Pizza Peel Recommendations

I received a Lodge Cast Iron pizza pan for Christmas and love it.

I am now looking for peel recommendations. Here's some background:

-I am a real novice. I have not even made my own dough yet. (will look in homemade gallery for recs on that.) I currently use Trader Joe's and Rubino's Italian Deli dough.
-I am looking for something that will make it easy to get from peel to cast iron skillet. TOTAL NEWBIE!
-I currently make pizza one to two times per week and I am not afraid to spend a little extra money on a good peel in order to avoid buying 20 crappy peels.

Am I totally misguided? Do I even need a good peel? I currently use the back of a baking sheet for the transfer to cast iron and it hasn't been easy but is a peel any easier?

Please Help!

I don't think there is much to be gained by spending more than the minimum on a peel. We make a lot of homemade pizza and have always used a very cheap, wood peel that I picked up a restaurant supply store. Here are two you should call (I bought mine at the first one):

Herzog Store Fixture Co
1034 West Madison Street
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 666-2600

Northwestern Cutlery
http://www.northwesterncutlery.net/
810 West Lake Street Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 421-3666

The trick to getting the pizza off the peel is simply not to let it stick. Use a good amount of flour (possibly supplemented with cornmeal). Don't let it sit to long. Keep it moving, if necessary.

Also, if you are new to making pizza, a great resource is Peter Reinhart's "American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza". There are other good books, but this one is particularly good on methods, recipes, and explaining different, evolving styles.

Hi,

You may want to read through this thread before investing: I never swear so much as when I try to use my pizza peel.

I don't own a peel, I use parchment paper.

A friend who does own a peel, they use it to fan their fire detector when it goes off. He might use it for pizza, too.

Regards,

I agree with Cathy. I abandoned using the peel. One problem with the purchased dough was it shrinked up like a rubber band. You roll it out, it shrinks back up. #$&^*&*(!!!

The peel did not help. I even abandoned the pizza stone in my oven. I eventually got the dough rolled out on a flat round pizza pan and made a nice pizza. Have made with my own dough and also the purchased dough at TJs. Yes using parchment paper is also a good idea. My biggest problem is the roll out shrink up tendency of the dough.

I use this metal peel with a wooden handle:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/ite ... -peel#5717#

I also use parchment paper under my dough, but the peel helps get the whole thing into the oven and onto the stone.
King Arthur Flour also sells large packs of flat parchment.

Cheers, Jen

toria wrote:I agree with Cathy. I abandoned using the peel. One problem with the purchased dough was it shrinked up like a rubber band. You roll it out, it shrinks back up. #$&^*&*(!!!

The peel did not help. I even abandoned the pizza stone in my oven. I eventually got the dough rolled out on a flat round pizza pan and made a nice pizza. Have made with my own dough and also the purchased dough at TJs. Yes using parchment paper is also a good idea. My biggest problem is the roll out shrink up tendency of the dough.

If your dough shrinks when you roll it out, you need to let the dough rest for a few minutes, perhaps 5 to 10 minutes if necessary.

The key thing with working with dough, whether it is pizza or bread, etc., is practice. It helps to start with a really good book (and Reinhart's are excellent).

I also have the Lodge cast iron pizza pan.
I purchased it in the quest to make the best thin crust pizza at home that I coud make.
Along with the Lodge I purchased the Super Peel http://www.superpeel.com/
made in the USA.
One of my summer jobs while in High School was as a pizza maker. You had to learn how to use a peel properly as it was the only way to get a pizza into and out of a hot oven quickly.
If your dough is properly made so its not sticky and has properly rested, using a good peel presents no problems and is the only way to go.
Simply roll your dough out on a floured surface, put some corn meal and/or flour on the peel, put the rolled out dough on the peel, finish the pizza and quickly give the peel a vigerous shake or two when in position to transfer the pizza to the pan in the oven.
Fast, simple and almost foolproof, once you get the hang of it.
I was reticent to purchase a cheap peel and once I found the Super Peel site I ordered one in rosewood which hangs on a wall of the kitchen and is quite attractive.-Dick

Thank you for the responses.

