If you love pizza, then chances are that you have often wondered how many slices are in a 12-inch pizza. After all, this size comes across as standard for most people.
Yet, have you ever given any thought as to what it all means from a size perspective? Yes, you may just think that a 12 inch pizza will clearly measure 12 inches.
But there’s so much more to understanding what goes into a pizza than simply going with that solitary number.
And that’s what we will examine today. We will go ahead and look into a 12 inch pizza in more detail and help you have a real understanding of what’s involved in a pizza of this size.
By the end of it all, you may have managed to learn some new things about pizza that you had never even imagined before.
First, the Size
But let’s start by getting the obvious thing out of the way first, and that’s the size. Now, it’s obvious that a 12 inch pizza will measure 12 inches, but you have so many other things to contemplate than just this one measurement.
You see, when people talk about the size of a pizza, it’s clearly meaning the crust size. Yet the meat of the pizza always measures in less than the crust size.
Well, apart from some places and styles of pizza that do involve taking the toppings up to the edge.
But overall, the actual toppings side can prove significantly smaller in size than 12 inches. That does come across as a disappointment, but that’s just what happens with pizza.
However, what else should you know about a 12 inch pizza before you go ahead and order one from your favorite pizzeria?
How Many Slices?
We will head on back later and talk some more about the size thing, but let’s get the other part of the title out of the way, and that’s the number of slices you can expect.
Now, you could run into some variation when it comes to the number of slices. That’s because some pizzerias do have their own take on how many slices should appear on a pizza of a specific size. So, we will go for the average.
So, in doing that, what we see is that a 12 inch pizza tends to come with eight slices, and we think that does give a decent sized slice. However, it’s not unknown for some pizzerias to slice it up into 10 slices rather than eight.
While cutting up a 12 inch pizza into 10 slices does work, it’s pushing the boundaries of what is suitable from a size perspective.
That’s why we suggest you check with the pizzeria that they slice it up into eight if you don’t want people to feel left behind.
How Many Does it Feed?
So, let’s go through what you should expect regarding how many people a 12 inch pizza could feed. Now, we know some people would eat this pizza on their own, but let’s put that idea to one side for a moment.
If we say the pizza is split up into eight slices, then we think it means the pizza could feed four people.
That would mean each individual gets their hands on two healthy-sized slices and that sounds like a good deal.
Also, you can beef things up with sides if you feel that having two slices each would just not cut it for the people involved.
But this is the variation when it comes to pizza.
If you have ample sides, then there would be no real harm in having a 12 inch pizza cut into those 10 slices.
It would mean five people could have some and not feel short-changed as a result.
Of course, you could go the other way and ask a pizzeria to cut it into six slices to ensure three people get more than enough pizza.
Again, it all comes down to personal appetite, and also just how hungry every person feels at that moment.
Does it Make a Difference with Kids?
But what happens when you have individuals with a smaller appetite? Say, for example, you have some kids and decide to get a pizza for them? Well, that’s where a 12 inch pizza really can make a difference.
Here, you can have the pizzeria cut the pizza up into even more slices. Remember that a normal slice to an adult is a completely different size to a normal slice to kids. Actually, it then becomes almost a super-size to kids.
That is why I would even say you could have those 10 slices and it would happily feed 10 kids with them receiving a slice each.
That’s because you would have other things available to them as well, so a single slice comes across as quite a lot to eat.
However, because of the width of the slice, it may not turn into a good idea to have a 12 inch pizza cut into 12 slices.
It would result in an exceptionally thin slice, and that’s not the most enjoyable thing for any individual to experience.
Do keep in mind that kids will often sit in amazement at the sheer number of slices rather than the size.
The way they view things will come across as different to adults, and that’s something you can really use to your advantage when cutting up a 12 inch pizza.
Back to the Size Issue
But let’s go back to the size issue because we still have some facts to share with you that could change how you feel about a 12 inch pizza.
After all, we did say at the outset that we had more to say about a 12 inch pizza than the simple answer.
So, what happens when you look at the actual area size, or what’s involved in the creation of a 12 inch pizza?
Well, at that point, you get a completely different perspective of what goes on with a 12 inch pizza.
The Area Size
We can tell you that a 12 inch pizza does clearly measure 12 inches, but what happens to the area size when you compare it to other sizes?
When you do that, you get a completely different idea of the sheer size of this particular pizza. For example, a 12 inch pizza will have an area size measuring in at 113 square inches.
That is substantially larger than a 10 inch pizza where the area size is a mere 78 square inches.
Yet when you then compare it to a 14 inch pizza, you get a sense of how big a step up it is to the next size. A 14 inch pizza measures some 154 square inches.
Now, that is also a big difference, so it shows how a 2 inch increase in pizza size equates to a number of inches added on.
How Much Dough?
So, the area size is impressive, but how much dough is used in the making of a single 12 inch pizza?
Well, this depends on the exact type of pizza. Some argue you need 1oz per inch, so that would make 12oz of dough. Yet some pizzerias don’t go with that plan.
Instead, some pizzerias will use around 10oz of dough for a 12 inch pizza. But that also changes if you intend to go for a thin crust or a thicker crust.
However, those figures are what you would expect from the point of view of the dough.
The Cheese?
Also, pizza is all about the cheese for most people, so what would you expect from a cheese perspective on a 12 inch pizza?
Well, it’s estimated that most American pizzerias will use between 8oz and 10oz of cheese on a pizza of this size.
In using that amount, it should translate into a reasonable covering. Yet, you can also ask for extra cheese if you do feel this comes up short for you.
Toppings to the Edge?
But the amount of cheese you receive on your 12 inch pizza can also depend on how close to the edge of the crust the pizzeria goes.
This varies, so your 12 inch pizza could easily end up with toppings only covering 11 inches.
Now, that may not sound like too much, but if you go back to the area size we mentioned earlier, then it does result in you losing a lot of square inches of toppings.
In short, your 12 inch pizza could end up only offering you significantly less than that with toppings.
Overall Conclusion
Unsurprisingly, a 12 inch pizza measures some 12 inches in size, but as you have witnessed, there’s a whole lot more to it than just that.
Also, you should look at receiving eight slices with your pizza, but there is the option to go up to 10 depending on circumstances.
In short, you can get a whole lot more out of a 12 inch pizza than you may expect.
