Pizza Paddle - Pizza Peel

A pizza peel is a special bakeware tool that allows you to effortlessly move your home made pizzas between counter top and oven. They remove any danger of burning your hands when trying to turn the pizza or place it in or out of the oven.

They generally come in wood or metal, with varying handle lengths. A good rule of thumb regarding handle length is this: a conventional oven will only require a short handled version. If you're using a genuine pizza or outdoor oven, then a longer handled one is recommended.

What's more, a pizza peel, or paddle, can be used in much the same way with regard to bread baking. If you already own a baking stone, a peel will be an invaluable addition to your home kitchen utensils.

Simply fashion your bread into its desired shape atop the peel, then safely deposit the bread onto a pre-warmed stone. What could be more simple?!

Pizza Peel

You can chose your pizza peel according to what it is you need it for. A wooden peel is great for placing pizzas and bread into an oven. One of the best selling wood pizza peels is featured to the right.

It's one of the most flexible pizza tools on the market, highly rated and much sought after. It's recommended by some of the best known American cookery magazines as being high on function and value for money.

If you're after a metal one, they're thought of as being better for removing and placing - so either buy one of each or buy the metal version. However, a wooden peel is fairly versatile - it can also be used as a cheese or cutting board.

And, in fairness to the wood pizza peels, you can simply use a spatula to manoeuvre your pizza or bread from a stone to the paddle. Plus a wooden peel is far more decorative. When looked after, they can and do last for years and will more than repay you for their initial purchase.

A wooden pizza peel will become a hardworking component of your bakeware toolbox. Beyond their primary use, they're useful for when it comes to eating cheese or slicing loaves - home baked or otherwise.

A wood peel is also additionally aesthetic, and with regular oiling, will retain its beauty and natural appeal. The Mountain Woods paddle is an ideal example of what you need to look out for: solid wood construction, large surface area and a price tag that matches the size and quality.

This one will also lend a hand elsewhere in the kitchen, such as for bread making, and for chopping and cutting. It's one of many that are available on Amazon, and it's certainly one of the most highly rated paddles on the market.

This particular pizza tool is aimed at large pizzas, but, price wise it doesn't particularly matter if you generally make the smaller sized ones and your board is a little on the big size. It will come in for the days when you do decide to go large and at just over 20 dollars you won't find anything better to spend your money on.

Why not consider a pizza peel and baking stone set?

The set featured on the right is a great value for money product and a popular package. Save yourself the trouble of buying separately - and buy this neat two piece product.

An epicurean pizza peel is both wooden and an earth-friendly product. This particular peel is manufactured from fibres harvested from renewable wooden resources - and it's a home grown USA product.

It also cuts out the need for oiling, therefore it's virtually maintenance free. It's available in 3 different sizes (this being the smallest) and can be bought with a range of 4 different colored silicone handles. Dishwasher and detergent safe - easy clean, easy to use - and eco-friendly too!

A metal pizza peel will be crafted out of either stainless steel or aluminum. Either material will serve as well as the other and a metal peel is great for turning and removing pizzas and bread from the oven and/or baking stone.

Metal paddles tend to be nearer to restaurant style peels and, due to the way they're manufactured, they're both durable and low maintenance bakeware items. Wooden handles provide a comfortable grip - plus prevent burning from metal heat conduction.

The one featured right is the best selling metal peel and it's available in 4 different sizes. The paddle itself is aluminum, the handle is basswood and it's a product that's made in the USA. Some find that it's durable enough to help them lift hot pots and dishes in and out of the oven and when it comes to pizzas, it's a great kitchen tool.

Some of the similar products have folding handles for easier storage, plus they're great for transferring cookies and bread doughs from counter top to oven and back again. A versatile item and a value for money product. Turn family evenings into pizza nights - with a useful, well crafted metal pizza peel.