One crucial accessory when making pizza in a pizza oven is the pizza peel. The peel will help you deliver the pizza into the pizza oven. Most pizza ovens can get way above 400 degrees Celsius and as such you can imagine how difficult it would be to launch the pizza if you do not have any kind of pizza peel. Even if you actually manage to get the pizza into the oven without a peel, imagine the struggle you face once you want to pull it out again. In this article, I will look at specifically what works for me when using my Ooni Koda 16.
There are several different types of pizza peels on the market and it is not all of them I have had great success with. Actually, I would go as far as admit that some have projected the amount of gray hair I have on my head. And one or two pizzas have gone back into the garden as fertilizer instead of down into my stomach.
The reason for this is that some pizza peels (which is probably a bit simplistic as hydration of the dough and skills, or lack there off, definitely also plays a role) basically do not do what you want it to do which is quickly launching the pizza into the oven. Instead, the pizza crumbles on top of itself or pulls apart leaving a massive mess inside your oven.
The bad experience from my point of view primarily happened when trying to launch using a full metal or wooden pizza peel. What has really worked for me and what I believe is the best pizza peel for Ooni Koda 16 is definitely a perforated pizza peel.
Best Perforated Pizza Peel – Ooni
- My go-to perforated pizza peel
- Makes launching pizza into the burning hot oven a breeze
- Helps dust off excess flour, minimizing burnt spots
Perforated Pizza Peel
As with most other things in life perforated pizza peels comes in many different forms and price points. You can go all the way and buy the Ferrari or you can go the other route and make it yourself or buy a cheap Chinese example. Most important is finding something you are comfortable with that helps you launch the pizzas as a pro pizzaiolo who was born and raised behind a wood-fired pizza oven in Naples.
In terms of the materials, selecting a peel made of anodized steel is important. The anodized steel acts as a non-stick and is more resistant towards wear and tear while making it much easier to lunch the pizza into the oven.
When shaping your pizza a good suggestion is to do this in either the same flour you have used to make the dough or, and this is my recommended method, to shape it in semolina (or durum) flour as this flour has a rougher grate which is a great help with preventing the dough to stick to the pizza peel.
The reason why you should go with a perforated pizza peel is that the perforation helps with dusting off excess flour. When you shape your pizza quite a bit of excess flour or semolina sticks to the bottom of the pizza. This can become a problem as it has a tendency to burn, especially in a pizza oven, which goes above 400 degrees Celsius. With the perforation, the majority of the excess flour will be dusted off before you launch the pizza into the oven.
A great and battle-tested producer of pizza peels is the company GI Metal which has created pizza peels for decades and is used by professionals all over the world. If you would rather stick with the same manufacturer as your Ooni Koda 16, Ooni has also produced several different pizza peels made specifically for their ovens. They are the perfect size fit and should help your pizza launch immensely. You can find their selection of peels on their website. On their website, you will also be able to find many other useful accessories that can help you up your outdoor pizza game and help you become the pizzaiolo you have always dreamt of becoming.
The Unsung Hero
Don’t stop with just the perforated pizza peel. Another crucial tool is the small round perforated pizza peel, sometimes also known as a turning peel. It is the perfect little helper allowing you to rotate your pizza easily while the pizza is still inside the oven. This gives you the possibility to continue baking the pizza while ensuring you get an even cook throughout the dough.
These are my preferred tools when I am acting as a pizzaiolo in front of my pizza oven. You may find that other solutions are better for you. Nevertheless, I hope this has inspired you to go look for a great perforated pizza peel to up your pizzaiolo game.
Another way to up your pizzaiolo game is by using a fantastic tool like the PizzApp that will help you create the most amazing pizza dough.
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