
Cookpad is easily the largest community cooking website for getting new Japanese recipes to try out in the kitchen. Started in 1997, it grew to be so popular that two years ago it expanded its user base by launching an English version.
It goes without saying that you can find a dish for pretty much anything you have lying around in your kitchen, but because most of the recipes are posted by amateurs, you might have to weed some of the stranger ones out by taking a look at their reviews.
Fortunately there seems to be a whole crew of users willing and waiting to take a hit for the team and try out the latest recipe, including a recently posted recipe for making pizza that requires putting the uncooked crust and toppings inside a box and setting the box on fire. How does it measure up? One net user decided to photograph and review the process.
This original recipe, titled “Super Easy BBQ Pizza Recipe!”, was posted by user seiraku on the popular Japanese cooking website. The pictures are encouraging enough to make it look worth a try, that is until you scroll past the list of ingredients and see that the steps to make it involve placing the pizza inside a pizza box and burning it instead of the traditional oven-baked method. With no reviews or comments to date, I guess having to take your food outside and set it on fire is a little too extreme for most users.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and one user on Twitter who goes by the name Heitaro was not to be deterred from giving it a go. He substituted a cardboard box he had lying around his house for a pizza box, and tweeted a step-by-step picture guide as he went along.
“This is pizza I saw on a Cookpad recipe. The Cookpad recipe used a box, but I just used a cardboard box I had lying around instead. I wasn’t convinced it was going to work, but it smelled great and came out delicious. Amazing!”
クックパッドのレシピで見たピザ。
— ひえたろう@笑顔と上機嫌こそが最高の化粧 (@hietaro) September 26, 2015
クックパッドだとピザの箱を使ってたけど、それはアリモノの段ボールで。
こんなんでできるんかと半信半疑でやったら香ばしく美味しくできた。素晴らしい pic.twitter.com/m8MCjXoPNs
For those interested in trying out their own version at their next BBQ or camping trip, here’s what you need:
Ingredients
– 1 pizza crust, about 25 cm
– a little olive oil
– 1 pizza box (or a cardboard box if you’re in a pinch)
– pizza sauce, to taste
– 1/6 of an onion
– 1/2 of a tomato
– 2 spears of asparagus
– a few slices of bacon
– a dash of ground pepper
– a little bit of dried parsley
– 50 ml (1/4 cup) of cooking sake
Directions
1. Cut the onion into thin slices, the tomato and asparagus into 5mm- (0.2-inch) slices, and the bacon into 1 cm slices
2. Layer 2 sheets of aluminum foil about 70 cm (30 inches) in size on top of each other, and fold one side together to make one large sheet.
3. Grease the foil with olive oil to prevent sticking, and stretch out the pizza crust thoroughly.
4. Spread pizza sauce onto the crust, add your preferred toppings, and top with cheese.
5. Pour cooking sake or water over pizza, wrap it up in foil, and then put it in the box.
6. Take an iron plate or a concrete block, put a grill over it, and then the pizza on top, afterward putting charcoal at each of the four corners of the box before lighting on fire with a lighter.
7. Let it burn until the whole box is burnt
8. Now the pizza is finished. Only the bottom of the box should remain, so transfer it onto a plate.
9. Wipe away the ashes, open the foil, and cut the pizza.
10. Top with parsley and pepper to taste, and it’s done.
If successful, this is what it should look like this:
▼ Looks good enough for us!
Heitaro’s post quickly spread online, and spawned a thread of other ridiculously awesome, similar cooking styles, such as:
▼ Cooking hot dogs in a milk carton
▼ Baking a sweet potato in a car muffler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoWVEw07Yl8
▼ This creative way of making yakitori or kebabs in winter
▼ Or how to make the most out of a dire situation when disaster strikes
We recommend giving any of these methods a try if you dare, except maybe that last one. Remember to cook responsibly!
Feature/top image: Twitter/@hietaro
Insert images: Cookpad



Don’t throw away those old water bottles — use them for cooking instead!
How to shrink an empty pizza delivery box – Japanese Twitter shares hydro life hack
Japan’s permanent Pokémon theme park zone announces grand opening date, ticket sale start
Starbucks Japan unveils the new Soupuccino
One of the busiest stations in Tokyo is changing the name on its signs, but not necessarily to make it easier for people to find their way around.
Brand-new Pokémon park opens in Japan with larger-than-life-size Lapras【Photos】
Mega huge Mega Charizard Pokémon kites fly in the skies of Japan【Video】
Maker of Japan’s first crane machine is looking for a working model, offering 100,000-yen reward
Stay in a Tokyo hotel with a train driver’s seat in the room
Never forget that Mister Donut’s super-simple ramen is actually very hard to beat
Himakajima: The Japanese island with one traffic light that only turns green once a year
Beautiful hotel on Japan’s northern island has frozen rooms, ice outdoor bath【Photos】
Unique inclined elevator in Japan leads to a town that inspired Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away
Naturally brown-haired Osaka student sues government for forcing her to dye her hair black
Tokyo hotel lets you make your stay a Sanrio one with special My Melody and Kuromi rooms【Pics】
Real takoyaki is almost impossible to find in Tokyo, but this place has it, our hardliner says
Step into Japanese culture with Converse’s new Japan-exclusive shoes featuring gods, sushi style
New Kyoto experience package lets you film epic samurai battles with your friends
Studio Ghibli releases new Ursula’s blanket from Kiki’s Delivery Service
Tokyo all-you-can-eat senbei deal is perfect for newbies to the world of beloved Japanese snacks
Sanrio and Sonic the Hedgehog characters become fast friends with new plushie collection
Studio Ghibli releases new “komorebi” plush toys to brighten your days
JR Hokkaido train driver in trouble for reading book about trains on stopped train
Studio Ghibli releases new anime tea and mugs in Japan
Tokyo bento boxed lunch shop charges different prices depending on how heavy your laptop is
Studio Ghibli anime stoles are here to keep you warm with a range of famous characters
Japan has vending machines that put protective film on your phone for you — Here’s how to use them
Totoro fountain figurine recreates the sights and sounds of one of anime’s most memorable scenes
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas Frappuccino and holiday drinks for 2025
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Possessing Harry Potter’s Sword of Godric Gryffindor is now illegal in Japan
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Leave a Reply