2 dumb questions

[rig9919]

I am no baker. The only things I use the oven for are frozen foods like chicken wings and potato skins. I am new to making pizzas so I have 2 questions that will probably make me look like an idiot, but I have no choice. I need to know.

Can I cook 2 pizzas at the same time on different racks and have them turn out like I want them?
and
How do I get the entire pizza out of the deep dish pan without cutting slices? 

and one more I just thought of. Should I par-bake a deep dish like I did with my thin crusts?

Thanks for any answers.

[Bryan S]

Can I cook 2 pizzas at the same time on different racks and have them turn out like I want them?
and
How do I get the entire pizza out of the deep dish pan without cutting slices? 

and one more I just thought of. Should I par-bake a deep dish like I did with my thin crusts?

Thanks for any answers.

Not Dumb questions at all. It's not a good idea to try and cook 2 at once. It would take too long and you would get inferior results IMO. I use a screen verses a stone for my NY style pies, I find it works better for me than my Fibrament stone. No need to preheat the oven for a hour or more and I really like they results with the screen, JMO. Pies are done in about 8 min. I have 2 16" screens so when one is done the other one goes in. They are cheap at about $6.00 per screen is what I paid for mine.

Pan/Deep dish pizza comes right out of the pan when greased/oiled up well. I have found that Crisco smeared liberally on the bottom and about 1/2" up the side works perfect for deep dish pie. Oil works but tends to creep up and onto the top of the crust where the sauce goes when working the dough out in the pan. The key is not to get any cheese between the side on the pan and the crust which melts down and makes it stick. I take the pan out of the oven and run a flipper (like what you would use for burgers or pancakes) around the outer edge and then slip it under the crust and the whole pie slides right out on to the cutting board. HTH, Bryan

[abatardi]

For deep dish you should be able to cook two at a time fine... I've done it and they came out good.  Halfway through cooking, just swap them (lower rack pizza to top rack and vice versa) and give them both a half turn to make sure they are cooking evenly throughout.

- aba

[pcampbell]

I have not tried deep dish yet but this brings up a question - i could fit both of my deep dish pans on the same rack... so same rack for both? or 1 lower 1 upper and swap?

[Pete-zza]

rig9919,

To remove a deep-dish pizza from its pan, I use the pan gripper/spatula method described by Tom Lehmann at
http://www.pmq.com/cgi-bin/tt/index.cgi/noframes/read/11899. To see what a pan gripper looks like, one is shown in the second photo (top left) at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,576.msg18397.html#msg18397 (Reply 291). The spatula I use is shown at the bottom of the photo at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,3985.msg33252.html#msg33252 (Reply 1).

As far as pre-baking or par-baking deep-dish crusts is concerned, it is uncommon for members of the forum to do so. However, some professional pizza operators do par-bake deep-dish crusts for later use. See, for example, http://www.pmq.com/cgi-bin/tt/index.cgi?noframes;read=1186. The par-baked crusts should last for a couple of days at room temperature or longer if wrapped and refrigerated or frozen. You can also pre-bake a crust to be finished as soon as it cools down a bit. Again, it is not frequently done by our members but it is an option. Fresh is better but I wanted to answer the specific question you posed.

Peter

[abatardi]

I have not tried deep dish yet but this brings up a question - i could fit both of my deep dish pans on the same rack... so same rack for both? or 1 lower 1 upper and swap?

I don't know if it would matter.. but I always like to just make sure to move things around to make sure everything is cooking evenly.  If you can get them on the same rack you are probably fine but I would still give em a twist halfway through for insurance.

- aba