The Unexpected Pizza Topping That Belongs Under The Sauce

There are some things in life most of us understand, like how to tie our shoes, our five times tables, and the proper order of pizza toppings. First the crust, then the sauce, then the cheese, and then whatever you want to put on top of the cheese — right? Well, that order of operations won't steer you wrong, but there's another way of doing things that might serve you even better. The Takeout talked to Rob Gentile, the culinary director of Prince St. Pizza, and he said to start putting cheese under the sauce; in fact, doing otherwise might be a homemade pizza mistake.

"I like to put cheese on the bottom, even under the sauce! That's what we do at Prince St. Pizza," said Gentile. "The cheese creates a barrier to prevent the sauce from making the pizza too wet. You can do this with any style pizza!" Not only does the direct heat of the oven make the sauce that much more robust and flavorful, but it also keeps your slice from getting too soggy. Talk about a win-win! Pizza with sauce on top may be a hot take to some, but clearly this approach has its fans.

Where you put your toppings on your pizza makes a big difference, Rob Gentile informed us. "If you put pepperoni under the cheese, you will end up with a softer, more moist pepperoni," he said. "When it's on top of the cheese, you'll get it to crisp up." Maybe you like pepperoni that melts in your mouth, or perhaps you prefer it with a nice bit of crispy char. Whichever you prefer, you can get the desired result by putting your topping below or above your cheese. If you like them crispy, Gentile said, Prince St. Pizza is the place for you. "We are famous for the crispy pepperoni cups. We put cheese down first, sauce second, then pepperoni last so it gets nice and crispy," he shared.

If you don't live near a Prince St. Pizza, you can go out and order pizza from another restaurant (Sicilian- and Detroit-style pizzas often have the sauce on top). But if you'd like to take a crack at making pizza yourself, consider taking Gentile's advice. What's the worst that could happen? Your sauce gets too bubbly and delicious?