrooms are used in an Italian pizza variety called the Pizza Quattro Stagioni for a refreshing taste.

Pizza marinara, a quintessential Italian variety of pizza comes loaded with prawns and tuna. One can be more experimental and garnish it with mussels and squid, and cover the feisty meat selection with slices of mozzarella.

Olive oil is also used as a very common pizza topping and every kind of pizza is sprinkled with few drops of olive oil before it is baked in the oven.

But one should bear in mind the fact that overdoing the toppings can leave the base uncooked in the oven. Also, a pizza with a glut of meat on it looks rather unkempt, so try to have only two or three toppings with a tomato and cheese pizza. Remember, keep the toppings to a moderate amount on your pizza and the results will surely be appetizing for everyone.

From time to time the one thing that home pizza makers want to accomplish when baking pizza is a nice crispy, crunchy pizza crust.

It’s quite difficult for a pizza lover to resist the crispy texture of flavorful pizza crust layered with a blend of savory toppings.

A common question asked by newbies and veteran home pizza makers alike, is simply this, “How can I make my pizza crust crispy”? Today is your lucky day because I’m going to give you a couple of ways to achieve crispier pizza crust.

One of the most important aspects of making good pizza at home relates to oven temperatures. Oven temperatures vary when using typical home ovens. Though some home pizza makers have access to brick ovens or more elaborate forms of home ovens, many pizza lovers do not. These types of ovens are fantastic for pizza baking but the typical conventional oven found in most home kitchens require a slightly different approach.

Generally, typical conventional ovens do not compare, in terms of temperature generation with commercial ovens found in professional pizza parlors. Don’t worry pizza lovers, there’s still hope for home pizza makers.

Due to the “temperature factor”, there are a number of things you must consider when preparing your pizza dough and baking your pizza pies at home, especially if you want a pie that’s delightfully crispy, crunchy and irresistible.

The first consideration is water content when mixing the pizza dough. If you use olive oil as a fundamental ingredient for your pizza dough, consider using slightly less olive oil and replace this with a little more warm water. Adding a little more water to your mix of pizza dough will contribute to a crispier and flaky crust.

In addition, it’s a good idea to roll your dough to a “paper thin” thickness. You can do this by “rolling out” your pizza dough directly onto the pizza peel. Of course before doing this, sprinkle cornmeal on the pizza peel to insure an easy transfer to the baking surface you plan to use.

Next, you’ll want to use one of two techniques for baking your pizza to make sure your completed pizza boasts that delicious crispy pizza crust that we all crave. You’ll want to choose a suitable “baking platform” or “baking surface”.

Try one of the two techniques below for baking your pizza pies:

1- Use a “pizza stone”

or

2 – Use a “pizza screen”

If you decide to use a pizza stone, make sure you give the stone plenty of time to heat before transferring the pizza from the pizza peel to the stone. You’ll want to follow the instructions provided with the pizza stone very accurately.

The transfer from pizza peel to pizza stone will be much easier if you lightly cover your pizza peel with cornmeal. This makes the transfer process from pizza peel to pizza stone a breeze.

When using a pizza stone, the goal is to have the ingredients of the pizza complete the cooking process about the same time the crust “completely” browns. Depending on your specific oven, temperatures, 425 to 450 should suffice. Of course you’ll have to experiment with cooking times for your specific oven.

Be careful not to remove the pizza to early, as this is a common mistake. Allow plenty of time for the crust to brown, without burning the cheese. If need be, CAREFULLY take a peak underneath the pie to check your crust if you like. Remember, ovens are extremely hot!

The second way to achieve a nice crispy crust is to use a pizza screen. Though this can be a bit messy, this baking platform produces wonderful crispy pizza crust. The porous nature of a pizza screen allows heat to pass through the screen directly to the bottom of the pizza.

This helps with the moisture absorption process. Direct heat helps reduce the moisture content within the pizza dough and adds to the crispy nature and texture of pizza crust. Mmmm…I’m getting hungry just thinking about it…

Pizza screens are fairly cheap, and that’s great because they get a bit “clogged” with toasted cheese and ingredients after several uses. Clean them thoroughly after each use to extend the life of your screen. Besides, you’ll forget about the mess when you slide that first slice of crispy pizza into your mouth, I promise.

Try these techniques to improve your pizza making adventures and remember to save me a slice!