[.ca] James McNair's New Pizza: Foolproof Techniques and ... (ISBN 0811823644)

From Amazon.com:
According to James McNair, the average North American family enjoys pizza at home at least 30 times per year. If you're ordering your pies from a big pizza chain, there's a good chance you're eating a lot of fair-to-middling pizza. Stop! Try making it yourself at home with the easy recipes in the colorful--and durable--New Pizza book. But a word of advice from the author: "For the best pizzas, the rule is simple: use only the freshest and finest ingredients available." Before he gets to pizza assembly, McNair lets us in on perhaps the most important step--how to make a fantastic, foolproof crust, either Neapolitan or California style (the latter includes olive oil). He debates different flour mixtures, olive oil purity, and methods of kneading, all in search of a sturdy, flavorful crust (soft or firm, depending on your preference). From crusts, he moves on to traditional pizzas "that have stood the test of time to become true classics of the pizza baker's art." This section includes Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Pizza (Pizza Margherita), Four Seasons Pizza (Pizza Quattro Stagioni), and New York-Style Pizza. Considering contemporary pizzas, he notes that Americans, particularly West Coasters, prefer pizza loaded with toppings, while Italians sprinkle just a few choice ingredients over their pies. Try Garlic-Glazed Chicken Pizza, Roasted Potato and Tapenade Pizza, or Caribbean Jerk Shrimp Pizza with Tropical Salsa. The stuffed pizzas are scrumptious--you'll need a hearty appetite for Zucchini-Stuffed Deep-Dish Pizza, Chicago Style, or Spanakopita (Greek spinach pizza). There's even a section on dessert pizzas. Finish off the evening with Fresh Fig, Blue Cheese, and Honey Pizza or Chocolate and Berry Pizza. Whichever way you choose to top your pie (and the combinations are endless), McNair is ready with a helping hand. --Dana Van Nest

Some plusses and minuses compared to his first pizza book:
I thoroughly enjoyed McNair's first pizza book. It had clear instructions, interesting descriptions, wonderful photographs, and recipes that both worked well and expanded my pizza-making repertoire. I bought the new version expecting more of the same, but it has been a little disappointing. The techniques section is all text, several of the recipes don't have pictures, and the small print is hard to read against the colored background of some pages. He advocates using a pizza screen to facilitate getting pies in and out of the oven, but I get great results using just parchment paper. The recipes themselves are excellent. The ones carried over from the first book have subtle but noticeable improvements. His Neapolitan-style pies are closer to the real thing. You use the unappetizingly named "seasoned tomato pulp" instead of tomato sauce, but it really is better. My crusts even got big blisters I had only seen before in good pizzerias! Some of his innovative pizzas are over the top. I would never spend hours roasting pork shoulder just for a pizza or turn my pies into pinwheels, but they are interesting ideas. Overall, this is a fun and reliable pizza book. I just wish it didn't have the few small but inconvenient shortcomings.

Not very good:
I bought his first book and I bought book this because it said 'foolproof' techniques. Well the first book was bad and this is worse. The techniques are not foolproof because I tried the recipes over and over again and the pizza was aweful tasting. After buying 2 of his books and turning out aweful tasting pizza I have come to the conclusion that McNair can't make a pizza. Don't waste your money.

Fun, imaginative pizzas:
Pizza is really what you make of it. It's one of the easiest foods to make. I was skeptical of this book... once you have a crust, who needs a pizza "recipe?" After trying a few of the exotic pizzas, the answer was clear: I do. I've tried stuffed pizzas, dessert pizzas, goat cheese & artichoke pizzas, traditional tomato, basil & mozzerella pizzas and a few of the un-pizza like pizza wraps/sandwiches. While I had to modify quantities to accomodate the pans I already have, it's not hard to adjust because pizza making is very forgiving. (The quantities of are just fine if you use the right tools/pans.) I've even taken to throwing the dough in the air, but I look more like a kid learning to juggle than a pizza chef. One complaint I had was the obvious West-Coast bias of the author. Growing up in New Jersey and having lived on the East Coast my entire life, I was eager to try what different areas call "pizza," but Mr. McNair spends an unjustified amount of the book raving about California pizzas, ingredients and doughs. Nearly every pizza in his book is based on the "California Pizza Crust" dough. However, this isn't all bad, because it's really a great dough, with a great listing of variations. I've made every base dough in the book (there are only 3 or 4, but with many good variations on each) and each has its own distinctive qualities, but all were well crafted thanks to the recipe. The humidity in Miami, FL makes dough making very difficult, but using a bread machine and the authors recipes helped overcome any difficulties. The physical quality of this paperback book is superb. The pages are very colorful, and made from thick, semi-glossy paper. All images are crisp and attractive, and there are quite a number of them. There are no step-by-step pictures, but the written directions are clear and thorough. All in all, I recommend this book highly to anyone that enjoys pizza in its many varieties. However, if you're not crazy about less traditional pizzas or are only willing to enjoy pizzas that are replicas of what you grew up with, you probably don't need an entire cookbook dedicated to pizzas. Making pizza is a gratifying, but time-consuming project - as are all things involving rising doughs. It's still easier to call the locally owned pizzeria and get a pie, but you'll probably have a tough time finding these delicious gourmet pizzas there!

Everything you need to know about pizza:
This book is an excellent reference that teaches pizza-making beginning with the fundamentals. Instructions are given for preparing various kinds of dough by hand, food processor, mixer, and bread machine. A separate section covers common ingredients such as seasoned tomato pulp and roasted garlic. Mr. McNair's style of writing is thorough and entertaining. The first recipes are simple (tomato and garlic, garlic and olive oil). These let you concentrate on making great crust. Later recipes begin to include some unusual ingredients. You won't find "Artichoke and Goat Cheese Pizza" at Domino's! It was delicious. Another of my favorites now is the Corn Pizza. I have yet to work up to stuffed pizzas. Some of the sweet pizzas (dessert and otherwise) will probably remain untried. The full-page photos are well-done, and the book itself is colorful. My one complaint would be that, with my poor eyesight, some pages are difficult to read: white print on sky-blue, black print on dark red. I would recommend "New Pizza" to anyone (beginner or experienced chef) who wants to have fun experimenting with pizza.

Absolutely brilliant!:
No fresh novice to pizza making, I attempted the art two times before I consulted Mr. McNair's New Pizza. Both times I failed! My crusts were hard and flavourless, torture to bite through. That was until I found New Pizza. My first go with the recipes in this book, I made an Easy, deliciously wonderful, chewy, flavorful pizza.