Is my pizza right?
Plenty of things people call faults are exactly what a style is meant to be: a soft, wet-looking centre is part of a Neapolitan pizza and a problem in a cracker-thin one. Tick what you see and, if you know it, the style — PizzaHQ judges each observation against that style’s recorded character.
Tick what you see. A verdict appears for each, judged against the style if you chose one.
How to tell when a pizza is done
The signs that a pizza is done — rim, underside, centre structure, cheese, sauce, toppings and pan-pizza crumb — read against what the style is meant to be, with tactile checks that beat colour alone and the narrow cases where a thermometer is the right tool.
Judging a pizza by its own style
A style-relative way to judge pizza: dough structure, whether the bake suits the style, char versus burning, sauce and cheese balance, structure, freshness and handling — and why a soft Neapolitan centre and a crisp tavern cut can both be exactly right.
How this works
Each of the 14 observations has a rule that reads the chosen style's records — its crust structure, recorded textures, bake temperature and the derived positions PizzaHQ uses elsewhere (crispness, airiness, char, chew) — and returns one of four verdicts: expected for this style, acceptable variation, possible fault, or clear fault. The verdict always says which record decided it.
Two observations are faults in every style: a raw, gummy layer under the sauce, and large burnt areas. Everything else depends on what the pizza is meant to be.
A possible or clear fault links straight into the troubleshooter for the matching symptom.
Assumptions
- Without a style, verdicts are cautious: the tool says when the answer depends on the style.
- Styles vary between makers; a verdict is about the style's recorded character, not one pizzeria's version.
Limitations
- It does not judge authenticity. Whether a pizza is a 'real' example of a style is a debate PizzaHQ records positions on, not verdicts.
- Observations are yours; a photo or a taste can tell you things a checklist cannot.