A pizza peel is a tool used to place pizza in an oven and remove it when done. It can be made of wood or metal, each with its advantages and disadvantages. It’s best to buy a peel with a handle no longer than 6 inches and tapered edges. Flour or cornmeal should be used to prevent sticking. Wooden handles are recommended.
A pizza peel is a large, flat shovel with a long handle used for placing pizza in an oven and removing it when it’s done. It is usually made of wood or sometimes metal and is also called a pizza shovel. Both wooden and metal pizza peels are thought to have their advantages and disadvantages. Wood can burn or warp and stain; metal is thinner, but can transmit heat more easily. A metal pizza peel can also increase the danger of burns, and some find a metal peel to be less authentic or visually pleasing than a wooden one.
Some pizza makers prepare the pizza directly on the peel, which can come in handy if cooking space is limited. For a home kitchen, it’s best to buy a pizza peel with a handle no longer than 6 inches. Cutting cooked pizza on the peel is not recommended, however, as this may damage the surface. When using a wooden pizza peel, some cooks recommend oiling it to prevent the wood from cracking. It is also recommended that people dry it immediately after cleaning so that it does not absorb water and swell out of shape.
The surface of metal and wooden pizza peels should be floured to prevent raw pizza dough from sticking. Some cooks substitute cornmeal for flour because they feel it adds a desirable texture to the crust. A chef can also use a pizza stone made from granite or terracotta clay. Pizza stones should conduct a lot of heat and distribute it evenly, but this may make it more difficult to get the pizza out of a heated oven. A pizza peel can be used to safely remove cooked pizza from the stone, and some pizza peels are sold with a pizza stone as a set.
Many pizza makers recommend buying a pizza peel with tapered edges to make it easier to place the peel under the pizza to remove it from the oven or stone. Also, it’s best to buy a pizza peel with a handle that is thick and wide enough to provide just the right amount of leverage when lifting the pizza and moving it to and from the oven. Wooden pizza peel handles are the most recommended, as they are less likely to conduct heat than handles made from another material.
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