Dopnyc's Pizza Tools Buying Guide (1 of 2)
An Infrared Thermometer
In recent years, the prices on infrared thermometers have dropped dramatically. IR thermometers are all made in China, and, for the most part, all work. Sometimes you hear of someone getting a defective unit, but defects don't seem to be related either to brand or to price. One brand isn't necessarily better than another, unless you spend a boatload of money- which I don't recommend doing. When shopping for an IR thermometer, look for the cheapest model with the temperature range that fits your needs. For NY style pizza in a home oven, this typically means a thermometer that goes up to 380C/716F. If you have a Neapolitan capable oven, then you'll want to go up to at least 900F for measuring the hearth, and, if you wish to measure the dome, something in the 1300F range will do, but most people don't measure Neapolitan dome temps.
The market is fairly volatile, with individual models going up and down in price almost daily, so I'm not going to post any links, but, if you look on Amazon, you should find something in the $10 realm. For those outside the U.S., Dealextreme has a wide selection as well, with very similar pricing and free shipping. Since most of the items are shipped from China, Dealextreme can involve very long shipping times.
A digital scale
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Food-Multifunction/dp/B01JTDG084/
Pros: Cheap, reasonable 11 lb capacity, sufficiently accurate, pretty, slimline/easily stored Cons: Small- large pots and pans will cover the display
https://www.amazon.com/My-Weigh-KD-7000-Digital-Stainless-Steel/dp/B00MHSX0W8/
https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Scale-Bakers-KD8000-Weight/dp/B00VEKX35Y
Pros: Very high capacity, Scale seems to settle on weight a bit faster than cheaper scales, can be calibrated, will accommodate very wide pans Cons: Expensive, bulky, a little ugly
If you decide to purchase a MyWeigh, look for a better deal on ebay.
A pizza cutter
Many years ago, I bought a pizza cutter at a dollar store, and it has served me well. It's basically a knockoff of this:
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-SteeL-Pizza-Wheel-Cutter/dp/B0000E2GYL
This is the cutter that I frequently see at distributors.
https://www.amazon.com/Dexter-Russell-P177A-PCP-Sani-Safe-Handle/dp/B00BNQKZSC/
I've held this in my hand, and it has a nice balanced feel. At $20, is it 20 times better than my dollar cutter? Probably not. If you're shopping at a distributor (like Restaurant Depot), you might want to get it there, since I'm sure it will be cheaper.
A digital timer
I haven't bought a digital timer in about 25 years, but, from the ones that I've used, I definitely prefer one with numbers rather than arrows that allow to you click up or down, since the numbers allow for much faster entry.
This one seems to get good reviews and the price is right:
https://www.amazon.com/XREXS-Magnetic-Countdown-Directly-Input-White/dp/B012QP8ORW/
Pinch Dash Smidgen Measuring Spoons
https://www.amazon.com/Pinch-Dash-Smidgen-Measuring-Spoons/dp/B000E8OPVS
This might border on being optional, but when I talk about adding a 'dash' of oregano in my sauce recipe, these measuring spoons are what I'm talking about.
Spoodle/Flat measuring cup
https://www.amazon.com/Bellemain-Stainless-Steel-Measuring-Piece/dp/B00GSXFKYY/
https://www.amazon.com/Vollrath-6433655-Stainless-Spoodle-Utensil/dp/B0013JBYV6?th=1
The longer a skin sits on the peel the more likely it's going to start sticking, so anything that expedites the topping process is useful, and a spoodle/flat measuring cup can sauce the pie in a fraction of time a spoon can. I use a dollar store (see a trend here? ;) ) version of the measuring cups above. Ideally, you'll want a measuring cup or spoodle that matches the volume that you put on the pizza, so it takes one scoop, but that's not always practical. The variety of sizes you can get with measuring cups can be useful in this regard- and considerably cheaper. I wouldn't recommend these:
https://www.amazon.com/New-Star-Foodservice-42917-Stainless/product-reviews/B00KH9PR48/
The price is right, and the reviews are high, but don't be tempted- the welds on these handles are notorious for failing.
A Wood Peel
Wood to launch, metal to turn/retrieve. Limiting the use of the wood peel only to the launch keeps it from getting grease on it. Grease seals the wood and prevents it from absorbing moisture from the dough, which, in turn, causes it to stick faster.