One more question, has anybody used the parchment paper on Lodge Cast Iron?

I bought my first peel a few years ago and couldn't judge online what size would be right for me. I wasn't sure where to go, and ended up a Sur La Table on Clybourn. I may have paid a little more than if I went to a restaurant supply store, but I got a great, large, sturdy peel that has served me very well.

I'm not sure what the big deal is about a peel? Rest your dough, stretch it out by hand, keep. your work area floured and toss a little cornmeal on the peel. Do not rest your stretched out dough on the peel, place it there only long enough to add the toppings ( shake it a few times to be sure it is not sticking) place it over the stone and pull it out fast to drop the pizza.....


I like to move the pizza around on the peel over the sink and brush off as much extra cornmeal as I can so it excess does not burn on my stone (too lazy to clean between pizzas),this also helps me determine if my toppings are going to jump off when I drop the pizza onto the stone.

I use both a peel and parchment since I tend to be heavy on the toppings and have had problems with the dough sticking.

If that Lodge pan is the one with the handles, I think I'd find it tricky to use a regular peel with. I'd think the handles would get in the way.

Hi,

I bought a fairly heavy and wide roll of parchment at Costco. I am still on my first roll, though I see it is still available. It is usually placed by the aluminum foil and plastic wraps.

Regards,

Darren72 wrote:I don't think there is much to be gained by spending more than the minimum on a peel.

The trick to getting the pizza off the peel is simply not to let it stick. Use a good amount of flour (possibly supplemented with cornmeal). Don't let it sit to long. Keep it moving, if necessary.

Also, if you are new to making pizza, a great resource is Peter Reinhart's "American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza". There are other good books, but this one is particularly good on methods, recipes, and explaining different, evolving styles.

Totally agree with both these sentiments.
I have 2 peels (because we make a lot of pizza). One is wood, one is a cheap metal one from Amazon (something like this, though I'm not sure of the exact brand. When I started making pizza, I had lots of fiascos with the pizza not coming off the peel and Mike G provided the much appreciated, genius recommendation to use parchment paper (as have many other folks on the board). Parchment paper is foolproof but I do think it gets in the way of the crust browning so over the last year or so, I've stopped using it (though you can pull it out from under the pizza mid-way through cooking to help with this). Now I use a generous amount of semolina flour and make sure it is evenly distributed on the peel, keep my topping load moderate, and I give the peel a good wiggle/shake before transferring the pizza to the steel/stone to make sure that it's not going to stick (if it's sticking, I lift the dough in those spots and sprinkle more semolina). This technique has been mostly successful, though I recently managed to slide a pizza off the peel sideways and it landed face down on the floor (the memory of the stream of expletives I subsequently released still makes me blush).

Peter Reinhart's book is very helpful and the background is a fun read. I don't use his dough recipe anymore (though he has very reliable recipes)--I now use the dough calculator on the pizzamaking.com site to get 70% hydration dough, some tips from Reinhart, some tips from Bill/SFNM and the folding technique from Tartine. I'm not, however, a big fan of his tomato sauces. Bill/SFNM has a great video on fresh pizza sauce on the homemade pizza thread (and tons of other helpful advice--he is really a pizza master and I highly recommend perusing the threads where he gives some very nice pearls of pizza wisdom).

Once again thank you for all of the advice.

I just ordered the Reinhart book from amazon and bought a roll of parchment at the grocery store this morning. I am sure I will be making pie sometime in the next two days so I will let you know my results over in the homemade gallery thread.

