As every pizzeria operator can agree, making pizza is part skill, part art and definitely dependent on the proven tools of the trade. You put a lot of hard work into differentiating your offerings and developing your recipes for flavor, quality, and consistency. The right pizza-making tools make your job easier, improve your kitchen's efficiency, and help you create consistently high-quality pies — and it's those tempting pizzas that drive business and keep your customers coming back for more.
Which pizza dough tools will help you create the perfect pie? Chef Luke from Alive & Kickin’ Pizza Crust walks us through Pizza 101: The Tools You Need and How to Use Them.
TRANSCRIPT — The Best Pizza-Making Tools For Perfect Pies
Laser Thermometer
The first pizza making tool we’re going to talk about is the laser thermometer. You don’t necessarily need a laser thermometer, but these are nice to have because they give you an instant reading on your oven temperature.
Simply point it at the deck of your oven and you can get temperature readings all the way around your oven. This will help you know exactly where to put your pizza, and if your oven is at the appropriate temperature.
Dough Docker
When pushing your dough ball out to form the crust, you need to get rid of all of the extra bubbles. That’s where your docker comes in. The best style of docker to have on hand, in our opinion, is a roller docker with a stainless steel or cast aluminum handle and stainless pins. They last forever, they’re really easy to wash and they do the job correctly.
Bubble Popper
Once your pizza is in the oven, you may wind up having bubbles and need a bubble popper. For deck style ovens, this long-handled pizza dough tool allows you to reach into the oven and pop bubbles without taking the pizza out and losing bake time.
Pizza Screen
Pizza screens are mostly used for conveyor ovens and wind ovens — anything except a deck oven because, in that case, you’re typically cooking directly on the stone.
Notice the difference in color between a new and a seasoned screen. The brand new screen is bright, silvery aluminum and will cause your pizzas to stick. Unseasoned screens work in a pinch and pizzas can be made on them, but you should season new screens before you use them. You want, ideally, to have screens that look like they’ve been well-seasoned, resulting in a copper color.
Rocker Blade & Roller Cutter
Once your pizza comes out of the oven, it’s time to cut it. Some people like to use rocker blades or cutters. These are really popular for thin crust. We like to use the roller or wheel pizza cutters, just because you get a little more control and they’re less dangerous compared to having a big blade sitting on your counter.
These are all of the basic tools you need, and all together they’ll help you make a perfect pizza.
Make perfect pies by equipping yourself with these tools for success and the advice you’ll find in The Best Crust Types for My Pizzeria's Oven. Click the button below to download your free copy.
