Jeff Krupman (aka PizzaHacker) is doing some very cool things in the pizza world. His oven, dubbed the PizzaForge (formerly called the FrankenWeber) is a true wood-fired pizza cooker that is ingeniously built onto a ubiquitous Weber 22.5″ grill. Even better than having designed a compact oven that can hang with the best of them, he’s sharing his creation by hitting the streets and selling his pies all over San Francisco. And, he’s fine-tuning the design and will be selling it commercially very soon. Totally awesome.

I first heard of Jeff in early 2010 when a few big blogs posted about his oven and pizzas (Make blog; Lifehacker). After exchanging emails and a quick meetup in LA a couple months ago, I got the chance to test Jeff’s pizza at an art event last Friday while visiting San Francisco. My excitement compounded when he asked if I’d like to be on oven duty for the night, as his regular helper was unavailable. Three hours of pizza making in San Francisco? A dream! I wish every Friday could be like that.

The pizzas cooked better than any I’ve ever made before, besting the one I made in the temporary oven last year. You just can’t beat the hot temperatures of burning wood and the convection of the shallow dome. 90 seconds per pizza, just like the best pizzerias do it. Jeff only uses top-grade ingredients as well, and the art gallery patrons were all quick to purchase and devour as many pies as he could make. The three hours passed by in a blink of an eye.

Jeff warned me that by the end of the night my mind would be swirling with thoughts, ideas, redesigns – he was right. He’s onto something phenomenal and his latest version of the oven shows some serious progress from the original version, and the next iteration should have some nice improvements that he described to me. I’ve got a list of ideas I’d like to see him add to it too.

One of my other discoveries was the excellence of the perforated pizza peel that Jeff uses to place the pizzas in the oven. Anodized aluminum construction, with slotted perforations that help the dough resist sticking (a problem that all pizza makers fear) and a knife-blade edge for ease of getting the dough on and off. The peels are expensive, and worth it. I’m going to be drilling my standard-issue metal peel to attempt a DIY version and will report back with results.

Just in time for father’s day – or just a treat for yourself – the Makita 18v lithium drill/driver is a kickass tool that lists for $398, regularly sells for $197 ($199 at Home Depot) and today (Sunday, June 6) is available for $149. Comes with hard case, TWO batteries and charger.

One of the guys on the Catch It Keep It crew had this drill so I got to use it a lot – it was easily the best drill we had in the workshop, and I’ve been looking for one for myself for a while. Lightweight, powerful. Good torque. Very nice ergonomics.

Get it here! A few other one-day tool deals available here as well.

Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences has a hardware-software design program with a fantastic competition: Hexapod robot dance-off. I don’t know much about it as of right now but I am going to do some serious research because this looks like a great program.

From the Youtube description:

We are proud to present the best of dance compilation from the 5th Hexapod Championship held in April 2010. Get behind-the-scenes footage at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV6nKXydHv8

Pizza stones tend to get dirty quickly – spill some sauce or cheese onto the 600ºF surface and it almost immediately turns into a burnt black mess. I usually clean my stone passively, scraping any excessive residue with a dough scraper and letting the high heat do the rest of the work for me.

At a certain point, a brown and black stone becomes unsightly and may even affect the moisture-absorb cooking aspect that a clean stone provides. When you reach that point, do NOT wash it in the sink or dishwasher. The material that stones are made from are porous and sand-like and will absorb and store the moisture inside, even after letting it dry for a period of time. That internal moisture will turn to steam and crack or break the stone as it expands.

When I bought my stone a few years ago (which I love, by the way – it’s outlasted all previous stones I’ve owned, and cooks great with the 5/8″ thickness), it came with a photocopied “Use and Care” sheet that suggested using a belt sander to clean the stone periodically. I decided to test this out with a palm sander.

The results were interesting: the surface returned to a smooth and clean feel, but it looked as if there may be a top veneer layer that gives an even appearance. Some of the spots that I sanded seemed to show a larger grain underneath as I sanded. I’m not concerned about this in any way at all. But I am going to keep my eye on a small crack that seems to be developing.

(Comments posted on the video page indicate that this procedure works for many of the Panasonic digital cameras–happy cleaning!)

My Panasonic FX37 is a great camera. Fast, wide-angle lens, (f/2.8, 25mm equivalent) in a compact package with all the modern features (image stabilization, HD video, facial recognition, etc). And it takes really nice photos. However there is one downside: its sensor seems to attract dust, which is especially noticeable when zooming in on a bright object (such as the sky).

I’m not sure if this is a matter of the case being poorly sealed compared to other pocket cameras, but it is frustrating. Thankfully, the remedy is fast and simple: by removing a few small screws, you are able to access the sensor inside the camera. A few bursts of air and a quick reassembly is all it takes to be snapping photos like the camera is brand new.

I made a quick video tutorial of how to access and clean the sensor– the entire process takes less than 10 minutes. Make things smoother on yourself by getting the tools together before starting the process. You don’t want to leave the case open any longer than necessary.

Here’s what you’ll need: Mini screwdrivers • Blower or compressed air •Lint-free cloth • Receptacles for screws and parts • Clean workspace.

Be careful disassembling your camera. This will almost surely void your warranty (a warranty that probably can be used to have the company clean the sensor for you), so be certain that you are willing to risk breaking your camera forever. I take no responsibility for any damage incurred following these instructions. Now, go clean that sensor!