The Game-Changing Tool You Need To Replace Rolling Pizza Cutters
There's nothing quite like the particular pleasure of that moment when you are hungry and a fresh-from-the-oven pizza is on the table in front of you. All you need to do now is slice into it and take a bite — which is why it's deeply disappointing when this simple step makes a mess of everything. If you have ever tried to use one of those iconic pizza cutters with the round rolling blade, you have probably noticed that they may be good at slicing through the dough, but they are also good at dragging all of your toppings from one side of the pizza to another.
Whether you picked up your favorite frozen pizza at the grocery store or opted to do the whole thing from scratch with your best basic pizza dough recipe, you probably want all of your toppings evenly distributed around your pizza so that it looks nice and offers a taste of every ingredient in each bite. Sure, you can cut your frozen pizza while it's still frozen, but for the best pizza-cutting experience, try a mezzaluna.
What a mezzaluna is and how to use it
While the rolling pizza cutter that many of us know today was invented by an American at the end of the nineteenth century, the origins of the mezzaluna trace back more than three centuries. Where? To southern Italy, not far from Naples, which is generally considered the birthplace of pizza as we know it today. Mezzaluna is an Italian word meaning "half-moon" and refers to the crescent shape of the tool, which consists of a long curved blade with handles.
To use the mezzaluna to cut your pizza into slices, place the blade across the center of the pie and rock it firmly across its diameter to slice it in half one way, then the other. The length and weight of the tool help to cut through the crust without shifting the placement of the toppings. Make sure to clean your mezzaluna immediately after use by rinsing it with hot water and soap. Treat it as you would a nice knife, being careful of the blade and drying it thoroughly afterward to prevent rusting.
Making the most of your mezzaluna
One of the advantages of the mezzaluna is that it is multifunctional. Don't limit yourself to using this tool just for cutting pizza. It works well for chopping a diverse array of ingredients from fresh herbs to vegetables and even nuts. For this reason, it not only facilitates the pizza-slicing process, but the preparation of sauces, sides, and toppings for making the pizza, too. If you want to branch out with your mezzaluna and the kinds of pizza you cook at home, try using it to prepare pesto. It makes quick work of chopping fresh basil and pine nuts down to size to fit in your food processor for blending.
Chopping eggs for egg salad? It's now a breeze. Want to dice some chicken? This blade can help you with anything that needs a rough chop, cutting your ingredients in seconds.
The mezzaluna can also help you thinly shred lettuce for a light salad or slice zucchini down to bite-sized pieces to roast with olive oil for a nutritious, tasty side dish to be served with your pizza. After using and washing your mezzaluna, be sure to store it in a safe place where the blade can't cause any harm or become damaged.