Char and pizza?

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

I've read on CH about pizza having good char. I don't get it, i had a great pizza at a renown pizza place but I couldn't deal with the taste of burnt crust. I discarded the charred areas and enjoyed the rest. Am I missing something? What constitutes good char vs. bad char? i rarely get pizza from chain pizza joints so it's not like I have only one standard for pizza. With this in mind, when ordering at char prone pizzerias how should I order my pie?

[ipsedixit]

A good char is just north of "golden brown crust" and just shy of burnt.

[amyzan]

I love good caramelization, but burnt doesn't taste good. I suppose it's largely subjective, but to me burnt tastes bitter, and is not good eats.

[ArizonaDave]

I do like char - it might be something you adapt to.
There is a fine line between char and burnt and I feel it has more to do with how "deep" the char goes rather than how much of it is spread out around the bottom of the pie.

As with all food, eat what you like and don't let anyone tell ya otherwise :-)
(although that Texas pizza looks rough to me)

Here's a pic of a grilled pizza of mine - I think this is just about right for my taste.

AzD

[Sean]

I love char, both on the crust and the cheese, YUM!

[Phurstluv]

I also happen to like the char on the dough bubbles on the top of the pizza, which is what I associate with a charred flavor. The bottom of the pie should not be blacker, than the edges of the crust, IMO.

[alkapal]

this naan shows as much char -- maybe a wee bit more, even -- as i'd like on a pizza. it's perfect for this naan, though. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Ldah__-frBM...

in the "serious eats" link, i'd call that grimaldi's pizza "burnt" on the bottom. "chars gone wild!"

[free sample addict aka Tracy L]

Interesting point, because I love charred naan. I guess for my tastes texture makes a difference. With naan it really adds something-pizza well I'll have to give it another try. The New York pizza was way too much char.

[KTinNYC]

This is regional, apparently.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives...

[carbonaraboy]

Great link! For me, the right char would be between the two. The NYC pic looks burnt and the Texas pic looks like a saltine.

[iluvcookies]

"good" char should be just a whisper away from burnt and there shouldn't be too much of it. Burnt is bad and it is very subjective about what is burnt and what is charred.
IMHO, Arturo's and Lombardi's in NYC both have the right amount of char for me, but I've never specified how I wanted it cooked.

Hope this helps :)