How To Spot An Authentic 'Orange' Slice At Any NYC Pizza Shop

Pizza has countless forms. Simply asking for authentic pizza doesn't narrow down the options to a single type of pie. In fact, you need to be rather far from Italy if you're craving certain types of pizza. Perhaps the most iconic style of pizza outside of the country where pizza originated is the New York-style slice. Authentic NYC pizza is a large slice served hot on a disposable plate, crisp yet tender enough to fold with one hand and wolfed down tip-first (preferably whilst standing or walking). It is delicious, functional, and goes by many names. Depending on where in NYC you are, you have to ask the pizza shop for a "regular," a "classic," or a "cheese" to get the iconic sauce-and-mozzarella-topped slice. Now, there might be another name to call it by: an "orange" slice.

Though it sounds bizarre, and the name hasn't caught on as widely as the others, calling it orange is visually fitting because that's the color a well-made NYC slice should appear. The sauce and melted cheese, mixed with the grease rendered from the cheese as the pizza bakes, give the top an unmistakable orange hue. While you may get a few stares if you walk into a pizza joint and ask for an orange slice, it's worth using this more as a visual guide to get a good slice. There's no dearth of good pizza in the Big Apple, and you can also check out the best NYC pizza according to the late, great Anthony Bourdain.

You can get anything from a $1 to a $250 slice in NYC. However, there are ways to find that quintessential New York slice. For one, many of the best pizza joints in the city look unassuming, almost run-down, and the only way you can spot them is if you're looking for them specifically or you see a line of customers waiting for a slice. For another, an authentic NYC pizza doesn't have gobs of gooey mozzarella on it. This is because the "classic" isn't the same as a Margherita pizza.

The latter uses fresh mozzarella and basil; if that's the kind of pizza you want, head to the NYC pizzeria that was crowned best in the world by Italians. An orange slice, instead, uses shredded, low-moisture mozzarella, which is what results in the distinct color. Low-moisture mozzarella doesn't melt into a pool and has a slightly less dramatic cheese pull, which is what you want on a slice that you're eating on the go. The fact that it's shredded (as opposed to torn into chunks like fresh, full-fat mozzarella generally is) lets the sauce show through the cheese, which is what gives it that distinct, even hue on top. The thin layer of shredded mozzarella has another benefit: You're less likely to burn your mouth, even when you bite into a slice that's fresh out of the oven. Finally, the slice has a thin, hand-tossed crust, with a light crunch. There is also no dramatic leopard-spot charring like you see in a Neapolitan pizza. Instead, the bottom of the slice is only lightly charred, all combining to make the perfect, authentic orange New York slice.