Pizza Peel or Pizza Paddle?

No matter what you call it—a pizza peel or pizza paddle—it’s designed to make sliding a pizza in and out of a hot oven easy. If you’ve ever spent time in a pizzeria kitchen, you know just how scorching those ovens get to achieve that perfect, crispy crust. Depending on the style of pizza and the dough, the oven can reach temperatures as high as 700 degrees Fahrenheit, with some stone deck ovens even hitting 900 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pizza peels not only allow cooks to handle pizzas safely but also provide enough surface area to support the entire pie as it moves from the oven to the cutting board and into a box, should the pizza be for takeout. While primarily designed for pizzas, these tools can also serve other purposes, such as moving bread loaves in and out of ovens. In fact, pizza peels have become quite popular as unique serving platters in restaurants.

Most commercial pizza peels are crafted from either wood or aluminum. Wooden peels are particularly favored because the dough doesn’t stick to them, ensuring toppings remain intact when positioning the pizza in the oven. If you opt for a metal peel, aluminum is often recommended due to its rust-resistant properties and ease of cleaning. Metal peels are generally easier to maintain compared to wooden ones, though they lack the natural aesthetic appeal of wooden versions. At Cook’s, we offer a range of both wooden and aluminum pizza peels from Winco.

The ideal size for a pizza peel depends on the largest pizza you plan to bake. Most peels measure between 9 inches and 18 inches in length and 6¾ inches to 16 inches in width. If your biggest pizza is 18 inches round, you might want to look for an extra-wide option.

One of our latest additions is the Portion Padl, a commercial pizza peel featuring portioning lines on the paddle. This innovative pizza peel includes centering circles and slicing guides, helping you divide pizzas into perfectly equal slices. It’s a fantastic tool for both home kitchens and professional settings where uniform slices are essential.