The pizza peel is the be-all and end-all in every kitchen where good Neapolitan pizza is to be baked.
There are a few things to consider when buying. From the material to the shape with or without perforations, various decisions must be made before buying. There are shovels for loading and unloading the oven, those for turning the pizza to achieve even browning and rods for correctly placing the firewood - the latter are only used in large professional ovens.
Aluminium is the ideal material for the shovel itself, as it is light and therefore remains fully flexible even when handling larger, heavier pizzas.
In contrast to the pizzaiolo in the picture above, it is recommended to use a perforated shovel with holes for Ooni, ROCCBOX & Co. The perforated aluminum allows excess flour or semolina (durum wheat semolina) to escape through the holes before placing it in the oven. This simple trick prevents an oven with too many charred residues and a corresponding taste in the pizza. The perforated pizza shovel also has the advantage of being even lighter.
Hardwood such as beech or reinforced plastic is ideal for the handle to ensure a good grip and to avoid losing the pizza on the way to the oven.
The length of the handle is also crucial - in most cases, a 40 cm long handle is ideal for home pizza ovens, as these are only very hot in a very small area and the risk of burns is therefore rather low. The smaller handle makes it easier to pick up and put down the pizza. However, for larger, homemade ovens in which several pizzas are baked at the same time, a larger 60 cm handle can be worthwhile.
You can now find our pizza peels at a special price here:
Pizza shovel 18 cm round made of aluminium with beechwood handle