Pizza Recipes

Top Chef Stephanie Izard’s pizza and the big debate, NY or Chicago style?

Today is Pizza day!   Why?   Because I’ve been craving it since watching Stephani Izard’s video this morning!   And although Top Chef Stephanie is a Chicago girl now, she grew up in the East Coast, and admits to being a diehard fan of the NY style thin crust.

Which led us to ponder the never ending NYC thin crust versus Chicago deep dish debate.  Yes, it’s been played out to death, but it’s absolutely a subject many feel passionate about!  I put a quick shout out on Twitter, and here is a taste of the @replies:

Our Colorado friends Abo’s pizza placed a vote for NY.   Delicious food blogger Two Peas and Their Pod voted Chicago, and she gave us her favorite deep dish pizza recipe, thank you!   Gera from Sweets Foods wanted to vote from another area, but we did not hear back!  So we’ll count that one as neutral, Gera let us know in the comments!  Susan from Culture Trek gave us this: ”  Aways thin NY, because if I wanted bread, I would eat…. bread (sorry Chicago, I love most everything else about you)”.   Food writer Cate OMalley from the Sweetnicks blog had this to say: “thin crust with bubbles all the way”.    Teacher and writer Carrie Havranek said  “NY Thin!  You need to be able to walk around with the pizza while you are doing five other things.  Can’t do that w/ deep dish!”   Which brings us to an interesting advantage of the big apple:  foldability.  New Yorkers love being able to multitask and eat their slices while driving cabs, and trekking the city, an impossible feat with silverware.   My vote: sorry Chicago, the NY crispy minimalism wins my heart every time.  Final score:  NY 5, Chicago 1.  More responses are need, let us know in the comments what your preference is, we would love to hear it!

In our featured video today, Stephanie visits Spacca Napoli where they show her their secrets for an authentic Neopolitan Italian pizza.  She then goes home with two cute munchkins in tow, and she makes her own version with a white wine and honey crust, and a garlic tomato sauce with apples.  Read about her experience here,  and her written recipe is here.  If you are an ipod user, be sure to subscribe to her podcast “The Tasty Life” so that you can catch every delicious episode.

See you in Aspen Stephanie!  This just in  via The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen on Facebook, “Watch Top Chef Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard challenge Top Chef Season 5 winner Hosea Rosenberg at this year’s Quickfire Classic Cook-Off.” Big cheers again for our friends from Plum Tv for getting us there!

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  • Hugging the Coast
    June 11, 2009 at 12:21 am

    I love both styles, but I definitely prefer the New York style thin, thumpable crust!

  • Savory Tv
    June 11, 2009 at 12:30 am

    Thank you Hugging the Coast! The new final score: NY 5, Chicago 1. Keep the votes coming!

  • Colin
    June 11, 2009 at 1:52 am

    I’m a thin crust guy. I’d rather get fat on the toppings.

  • HoneyB
    June 11, 2009 at 2:12 am

    Grumpy loves the thicker crust while I love the thin crust. :o)

  • Cajun Chef Ryan
    June 11, 2009 at 4:28 am

    Oh yes, NY or Chicago pizza, I love both for different reasons. But if I had to make a vote it would be for Chicago! I love the thick piled on cheese of the Chicago style.

    Regards,
    CCR =:~)

  • Michelle (Taste As You Go)
    June 11, 2009 at 5:11 am

    I definitely prefer NY-style pizza for the thinner crust — it allows me to each more slices! 🙂

  • Jessie
    June 11, 2009 at 6:45 am

    okay I maybe biased because you know I am a New Yorker lol I’ve had both styles of pizzas while I like the deep dish style pizza I really prefer NY style pizzas. I love how the thin crust tastes with the cheese and toppings.

    I’ve been to a couple of authentic brick oven pizza joints in NYC and I have to say they really do know their stuff when it comes to making great tasting crust.

  • Hillary
    June 11, 2009 at 7:37 am

    One vote for Chicago please! And for those of you haven’t decided yet, make this first! 🙂

  • Debo HObo
    June 11, 2009 at 8:07 am

    I vote New York Brick Oven single slice cheese!!! Yuuuummy! 🙂

  • zchefheather
    June 11, 2009 at 8:30 am

    Ummm what can I say, Japan has cracker style crust (super thin Pizza la) but I Long for thick deep dish, we always want what we can not readily have..so des neh? So Chicago bring it on!

