Method for preparing cooking pizza

A method for cooking pizza comprising the following steps:

• providing an assembled pizza in a cooking pan, said pan having a lower surface which defines a plurality of openings formed therein, said lower surface further defining a plurality of raised support regions which support at least a portion of the underside of the assembled pizza above the lower surface to reduce the area of contact between the lower surface and the underside of the assembled pizza;
• then
• placing the assembled pizza and the cooking pan in a forced air oven which comprises means for directing a flow of heated air against the underside of the assembled pizza, said openings and raised support areas cooperating to expose the underside of the assembled pizza to the flow of heated air;
• and then
• cooking the assembled pizza in the oven;
• said cooking pan acting to promote rapid heating of, and rapid evaporation of water from, the pizza, thereby reducing the cooking time required properly to cook the pizza.

A method for preparing and cooking pizza comprising the following steps:

• providing a selected quantity of proofed pizza dough in a precook pan;
• then
• placing a lid on the precook pan to seal the internal volume defined by the precook pan and the lid to confine the dough such that the dough substantially fills the internal volume defined by the precook pan and the lid, thereby partially degassing the proofed dough, said lid shaped to form a raised circumferential rim on the upper surface of the pizza dough and to hold the dough in a shape adapted to facilitate pizza assembly;
• precooking the confined dough to form a pizza shell while the dough is in the precook pan and is confined by the lid;
• then
• cooling the precooked shell;
• removing the precooked and cooled shell from said precook pan;
• placing the cooled, precooked shell in a cooking pan provided with a lower surface which defines a plurality of openings formed therein, said lower surface further defining a plurality of raised support regions which support at least a portion of the shell above the lower surface to reduce the area of contact between the shell and the lower surface;
• applying a pre-heated tomato sauce having a temperature greater than about 145.degree. F. and a dissolved tomato solids component greater than about 10% by weight to the shell, said temperature being sufficient to retard bacterial growth in said sauce but less than that which causes carmelization;
• applying a layer of cheese strips over the tomato sauce, each of said strips having a thickness in a range of about 1/16 inch to about 3/32 inch and comprising a cheese having a fat content on a dry basis between about 40% and about 50% to complete the assembly of a pizza;
• and then
• cooking the assembled pizza in the cooking pan in a forced air oven which comprises means for directing heated air through said openings in the pan directly against the underside of the shell, and means for directing heated air against the upper surface of the assembled pizza to accelerate the cooking of the assembled pizza.

A method for precooking a pizza shell comprising the following steps:

• providing a selected quantity of proofed pizza dough in a precook pan;
• then
• placing an imperforate lid on the precook pan to confine the dough such that the dough substantially fills the internal volume defined by the precook pan and the lid, thereby partially degassing the proofed dough, said lid shaped to form a raised circumferential rim on the upper surface of the pizza dough and to hold the dough in a shape adapted to facilitate pizza assembly;
• and then
• precooking the confined dough to form a pizza shell while the dough is in the precook pan and is confined by the lid, said lid acting to control moisture loss during cooking and to define the finished shape of the precooked pizza shell.

A method for preparing and cooking pizza comprising the following steps:

• providing a pizza shell;
• preheating a tomato sauce having a dissolved solids component greater than about 10% by weight to a temperature greater than about 145.degree. F. in order to retard bacterial growth in said sauce but less than that which causes carmelization;
• applying at least a portion of the preheated sauce to the shell to cover a major portion of the shell;
• applying at least one additional food component over the portion of preheated sauce to complete assembly of a pizza, said at least one food component comprising a layer of cheese strips, each having a thickness in a range of about 1/16 inch to about 3/32 inch and a fat content on a dry basis between about 40% and about 50%;
• placing the assembled pizza in a forced air, heated air oven in order to cook the assembled pizza, said oven comprising means for directing jets of heated air toward the top and bottom of the assembled pizza;
• the heat of the preheated sauce, the shape and fat content of the cheese strips, and the forced air oven cooperating to reduce the cooking time required properly to cook the assembled pizza.