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You can craft the most flavorful dough and top it with the premium toppings, but if you can’t get that pizza safely onto your baking steel without it crumpling into a heap, then you’ve only made a plate of disappointment for dinner. Just like a baseball player wouldn’t go up to bat with a broomstick, you shouldn’t be slingin’ pies with the wrong equipment. Get a pizza peel. A pizza peel is the vehicle your pizza travels on. It’s where you stretch out your dough, build your pizza and, when you’re ready, pick it up and slide it onto a screaming-hot stone.
The peel is also how you safely remove the pizza from the oven. (Always transfer your pizza onto a cutting board for slicing to ensure the longevity of your peel.) Conceptually simple, a pizza peel is just a thin, flat, wide surface, with a handle. You’ll want a peel that’s wide enough for the biggest pizza you think you’ll make (you can always make a smaller pizza but you can’t go bigger). The handle makes controlling the peel easier and keeps your hands safe from the oven heat. For a home oven, choose one with a shorter handle, around 9-12 inches; those extra long handles are for deeper industrial ovens. They can be made of different materials, like wood or metal, but they function equally, so, batter’s choice.