  • Apple Core Hotels
    June 11, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Cast your vote: New York or Chicago style Pizza? http://bit.ly/RDr0d RT @debohobo

  • Red Roof Manhattan
    June 11, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Cast your vote: New York or Chicago style Pizza? http://bit.ly/RDr0d RT @debohobo

  • La Quinta Manhattan
    June 11, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Cast your vote: New York or Chicago style Pizza? http://bit.ly/RDr0d RT @debohobo

  • Ramada Eastside
    June 11, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Cast your vote: New York or Chicago style Pizza? http://bit.ly/RDr0d RT @debohobo

  • Comfort Inn Midtown
    June 11, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Cast your vote: New York or Chicago style Pizza? http://bit.ly/RDr0d RT @debohobo

  • TheHotel@TimesSquare
    June 11, 2009 at 9:15 am

    Cast your vote: New York or Chicago style Pizza? http://bit.ly/RDr0d RT @debohobo

  • Beth Sterling
    June 11, 2009 at 9:33 am

    Cast your vote: New York or Chicago style Pizza? http://bit.ly/RDr0d

  • Vanessa
    June 11, 2009 at 9:40 am

    I usually can’t decide- my vote is for Italian style, but in terms of American pizza I really like them both!! I like the chewiness of NY style, but the deep dish never ceases to amaze me. Whomever called the Chicago style a “pizza” had no clue what a pizza was, but I quite love it and consider it the ultimate treat!

  • MizLollipop
    June 11, 2009 at 10:13 am

    NY is my favorite the crust is a palate for the ingredients.

  • Savory Tv
    June 11, 2009 at 10:41 am

    Great responses foodies and chefs! Thank you Colin, HoneyB, Chef Ryan, Michelle, Jessie, Debo, Vanessa, and MizLollipop!

    The new score: NY 11, Chicago 6!

    Hiliary, thanks for sharing your deep dish recipe, I’m off to investigate!

    Zchef Heather, I would love to try the Japan cracker style crust pizza one day!

  • thehungryengineer (april)
    June 11, 2009 at 12:47 pm

    I’m definitely a bigger fan of thin NY-style pizza than Chicago-style.

  • Gera @ SweetsFoods
    June 11, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    I received your twitter answer delayed because it was to sent to “sweetfoods” instead of “sweet(s)foods”.
    I know that this “s” is bizarre…a long story with google ended with the extra “s” in the middle.

    Lets talk about pizza mmmmmm: I love both styles of pizza NY and Chicago but you know that in my country Uruguay the most popular pizza is “Chicago” style..and isn’t round, it’s square or rectangular bizarre, don’t you? 🙂

    Cheers!

    Gera

  • Savory Tv
    June 11, 2009 at 3:06 pm

    Ah, no worries Gera, my mistake!

    Thanks for responding Hungry Engineer, the new score is:

    NY 12, Chicago 7!

  • Savory Tv
    June 11, 2009 at 4:25 pm

    Editing once more for a twitter response that I missed by Susan from Culture Trek,

    NY 13, Chicago 7!

  • Heidi
    June 11, 2009 at 5:26 pm

    @culturetrek thanks for your help, we gave you a mention here! http://bit.ly/RDr0d

  • writercarrie
    June 11, 2009 at 8:17 pm

    Check it, yo! I got quoted in the debate about NY Thin Crust Pizza! http://bit.ly/RDr0d

  • Abo's in the Ranch
    June 11, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    @savoryTV Thanks for the mention! Abo’s Loves You! http://tinyurl.com/l9yawp

  • Houstonwino
    June 12, 2009 at 2:13 pm

    Chicago for pizza, and NY for hot dogs.

  • Savory Tv
    June 12, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    Chalk one up for the windy city from Houston Wino!

    NY 13, Chicago 8!

  • thepinkpeppercorn
    June 12, 2009 at 6:48 pm

    I don’t think style matters; taste is another issue entirely.

  • Savory Tv
    June 13, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    Pink Peppercorn, great point. I think deep dish recipes are actually harder to execute correctly. Many restaurants with their time restrictions make their deep dish pizzas sloppy and altogether too moist.

  • Farina
    June 16, 2009 at 5:14 pm

    Back in Malaysia, Im a thin crust kinda person. Never liked the deep dish until I came and lived in PA for 2 yrs and since hubby loved deep dish, I learned to love them. Have yet to find a good one here in CA. 🙁

  • Emily s
    June 18, 2009 at 1:45 pm

    Chicago deep dish is, hands-down, superior to NYC thin crust (or any thin crust, for that matter)!
    -emily

  • BS
    June 18, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    NY! Um, because it’s pizza. Not an entire casserole dumped on top of a crust.