My preference is to use two peels. This would be from my experience using a wood fired pizza oven as opposed to an indoor conventional oven. For indoor pizza, I simply use a cast iron pan. For thin crust high heat pizza I use a cheap metal peel with wooden handle and a stainless steel paddle type. Both were purchased at restaurant depot. Method that works the best for me is to roll out or toss the dough to the desired thickness. Put some semolina on the cheap metal peel. Put the dough on the peel, put the toppings on it and feed it into the oven. There is a sort of jerk/slide technique that you develop for ejecting the pizza off of the peel. Once the pizza is in I use the paddle to rotate the pizza during the cooking process. When using oak general cook time is about 90 seconds.

You can see both in this picture.


and a red hot oven cooking a pizza

drshoeocks -

You have a homemade woodburning pizza oven ?

Sir - you are a pizza warrior !

Hehe, I used to have a wood fired pizza oven. I built it at my old house. It is still there, and I have access to it, but not able to just walk out and use it.

DrS--

Tell us about the construction of your oven. My buddy Jean made a Québec bread oven out of clay, but yours doesn't look like clay.

Geo

That oven is a really nice Quebec style. I used Kiko Denzers book, "Build Your Own Earth Oven", as the main reference. The key to making these ovens work is the ratio from the top of the door to the top of the dome, which should be 2/3rds. This allows the oven to breathe properly with out the use of a chimney. What this does is keep all the heat inside the oven. It also means these only work for outdoor applications.
Anna Wolfson is a local artisan and clay master that has built multiple versions of this oven. Her website is www.wolfsonearth.com and her amazing fancy interior website is http://www.annawolfson.com. If you are patient (she is always super booked) and ask nicely, I am sure she would give you a run down and may even consider being hired to build one.
I am also down to help with general questions if you are interested in making one for your home. Just message here on lth.

These ovens work extremely efficient and are an absolute blast to use. Most of the materials can be found and the rest are fairly inexpensive.

Dr,

Hadn't realized it was a Québec oven. Here are some pix of his oven, in process and complete.

Geo

HI,

Cook's Illustrated chimed in with their favorite peel:

Super Peel by EXO Products, Inc.
A regular wooden peel outfitted with a pastry cloth that's threaded through the board like a conveyor belt. When well floured, the cloth proved to be essentially nonstick. It practically guarantees a perfectly round pizza and has a gentle touch with bread loaves.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:When well floured, the cloth proved to be essentially nonstick.

I think that is true of any peel

thaiobsessed wrote:Parchment paper is foolproof but I do think it gets in the way of the crust browning so over the last year or so, I've stopped using it (though you can pull it out from under the pizza mid-way through cooking to help with this).

I missed this thread when it first appeared.

If you pre-heat the oven to a high temperature and use a stone or cast iron pan, you can pull the parchment paper out at the 2 minute mark. I cook the pizza for around 7 minutes, so it really doesn't get in the way of browning the crust.

I've had no success with any nonsticking technique except parchment paper, but it hadn't occurred to me to pull it out partway through to brown the crust. Thanks to those who mentioned this.

gastro gnome wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:When well floured, the cloth proved to be essentially nonstick.

I think that is true of any peel

FYI - They had issues with both wood and steel. Oddly one of the issues with wood is the opportunity to warp, if not stored properly. Obviously, their preferred had wood as the main building block.

I have never made enough pizza to justify obtaining a peel. Of course, if I found one at rummage sale for $5, I'd buy it. I have standards!

Regards,

I had previously mentioned the SuperPeel.
I do not use the pastry cloth as a good dough and proper use of flour and corn meal will easily release from the peel.
I also never use parchment paper.
Once the dough is rolled and set properly on the peel, speed of applying the rest of the ingredients and toppings is of the essence to avoid the sauce from soaking through the dough.
A properly pre-heated hot oven to ensure quick cooking is also required.
I use the convection feature of my Viking to ensure a blast furnace like atmosphere. -Dick

One time, after imbibing a few, I accidentally used wax paper rather than parchment paper and didn't notice the difference. I literally had a fire in the oven.

lougord99 wrote:One time, after imbibing a few, I accidentally used wax paper rather than parchment paper and didn't notice the difference. I literally had a fire in the oven.

Yes, but how did the pizza taste?