Pizza Peels are an important tool for any aspiring Pizzaiolo. Join me while I go through the various peels i've had over the years and explain the pro's and con's of each. Spoiler - both have their benefits.
In my pizzerias and in my fathers pizzerias we always used both. The wooded one is for preparing and sliding the pizza into the oven. The metal one is for maneuvering and removing the pie. It’s that simple my friend.
Thank you sir for doing this research so I don't have to. You may not have a lot of views or subscribers yet but keep putting you great and helpful videos like this one and you will. I read your other comment about the wood vs non-stick but for now I'm going to skip investing on the really expensive one (also partially because I don't have the room) and go with a wood to launch and use my current flat metal to retrieve.
I use the generic aluminum pizza peels and have zero issues loading/unloading the pizza. The leading edge of the generic aluminum peels is very blunt, so I took a file and "sharpened" it, with a very shallow angle, to about 1/64" or so. I stretch and assemble my pizzas on a wooden surface and I am able to load the pizzas on the peel without touching the pizza pie at all. Something else I do is to use a mix of 50% flour and 50% Semolina Rimacinata to very very lightly dust the pizza peel. My turning peel i just a generic aluminum pizza peel that I modified from a 12x14" to a 8" round circle.
thanks for this vid, ive worked in several pizza places over the years and have always used the generic aluminum pizza peels and habe been in search of something better to get for home use, I think 150 bucks for the gimetals 16inch peel is totally worth it if its the only peel i ever need to buy
I have never owned a pizza oven or any of the equipment that's needed... but I have decided that I am going to buy the Gozney Dome and make some family pizza memories with my children. I loved what you said in your other peel video "buy once, cry once". So I am looking to get the GI metal 14 in. peel... but do you know anything about the round edge vs. square edge?
Who makes the last (16'") metal peel with holes in it? And, have you tried the 14" superpeel made by Exo? (It's the one with the cloth covering, which helps to simplify insertion and removal of a pie.)
I can attest to the aluminum one. If you are not quick, the dough will stick, specially if it's think and you spread too much tomato sauce on it. But if you prepare it off the peeler, and just bring it on it, or sweep under it, and off load in a few seconds in to the oven, you should be fine. Make sure you go with very low angle.
I used to work at a shop that used gas ovens and screens. We only took the pies off the screens if we needed to cook them faster once in the oven. They taught us with a metal peel (launching with a screen is basically bowling with bumpers). So at home I bought a metal peel. Terrible for sticking if you're not using a screen. Then I bought a wooden peel. Much better for launching. BUT. Terrible for oven management. I find myself sticking to a combo. Wooden peel to assemble and launch. Metal peel to turn and retrieve.
I recently bought the one that's metal and has no perforations.. I'm running into the sticking issue that you mentioned. My solution right now is to just load it up with flour and cornmeal, but then I have an excess of that stuff on my steel/oven. Would you recommend I switch back to a wooden peel or is the the last peel you mentioned worth it? (I'm making pizzas at least once a week)
If making pizza once a week, the GI Metal peel imo is worth the money. It's an expensive swing, but considering the usage it might be worth it. You could use both, in theory to help get you by in lieu of buying a new peel if you already own a wooden one. Use the wooden peel to launch (making sure it's as dry as possible, with a little bit of flour/cornmeal but not much) and then using the metal peel after that to rotate or take the pizza out of the oven. If you don't have a wooden peel, I would just spring for the GI Metal one, or you'll continue to have a mess of burnt flour/cornmeal on the base of your oven, and more importantly, on the base of your pizza.
I'd like to find a double-sided pizza peel, wooden for loading and steel for extraction. I don't understand why no manufacturer has thought of this yet.
I use a bbq, anything to help getting the pizza on the stone is what I need so I guess wood. After the pizza is cooked it’s super easy to remove with anything, but getting that fucker on the bbq is so god damn frustrating. Good vids thanks my man
Something I didn't note clearly in the video. While wooden peels are better for dough not sticking. They are not perfect / great. So while it's better, it's not "non-stick".
@@sd.2528 Hey thanks for the quick reply. So the pizza is cooked with the parchment paper on it? Does it burn at 850 degrees F? I presume you peel it off the pizza just after taking it out of the oven? Thanks. I'll give it a try. I will also let the kids try using a metal pizza mesh tray. All it takes is one stuck pizza or spilled toppings to mess up a pizza party and subsequent pizzas waiting in line to be cooked.
@@SilverShadow2LWB I'm cooking in a home oven on a pizza steel. I don't get to 850 F. It is around 500 or 550. The parchment does brown a bit but it is only in for about 8 minutes. It take it out with the pizza still on it when cooking is finished.
100% all you need to know. This is what we did at pizza restaurants, and this is what I do at home. I didn't even realize anyone would try and use a wooden peel to try and retrieve a pizza.
