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While it’s not dishwasher safe or as durable as some other options, it’s easy enough to hand wash. Ooni is a leading manufacturer of high-end home pizza ovens, and its anodized aluminum paddle doesn't disappoint. This paddle features rows of narrow slits that reduce the surface area, making it easier to slide pizzas in and out of the oven. When loading and unloading pizzas, it’s nice to have a handle that’s long enough to keep your hands away from the heat, eliminating the need for oven mitts.
These peels were designed for use with Ooni’s pizza ovens, but they work just as well with a home oven or backyard grill. Available in two sizes , it's easy to choose the right size for your desired pie and to fit the opening of your pizza oven. This made-in-Italy birchwood peel is a great starter peel since it's broad at 15 inches wide and thinner than most wood peels, making it comfortably lightweight. It features a beveled edge, which makes it easier to slide back under a pizza once it’s baked.
What is a pizza peel?
However, a too-long handle can get in the way, may be unnecessary for use in a home oven or a small countertop or outdoor pizza oven, and can make the peel harder to store. For those with a backyard wood-fired oven, a pizza-turning peel can turn you into a real pizza pro. Pizzaiolos often use long-handled peels with round metal paddles to turn pizzas as they bake in the oven for even cooking and browning.
The 14-inch-wide paddle is made from an eco-friendly composite of recycled paper and wood fiber. It’s covered with a pastry cloth that won’t stick to soft doughs and features a clever rod that makes the cloth function as a conveyor belt. While this type of peel is more specialized, this particular model from Chef Pomodoro is more versatile than most. It comes with interchangeable long and short wooden handles, so it can also be used in a home oven or a smaller pizza oven.
The 8 Best Pizza Peels of 2022, Tested and Reviewed
We tested a paddle with a handle a bit over 4 feet long, which proved to be unwieldy in our home kitchen. The length would also be unneeded for a small outdoor oven—the size is meant for deep pizza ovens where the pizza rests 2-3 feet deep in the oven. Cleaning the peel was also less than convenient, as the long handle needed to be accounted for when turning and moving the peel in the kitchen sink. During testing, we found that washing raised the grain on the wood, but it still functioned very well for both placing and removing the pizzas. A light sanding and oiling with cutting board oil would make it even better, but isn’t necessary for basic use. This peel is very affordable and broad enough to hold large pies, while it’s also stiff enough to handle loaded pizzas with ease.
In testing, this was useful for turning pizzas where larger peels were sometimes awkward to swing around inside the oven. It isn’t designed for getting pizzas into the oven since the paddle is so small, but it could be used for placing smaller pastries, hand pies, and other small baked goods. We used this with the shortest handle attached, but for tight spaces it could be used with both wooden handles removed, utilizing the attached 7-inch metal extension.
Q's INN Pizza Peel With Detachable Handles
At approximately 14 inches wide, this peel has plenty of room for large pies, and the handle has a hole at the end for easy hanging. We love that the peel is attractive enough to double as a serving board for your pizza, although we suggest cutting the pie on a cutting board to keep from gouging the wood surface. This comes with a lifetime manufacturer guarantee, making it a worthwhile investment. It’s possible to cut and serve a pizza on some peels, but it depends on the peel’s material and also whether the peel will be used again immediately. Cutting pizza on a wooden peel can get the peel wet from the toppings, which can then make the peel sticky when it’s time to place another pizza in the oven.
Although the handle is a bit shorter than on other models, it was long enough to get pizzas in and out of the oven, and a hanging hole allows it to hang on a hook for storage, if desired. A pizza peel is designed to slide an uncooked pizza into an oven, to turn the pizza for even cooking all around when needed, and to retrieve the pizza when cooking is done. An effective peel has a thin front end so it can get under a pizza and slide all the way to the opposite side without pushing the pizza back into the oven. It also should have a handle that’s easy to hold, and long enough to get the pizza in and out of the oven without burning the cook’s hands.
How We Tested
If the pizza is moving back rather than sliding onto the peel, it’s perfectly fine to grab a set of tongs to hold and pull the pizza forward and onto the peel. With practice, it gets easier to get the pizza on and off the peel like an expert. "I liked this peel a lot. It's a bit heavy, but it's well balanced, the handle is good to hold onto, and it feels super-sturdy. This can handle heavy pies, no doubt." Since the handle is smooth round wood, it could be used as a rolling pin to roll the pizza dough, although the length may not be comfortable for cooks who are used to shorter traditional pins. Whether you're a self-proclaimed pizzaiolo or just looking for a safe way to cook your pizza, here are the best pizza peels—tested and approved.
While we normally use cornmeal on a peel to keep pizzas from sticking, the slits made us rethink that process when we tested this peel. Instead, we made sure the bottom of the dough was generously coated with flour. The peel’s nonstick surface took care of the rest, and the pizza slithered off the peel with ease.
You've probably watched pizza parlor pros move pies from their work counter to an oven and back using long-handled, paddle-shaped tools. Fortunately, smaller versions of these handy tools, also known as pizza peels, are now available for home cooks and chefs alike. Donna Currie, an expert product tester who has also tested several pizza ovens for The Spruce Eats, updated this roundup with testing insights after using each of the pizza peels on this list. The peel needs to be large enough to hold the pizzas you make, whether you prefer giant pies for the family or personal pizzas for everyone. A peel can be too large, though, particularly if you have a small indoor or outdoor pizza oven with a narrow opening. Not only do you need to load and unload pizzas with the peel, but you may need to turn the pizza around during cooking.
"With a little bit of sanding and oiling, this could be a great peel with a long life as long as it's not abused along the way." Donna Currie is a food writer and blogger specializing in recipes and kitchen gadgets. She covers kitchen tools and gadgets for The Spruce Eats and is the author of Make Ahead Bread.
"This was super slippery, which was great for unbaked pizzas, since they slid off easily." "This is a great tool for pizza makers who need to build their confidence getting pizzas into the oven." After hours of testing, the Honey-Can-Do Kitchen Supply Aluminum Pizza Peel is our top pick, based on its design, performance, and overall value. For a budget pick, we recommend the Eppicotispai Birchwood Pizza Peel, which also received high marks for performance.
You can also use this type of peel to gently lift the pie and move it toward or away from hot spots in the oven for the perfect finish. "This is a versatile peel for cooks who make pizzas in their home oven or grill and who also have a deep pizza oven that requires a long-handled peel to place and retrieve pizzas." Unlike wood peels, the EXO peel is dishwasher safe, washable, and resistant to warping and stains. The cloth is removable and washable, although tomato sauce stains remained after washing during testing, and the cloth wrinkled from wringing it out. While it’s a bit pricey, this would be a worthwhile investment for anyone who has difficulty using a traditional peel, and it's a great beginner's tool. To get a pizza out of the oven, it’s simply a matter of pushing the edge of the peel under the front edge of the pizza, then sliding it completely underneath the pizza so it can be lifted.
The handle is made from glass-reinforced nylon that stays cool and is long enough to keep hands away from the heat. This handsome acacia wood peel is shaped like a large paddle and features a smooth finish that helps keep dough from sticking. Ironically, the sticker that explained cleaning left a residue on the peel that required aggressive cleaning to remove.
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