How we test

A test on PizzaLovers should be something you can repeat at home. That is why we publish the plan before a test is done, and the results – with their limitations – once it is finished. These are the principles.

One variable at a time

Each test changes one thing and keeps everything else constant: the same dough, the same weights, the same oven, the same preheating and the same toppings. If two things change at once, there is no way of telling which one made the difference.

How things are measured

• Weight: ingredients are weighed in grams, and yeast on precision scales because the amounts are so small.
• Temperature: the surface of the steel, stone and oven floor is measured with an infrared thermometer before every pizza. The oven’s display does not count as a measurement.
• Fridge and room: the temperature is logged during fermentation, because a few degrees change the fermentation time a lot.
• Colour and structure: bases and rims are photographed against a grey card, and pizzas are cut through so the crumb can be compared.
• Taste: tasted blind where possible, by people who do not know which version they are eating.

Repeats and margins of error

A single pizza proves nothing. Each version is baked several times, preferably on more than one day, and we report how much the results varied. A small difference within that variation is not something we call a difference.

What we don’t claim

• A test in one oven applies to that oven. We state which equipment was used, so you can judge how well it matches yours.
• Taste verdicts from a small group are an indication, not statistics.
• AI-generated images on the site are illustrations. They are never evidence of a test.

Test status

Every test has a status: Planned (the set-up is described), In progress (runs are being done) or Published (the results are reported). All tests are listed under Tested. How to measure your own oven is explained in infrared thermometer. More about us under About PizzaLovers.