Penzy's Pizza Seasoning

[Pizzacrazy7]

Just looking to get some feedback on this spice mix.

[ERASMO]

I have been using it for my New York style pizzas and have had great results.  Flavor is very good.  I use it with Stanislaus tomatoe products.

[Art]

Last week, I tried it for the very first time - 3 tsp. mixed with a 28 oz. can of 6 in 1's. Everyone liked it a lot and I think it will become a part of my regular pizza sauce recipe. Also got a sample of their Shallot Salt and really liked that a lot, too. It's great on an omelet.

[Pizzacrazy7]

Is it ONLY available online?  Haven't seen it in stores.  Almost ordered a $5 jar today but shipping was also $5.  Seems like pretty high shipping but if it's that good, might be worth it.??

[Mad_Ernie]

Is it ONLY available online?  Haven't seen it in stores.  Almost ordered a $5 jar today but shipping was also $5.  Seems like pretty high shipping but if it's that good, might be worth it.??

PC7:

There are Penzey stores but they are not everywhere.  Go to the Penzey's website and see if there is a store in your area.  I just happen to be lucky to have one not far from where I live.  I ordered on line from them once and everything went fine.

-ME

[Deacon Volker]

Remember that they also try to lessen the "sting" of the shipping costs by including a freebie in the order.  I've gotten some pretty nice spices and mixes from them for "free" in the past.  I'll also add my "yup" to their "pizza spice".  I use it as a dust over my sauces just prior to cheesing. 

[sourdough girl]

Pizzacrazy7,

I have a small bottle of the spice mix you're looking for and I don't use it that much because it has sugar in it and I don't care for sweet sauces.  Other than the sugar, I think it tastes great.

If you are interested, PM me and I will send you what I have so that you will know if you want to purchase some.

I order a lot of stuff from Penzey's and they always include a free sample... and it's a small jar sample!  I have always liked their products and have found the shipping rates to my state to be quite reasonable.

~sd

[pizzoid]

Is it ONLY available online?  Haven't seen it in stores.  Almost ordered a $5 jar today but shipping was also $5.  Seems like pretty high shipping but if it's that good, might be worth it.??

Try some of their other stuff to get the price down. Most of their spices are better quality than you'll get in the supermarket. I particularly like their Turkish Oregano. I order from them 3-4 time a year and have never had a problem. They do take ~3 days in-house to get the order processed on standard shipping. I've never tried expedited.

Call them and get a catalog, if you have time to wait and don't know what to add.

-Al

[HamPepMush]

Curious if one of you can recommend a Penzey (or any other) premixed spice that does not contain sugar.  I am also highly sensitive to added sugar in dough and sauce and would love to find a good one that is spice only.

[pizzoid]

Curious if one of you can recommend a Penzey (or any other) premixed spice that does not contain sugar.  I am also highly sensitive to added sugar in dough and sauce and would love to find a good one that is spice only.

I actually like the Durkee Italian seasoning for spaghetti sauces, but not so much for pizza. You might try the Italian seasoning from the Maine Shaker community for pizza, though. I used to use it and their oregano (until I found Penzey's oregano).

http://www.shaker.lib.me.us/catalog.html

- Al

[Art]

Curious if one of you can recommend a Penzey (or any other) premixed spice that does not contain sugar.  I am also highly sensitive to added sugar in dough and sauce and would love to find a good one that is spice only.

I doubt whether you would identify sugar in the Penzey's if used it in your sauce in the suggested proportion. Tasting it straight up right out of the jar, what you taste is salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, a hint of the red/cayenne pepper, and a hint of sweetness.   Art

[sourdough girl]

I doubt whether you would identify sugar in the Penzey's if used it in your sauce in the suggested proportion. Tasting it straight up right out of the jar, what you taste is salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, a hint of the red/cayenne pepper, and a hint of sweetness.   Art

I guess all palates are different, because with crushed and ground fennel seed (which is a "sweet" spice) as the first ingredient after salt, and sugar being listed as the third after salt, it tastes VERY sweet to me.  After the sweet taste fades a bit, I taste oregano and garlic, then the warmth of the three peppers.  I might buy this mix if the sugar was omitted, but I have all the ingredients in the pantry and can mix it myself if so desired.

~sd

[Jraducha]

Penzy's products are solid!  Give it a try, and make sure you order some other spices from them. You will not be disappointed. 

[Randy]

I use a great number of their products especialy the pizza seasoning.

Randy

[HamPepMush]

Ok, now I'm a little interested here.  Do you guys believe it is the source, different spices, or something else that makes Penzy's better than mixing your own?  I guess I'm thinking that the ingredients in a spice blend that I would like might be salt, basil, oregano, black pepper and fennel...so why wouldn't I just mix these together myself?  Is there something else special in a good pre-blend?  Are their sources that much better?  Are they ground extra fine (kind of looked like it in the few italian seasonings I recently saw)?   

[Randy]

Here is what is in it.
Hand-mixed from: salt, cracked and ground Indian fennel seed, Turkish oregano leaf and powder, sugar, garlic, Tellicherry black pepper, sweet California basil, white onion, crushed red pepper and cayenne red pepper powder.

Here is a list of other spices I buy from them.


Bicentennial Rub
Cajun
Chili Con Carne
Cinnamon
Galena street rub
Medium Hot Chili Powder
Northwood seasoning
Nutmeg
Pumpkin pie spice
Shrimp-Crab Boil
Soup Base
Taco Seasoning
Vanilla and almond extracts

[BTB]

For the approx. 2 to 3 years that I've been making pizzas, I found Penzy's to be the best.  I picked it up one day when visiting their Grand Rapids, MI store, but have ordered over the internet on occasion (and really like all the Penzy's products).  I've bought special pizza seasoning mixes from Whole Foods, Nature's Finest, several great Italian deli's, and while many of them are very good, I still prefer the Penzy's, altho I like to experiment with others from time to time.  And I've learned to appreciate adding some good oregano separate from the spice mix, tho.

One thing I've learned from using all these seasonings is that using a little is better than using a lot.  Putting in too much spices can lead to a less than satisfactory pizzamaking experience  -- and that after all the work and effort that you put into it.  So my advice is . . . go slow and don't put in too much.  Taste the sauce with your finger and add a little more if you think it could use more.  But I've found that it generally doesn't need more. It will taste stronger after baking.  For the WIW column.                       --BTB

[MatthewWM]

I'm a big fan of the Penzy's Pizza seasoning myself.  Got a sample once and have been using it ever since.

[lilbuddypizza]

Usually not a big fan of pre-mixed seasonings. That being said, I find that one can add this to some puree and then be done with it. I prefer to heat it slightly to get the spices to seep some of its flavor. Penzey's is high quality.