The One Mistake That Makes Homemade Pizza Taste Like Frozen

Anyone who's tried to make a pizza from scratch at home will know that making a truly great pie (and not one that tastes like a frozen pizza) can prove to be very difficult. The reason for this often comes down to one incredibly important variable — heat. That's right, for just about every homemade pizza, being able to cook it at a high temperature is crucial.

We spoke to Luke Jacobellis, the owner of Tony's NY Pizza in Newbury Park, California, who explained why it's so difficult to get pizza right in most home kitchens. "If the oven is a regular home kitchen type, then you probably won't get the temp high enough to heat the stone so that your pizza will cook evenly and get that nice crunchy bottom and soft but cooked top," Jacobellis confirmed. "Because of that, it will lose the taste you're used to when you get a pizza from your local pizza shop."

While Jacobellis did note that cooking pizza at too high a heat could cause it to burn, high temperatures and short cooking times are the best option for most styles of pizza. For example, traditional Neapolitan pizza should ideally be cooked quickly at as high as 900 degrees Fahrenheit, well over the typical 500 degree limit that most residential ovens have. This is one of the reasons why pan pizzas are considered among the easiest homemade pizzas to make, as they rarely call for temperatures above 550 degrees and still taste freshly made.

If you don't have an oven capable of reaching temperatures higher than 500 degrees, don't resign yourself to low quality pies. As Jacobellis says,  "You can still make a good homemade pizza but you might have to think outside the box." For starters, not investing in the right tools is among the biggest mistakes you can make when cooking homemade pizza since some of those tools help heat up your pizza more effectively. Pizza stones are great at retaining heat, while baking steel is great at conducting heat; both of which will help ensure your pie comes out of the oven looking hot and ready as any pizzeria's.

Alternatively, Jacobellis recommends taking things in a different direction. "Try using an iron skillet or a deep dish pan with some olive oil or greased with butter cooked at a lower temp for a bit longer," Jacobellis recommended. However, the pizzeria owner thinks the best course of action is actually using a grill instead. Cooking pizza on the grill can give its crust an incredible texture, and despite being a bit difficult to get used to for some, it's a great way to bring the heat to a savory pie. He personally places pizza stones on the grill to get the job done, heating it up beforehand to mimic the effect of a brick oven has on your pizza. "Make small personal size pizzas, sprinkle some corn meal on stones, slide the pizzas on, and let them cook," Jacobellis advised. "This happens fast so you have to keep your eye on the prize."