Modernist Cuisine’s Next Cookbook Will Be All About Pizza

Modernist Cuisine is like the Mythbusters of food. “Is whole-wheat bread really more healthful than white bread? Let’s do science at it and find out.” It was a game-changer when it came out in 2011 and, along with its follow-up book, Modernist Bread, has really changed the way we think about food, science, and traditions.

Now Nathan Myhrvold and his crew of researchers, chefs, photographers, and whoever it is that cuts ovens in half, are turning their attention to the mysteries of pizza.

“Modernist Pizza will explore the science, history, equipment, technology, and people that have made pizza so beloved,” the Modernist Cuisine website says. “Authors Nathan Myhrvold and Francisco Migoya, with the Modernist Cuisine team, are busy conducting extensive research, testing long-held pizza-making beliefs, and working to understand the differences between different styles of pizza (as well as the best ways to make each one).”

This one’s going to be fun. People are passionate about pizza. Just look at the pizza drama between New York and Chicago, and that’s not even including Neapolitan- or Sicilian-style pizza. (Nobody say “pineapple.”) I live in a town of about 80,000 people, and every day someone starts a social-media pileup over which of the two local pizza places is better.

There are so many variables to pizza! And there are so many pizza mysteries that could be solved by Myhrvold and his science crew. Does New York pizza really taste different than other pizzas because of New York’s water? What type of flour is best, in what type of oven? How do I eat hot pizza without burning the roof of my mouth? Help me, Nathan Myhrvold, you’re my only hope! (But if you say one word against Chicago-style pizza, we will be in a fight.)

What pizza questions would you like Myhrvold and his crew to study?