Room Temp Slices?

[NicksNYPizza]

Does anybody keep their slices at room temp and heat to order? My pizza warmer broke and I’m looking for help. I’ve already spoken to my health department and have to fill out the application for the room temp holding. I know a lot of chains like Sbarros do it but just looking for tips. How long should I precook the pies? Sbarros pizzas look fully cooked then they just put them through the mini conveyor oven to serve. Should I do light cheese and add extra when I heat them? I saw one article that says just to precook the pies with half the sauce then slice, then add the remaining sauce + cheese and toppings before heating to order? Any info would help. Thanks in advance

 

[Rico]

We fully cook our pies then brick them in a table top Bakers pride for a 1:30 min at 375 F when someone orders one. I know a few people that slightly under cook there pizzas and leave them in a little longer when warming up. We created a chart with holding times for the slices. After 2 hours they get thrown out.

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[Tom_Lehmann]

The easiest is to probably fully bake the pizzas and add just a small amount of additional cheese when you recon it for the customer. The process which calls for 1/2 of the sauce, par-baking, slicing, adding remainder of sauce, desired toppings and cheese is a VERY SPECIALIZED process requiring the use of an air impingement oven (no other oven type will work) with a special reverse finger profile (open on top and pretty well closed on the bottom), it also requires the use of the Lloyds Pans Hex Disks. Like I said, this is a very specialized, integrated process which makes a great slice or whole pie. I developed the process about 11-years ago and wrote about it in PMQ “A New Approach to Pizza By The Slice”.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor

 

[NicksNYPizza]

Awesome thanks guys! Yeah it was your article that I read Tom. I don’t have one of those ovens but It sounds awesome.

I just filled out that application last night. I was kind of shocked the health department allows you to leave slices out for 4 hours?! I never would leave slices in the warmer for more than 1 hour. Rico do they stay pretty fresh for 2 hours? I guess it makes sense because it’s the heat that dries them out in the warmer.
Next question… Rico you said you have a bakers pride at 375F? At my store I have my deck oven that’s set at a little over 500F. But I also have a convection oven set at 400F with a couple pizza steels in them. You think I should use the convection oven? Would 500F be too hot? Also, do you put the slices on a screen or foil out anything or just directly on the stone?

Sorry for all the questions guy. Any help would save me from a lot of trial and error when I reopen tomorrow.

 

[Rico]

Rico do they stay pretty fresh for 2 hours? I guess it makes sense because it’s the heat that dries them out in the warmer.
Next question… Rico you said you have a bakers pride at 375F? At my store I have my deck oven that’s set at a little over 500F. But I also have a convection oven set at 400F with a couple pizza steels in them. You think I should use the convection oven? Would 500F be too hot? Also, do you put the slices on a screen or foil out anything or just directly on the stone?

Sorry for all the questions guy. Any help would save me from a lot of trial and error when I reopen tomorrow.

For the most part they still look decent. Some people get discouraged at first sight near the end of the hold time until you have them try it warmed up and and let them taste and see the difference. The crust comes out nice and crispy and they love it.

I used to use the deck ovens set up at the same temp as you at the other place I used to manage. We would undercook the pies slightly and then put screens under the slices when reheating.

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