The Benefits of Pizza Peels

When cooking pizzas in a special oven or on the grill, a pizza peel is a tool that is used to transfer the uncooked pizza onto a hot surface in which it will be cooked. It is a flat paddle with the long handle at the end.

Types of Pizza Peels
Pizza Peels come in round and square shapes. Professional and home cooks are able to move the pizza in larger ovens or grills more easily use a rounded shape. A round shaped peel makes it easier to move the pizza on the sides of the oven due to the angle it is inserted. This is important for the consumers that have very large ovens or grills.

A square pizza peel is designed for a home cook with smaller ovens and grills. It is easy to insert a pizza on a stone or grill using the square shape. Depending on the size of the oven a round or square peel will enhance the consumer's pizza making experience.

The Material Peels Are Made Of
Many of the pizza peels are made of wood, a very popular material for this product. It is a good material because the raw dough does not stick to the paddle. This keeps the shape of the pizza and topping(s) in tact when inserting it into the oven onto a stone or grill. Another point is that the person can cut the pizza right on the peel without ruining their cutter or knife.

The peel must be dried well after washing to prevent it from warping. It is also suggested to rub it with mineral oil occasionally. This keeps it from absorbing odors and stains. Most importantly, pizza peels are not fireproof and will develop burn marks when used in wood burning ovens or on grills. These peels are also very thick and not very handy to rotate a half cooked pizza while in the oven.

Metal peels are very popular with consumers. They are very easy to clean and very thin. This makes it easy to slip them under pizza when inserting it into the oven or grill. Pizza dough sometimes sticks to the metal, but this can be handled by dusting it with flour, cornmeal or lining it with parchment paper.

Look for a long handle so that you can reach back into a large oven. The handle needs to be long enough to keep your hands several inches away from a hot grill or pizza stone. The metal used most often for making metal peels is aluminum. Once it is washed, it does not need to be dried. It does not absorb odors or stain. It can be used when the pizza is being cooked in the oven to move around on the stone or grill.

Techniques For Using a Pizza Peel
Some home cooks make the pizza directly on the wooden or metal peel. Both kinds should be dusted lightly with flour. As you roll the dough and add the topping, you should move the pizza to make sure it does not stick. The thinner the crust, the more you should check it.
Once finished you can transfer the pizza to an oven, pizza stone or grill.

Some chefs find that semolina flour works better than regular to keep the pizza from sticking. Only a few teaspoons are needed. Some people build the pizza on a marble board or counter and slide the peel under it. This works well with both metal and wooden boards. After the pizza is cooked put it on the pizza in the oven or grill and remove. Cut it on the board and serve.

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