Top Chef Kristen Kish's Trick for Perfect Homemade Pizza
Pizza is so many things to so many people. It's a go-to take-out order when you just can't bear to cook. It's a favorite celebration food of kids—and grownups. It's a sign of regional pride, depending on the toppings, order of toppings, crust and how thick (or thin) the crust is. It's comfort on a crust.
And while we'd argue that it's hard to make a bad pizza, there are definitely ways to make a better pie. To get some inside tips and tricks for infinitely better pizza we chatted with chef Kristen Kish, cookbook author, new Top Chef host and the head of the Chef Squad for the just-launched Ninja Woodfire 8-in-1 Outdoor Oven.
She had tons of great advice—pick up a ball of dough from your local pizza shop, protect any tender toppings with a layer of cheese—but one tip in particular stood out: salt your mozzarella.
On behalf of Ninja
Why You Should Salt Your Fresh Mozzarella for Pizza
While we were chatting pizza, the topic of cheese came up, as it does. Fresh mozzarella is a classic choice, especially for something like a Margherita pizza. The issue with fresh mozz is that it's full of moisture, which can do bad things for your crust. "There's just nothing worse than a soggy, wet pizza," said Kish. Truer words have never been spoken.
To keep that from happening, Kish suggests salting the mozzarella as you would other foods that have a tendency to hang on to water, like zucchini or eggplant. Here's how to do it.
1. Slice your fresh mozzarella and arrange the slices on a cooling rack set over a large rimmed baking dish (to catch any drips).
2. Salt the slices generously. "Season as you would, you know, season any kind of meat or vegetable," says Kish.
3. Let the cheese sit for about 30 minutes, then pat the slices dry with a paper towel. Flip the slices over, salt that side and let the cheese rest for another 30 minutes before patting dry.
4. Add to your pizza and watch your crust crisp up beautifully. Pro tip: Cook the pie in the Ninja Outdoor Oven, like Kish does. "I haven't successfully made a pizza at home until now," she says.