Comparison and contrast between lasagna and a pizza - Essay Example

?Comparison and contrast between lasagna and a pizza Lasagna and pizza are two of the most popular foods made traditionally in oven. While there are other ways to make both lasagna and pizza that obviate the use of oven, yet the best results are achieved only with the use of oven. Although they are two entirely different forms of food, yet they have a lot in common with each other. Both dishes are exquisite in the look, form, taste, and texture and are commonly liked by children and adults. They serve as common meals as well as party dishes. Lasagna and pizza are some of the most important and commonly offered dishes at restaurants. This paper draws a comparison and contrast between lasagna and pizza. Lasagna and pizza are alike in the ingredients, method of cooking, and taste, but differ from each other in form, the form of white flour, texture, look, presentation, and assembling. Most ingredients of lasagna and pizza are the same. Meat and cheese are the necessary components of both the dishes. Roasted, boiled, grilled, or fried meat of any sort can be used both in the lasagna and the pizza. The same cheese grated in the same way can be used for both the dishes. The same tomato sauce can be used both in the lasagna and the pizza. White sauce and lasagna are the only additional ingredients of a basic recipe of lasagna. The different varieties of lasagna and pizza are made with the use of different variations of these basic components. They can also be made completely vegetarian if the use of any sort of meat is omitted. Both dishes are made in oven and resemble each other in taste. Owing to the use of the same ingredients for the most part and the use of oven for cooking, both lasagna and pizza look almost the same while in the dish. The temperature of oven is also the same for both the dishes and it normally the length of time in oven for both the dishes is also the same. Both dishes have a golden brown crust of cheese that lends both taste and texture to the dishes. For the most part, lasagna and pizza are alike in taste as well. Lasagna has many layers while pizza has only one layer unless there is a special kind of pizza. Layers of lasagna are repetitive. The basic form of lasagna has tomato sauce at the base of the dish over which lasagna strips are laid. They serve as a bed for the meat over which white sauce is drizzled. These layers are repeated till almost the top of the dish is reached. Lastly, grated cheese is laid on the top. On the other hand, a pizza is not made with such repetitive layers of ingredients. In the case of a pizza, there is a base that is known as crust. The sauce is poured over the base, and different sorts of toppings are laid over it. Like lasagna, a pizza is also topped with cheese. The purpose of cheese on the top both in the case of a lasagna and a pizza is to develop a thick and crunchy crust after the dish is grilled. The fundamental element that differentiates between lasagna and pizza is the basic white flour bread. Both lasagna strips and pizza crust is made of white flour. The thickness of that base, its texture, and taste greatly differs when the two dishes are compared. While lasagna strips are only few millimeters in thickness i.e. normally 5 mm each, pizza crust is anywhere from 1 to 2 cm. While the thickness of lasagna strips is mostly standard and varies only by 1 or 2 mm, there exists a great variety of thicknesses of pizza crust e.g. there are thin-crust pizzas and thick-crust pizzas. Most people use factory made lasagna strips because the machine used in making that uniform thickness is not used in most homes. In contrast to that, most people make pizza crusts at home by kneading white flour with yeast. Lasagne strips and pizza base also differ in that lasagna strips are cooked once they are boiled before the dish is placed in the oven whereas pizza crust is raw outside and only gets baked once the pizza has been placed inside the oven. On one hand, lasagne strips are like compact sheets of white flour and have no pores in them. On the other hand, pizza crust is porous and aerated like bread and can be pressed. Assembling and eating a pizza is easier compared to lasagna. Since lasagna has many layers, it is difficult to plate a piece of lasagna out in such a way that its layers retain their position on top of each other. When lasagna is plated out, the different layers tend to slide across each other aided by the slippery sauces that are sandwiched between the lasagna sheets. As a result of this, many a times, lasagna looks like a mess on the plate. On the contrary, plating out a pizza is very easy. A pizza can easily be cut with the help of a pizza cutter or even a knife. When plated out, a pizza does not create a mess. Unlike lasagna that cannot be eaten without a spoon or a fork, a pizza can be eaten without the use of any utensil. Concluding, lasagna and pizza are inherently different from each other and yet have a lot in common. For the most part, the same ingredients are used in the making of both the dishes. The way of cooking and the taste is also similar. However, lasagna and pizza differ in structure since the former is layered while the latter is not. White flour is also used in different forms in both the dishes. A slice of pizza is easier to deal with, plate out, and eat in comparison to a slice of lasagna because the layers tend to slice past each other creating a mess. Read More