Which should I "upgrade"?

[witchy1]

So, I am a "use what you have" kind of girl and, having some success with AP in a cracker style crust, will continue to use it since, well, I have it. LOL I am also on a very limited budget and have to be selective about what quality ingredients I buy. Given that most of my pizzas will have pepperoni, cheese, and maybe one or 2 other toppings (homemade italian sausage, fresh mushrooms, black olives, green olives, peppers, onions), which should I focus on... getting a quality pepperoni or cheese?

Right now it is Hormel and Kraft (again, what I have and will use til gone). I do not want to recreate any particular pie or style at the moment (although my fave place serves NY style), but want to focus on those quality ingredients. I am not sure what exactly I can get in my area, but I can probably find whatever I decide to try. I do not have a problem with the taste of either the Hormel pepperoni or Kraft Moz, or their performance on my - one and only so far- pie, but I love pepperoni and try new brands any chance I get.

I have looked around and seen several recommended brands of pepperoni and why they are recommended. Same thing with the cheese. I have looked around here and seen the recommendations and why people like them. I just want to know which I should focus on "upgrading"- the pepperoni or cheese?

[Tscarborough]

I have tried all of the expensive ingredients, and have moved back to the cheaper, local, and fresher.  I use house brand canned goods, bulk moz from the deli (or the Mexican cheeses, they are the freshest but not quite as cheap as deli moz).  Buying a good pepperoni stick and having the deli slice it is cheaper, and far superior to Hormel sliced peps for example.

My rule of thumb is Fresh is Good, and when I look at, for example, DOP canned tomatoes, they are often 2 or 3 years old and 2 to three times the price of a fresh, somewhat local house brand canned tomato.

[witchy1]

Thanks for the reply! I was actually thinking along those lines and will probably experiment with some different cheeses when the Kraft runs out. I buy the Boar's Head sandwich pepperoni for snacking and am going to try the smaller rounds for pizza. Right now I have access to Hormel, Armour, Boar's Head, Bridgford, and the store generic brand pepperonis locally and others via internet. There's also an import store I haven't checked yet that may have more.

[scott123]

Kraft mozzarella is quite a bit more expensive than private label, and, in my opinion, not as good. If you want to step up your game and save some money, go with the private label/supermarket brand brick cheese. Last week I had two local supermarkets selling their private label brick mozz for 1.88 a lb. Kraft is probably at least $5.

Schnucks probably has a house brand brick mozz.  Food City might as well.  What's the most competitively priced supermarket in your area? Just keep an eye on your circulars and see who's got the best deal.

Walmart has a house brand, but I find it too salty.  Costco might have a decent house brand as well.

[witchy1]

Thanks for the advice scott! I actually got the Kraft at an awesome deal (about $1.24 a pound) which was less expensive than the store brands. I will definitely take your advice and check out the sales in the area. I have tons of choices in stores and usually shop sales at several of them, going after the best deals.

I am sticking with buzz's cracker crust for now- with the ultimate goal of NY style. With only 1 1/2 pies under my belt (please don't ask about the 1/2...  ) I want to perfect one style before moving on.

[buzz]

If you have it available, look for Stella mozzarella in your grocery store deli (it's the brand Giordano's uses)--very good. I think Frigo is good, too (available in my local store in 16-os. blocks). The Sargento Mozzarella-Provolone blend mimics Home Run Inn quite nicely. I think Kraft is O.K.--not bad, very useable.

[witchy1]

Thanks buzz! Since it's your dough I am using right now, I will definitely keep that in mind!