A good peel is surprisingly hard to find. Most of the peels on the market are way too heavy and thick and are improperly tapered. A good lightweight peel will be tapered all the way from the tip of the handle to the tip of the blade. Like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v638/scott123/peel%20profile.jpg
This is a 2d export of a 3d model that I created of my peel. I believe my peel is an American Metalcraft, but the newer American Metalcraft peels are a bit clunkier than this. For what's available, they're not horrible
https://www.amazon.com/American-Metalcraft-Standard-Handle-Multiple/dp/B001J83OP0?th=1
This is one of the many items that you're liable to get a far better price on at a distributor.
A note about sizing. When you first start out making pizza at home, the tendency is to buy small. Small stone/steel and a small peel. As your game improves, though, you will absolutely want to make pizza for your friends, and, to do this effectively, you'll want the largest equipment your oven can handle. You'll want to size your wood peel to your stone/steel, but try to future proof everything by going big.
If you're absolutely certain that you'll always be making smaller pies, these are a bit less expensive, although the taper might be not be quite a graceful:
With all of these tools, I'm trying to present a lower budget option. If you want small AND the lowest price possible, this looks acceptable:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VO0SCRI/
It is plywood, and plywood is typically made with formaldehyde based glue, which isn't food safe, but I'm hoping that this particular plywood is formaldehyde free.
Whatever peel you go with, make absolutely sure that it's unfinished, as any kind of finish will promote sticking.
Important note: Never get your peel wet. Ever. If it gets dirty, just sand it down a bit with some medium grit sandpaper.
A Metal Turning Peel
When turning a pizza, you want a small metal peel- about 2/3rds the diameter of the pizza. I use a 12" stainless cake lifter for 17" pies in a home oven:
https://www.amazon.com/RSVP-International-COMINHKPR60784-Endurance-Spatula/dp/B003E22RS4/
If you're working with smaller pies, the smaller version could suffice:
https://www.amazon.com/RSVP-Endurance-Stainless-Spatula-diameter/dp/B000MG9RVK/
If you're making Neapolitan pizza in a wood fired oven, this is the turning peel to get:
https://www.amazon.com/Small-Turning-Stainless-Steel-Handle/dp/B00GW45SFA
although I'd check prices on other sites, since $100 feels a little steep
If you're making Neapolitan pizza in one of the smaller gas ovens (Ooni, Roccbox, Ardore), I think this is currently the best peel to get:
https://us.gozney.com/products/roccbox-turning-peel
You might be able to get away with the 10" cake lifter I posted above, but for 13" Neapolitan pizzas, you really want 8", not 10" (8" is pretty standard in Naples). While I'm not a huge fan of aluminum, since it gets dinged pretty easily, if you don't want to spend $100 on the stainless steel peel above, you might look at something like this
One thing to consider re; aluminum- it may not ship well. If you can find it locally, that would be ideal. Otherwise, for a Ooni/Roccbox/Ardore, I'd go with the 10" cake lifter.
I spent a great deal of time looking for a short handled 8" round stainless peel (or cake lifter) for turning pizza in these types of gas ovens, and came up empty handed. If anyone comes across one, please, let me know.
A wire rack for cooling
Most people that bake will have a wire rack, but, just in case you don't, this is the one I use:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XZ81GBQ/
My older rack incorporated the feet into the grid, but this welds the feet on, which creates more nooks and crannies for food to get wedged into. Unfortunately, it seems like all racks are made this way these days. If someone stumbles on a sturdy stainless steel rack of this size that incorporates the feet into the grid, please let me know.
Pizza Pans
Have I mentioned that you should never cut your pizza on a peel? :) This is what you cut pizza on:
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/american-metalcraft-tp18-18-wide-rim-pizza-pan/124TP18.html
https://www.amazon.com/American-Metalcraft-TP18-18-Guage-Aluminum/dp/B001E0HRDS
Not to sound like a broken record, but this is another item that you'll find at a distributor at a far lower price. The other advantage to purchasing these pans at a brick and mortar is that being 100% aluminum, they can get dinged pretty easily during shipping.
