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High-quality pizza peels can transfer your raw dough from the counter to the oven without misshaping your creation, whether it's pizza or another delicious baked good.
The EXO Non-Stick Polymer Sealed Super Peel is our top pick because its innovative conveyor belt design and nonstick finish simplify putting your pizza into the oven and taking it out.
If you've ever been in the kitchen of a pizza parlor, you've probably seen the large paddle-like devices the pros use to move pizzas from the prep counter to the oven and back out of the oven again. These are called "baking peels" or "pizza peels," and they are an indispensable tool when making homemade pizza on your stone or grill.
Though we are going to mainly focus on their uses for putting pizza in the oven, baking peels are also useful for baking bread and pastries. Many wooden peels also work well as charcuterie boards.
Though our top pick is in a category by itself, there are two main types of baking peels: wooden and metal. Wooden peels are made of either wood or bamboo and have a finish that is easy to clean and allows doughs to slide right off. The main negatives with wooden peels are that they tend to scratch easily, and they are usually thicker, which makes it harder for you to slide the peel under your pizza when it's time to remove it.
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Metal peels usually have an aluminum paddle or blade that is thin enough to easily slide between the pizza and the pizza stone for quick removal. The handle is typically made of wood so it won't heat up too quickly and potentially burn your hands. The biggest drawback with metal peels is that dough tends to stick to the blade, which can be a hassle when unloading your creation into the oven.
In our research, we found experienced home pizza makers sometimes own a wooden peel for putting the pizza into the oven and a metal one for taking it out. You might consider doing the same if you have plenty of kitchen space and love making pizza.
Keep in mind that all of the peels we researched required at least a light dusting of flour or cornmeal to help the raw dough slide off.
While researching the best baking peels, we read through hundreds of buyer and expert ratings and reviews of countless models. Our guide features peels that are easy to use, make unloading baked goods and removing them from the oven effortless, and have a track record of durability.
Why you'll love it: The EXO Non-Stick Polymer Sealed Super Peel uses an innovative approach to transfer your pizza to the oven without making a mess or deforming your creation.
The EXO Non-Stick Polymer Sealed Super Peel is unlike any other peel in that it incorporates a pastry cloth conveyor belt. You just lightly dust the cloth with flour, move the slider forward, put the edge of the pizza on the lip of the peel, and push the peel forward as you pull back on the slider.
To put your pizza on the stone, you simply reverse the process. The non-stick polymer coating facilitates easier cleanup and sliding. Also, you can remove the cloth to clean it.
Cook's Illustrated recommends the EXO Non-Stick Polymer Sealed Super Peel because in its tests it was one of the best peels for putting a pizza in and taking it out of the oven. The reviewer also liked that the polymer coating guarded against moisture, which helps with long-term durability. However, the reviewer did note that the peel takes a little getting used to, and it doesn't do a very good job of rotating half-baked food in the oven. Best Advisor, Gimme Tasty, Village Bakery, and My Pizza Stone also recommend this pizza peel.
About 91% of the Amazon buyers who reviewed the EXO Non-Stick Polymer Sealed Super Peel gave it four or five stars. Kevin M. Combes, the most helpful reviewer, bought this peel because America's Test Kitchen endorsed it. He previously had trouble transferring his uncooked pizza onto his pizza stone, but the smooth polymer finish of the Super Peel remedied that. Others echo this sentiment.
One buyer noted that the peel has been incredibly durable, and — compared to ordering pizza out — it paid for itself after just a couple of uses.
Pros: Effortlessly transfers uncooked pizza from peel to stone, durable, makes it easy to remove pizza from the oven
Why you'll love it: The wooden finish of the Heritage Acacia Wood Pizza Peel make it attractive enough to display in your kitchen when you're not effortlessly transferring pizzas to the oven.
According to founder Michael Tecku, one of the benefits of the Heritage Acacia Wood Pizza Peel is you can "create a charcuterie board and place it in front of your smug in-law." Regardless of the over-the-top marketing copy and your relationship with your in-laws, this peel really does have an attractive design and is functional for charcuterie as well as moving your pizzas from the counter to the oven and back.
The beveled edge is about an eighth of an inch thick, which is flat enough to wedge between the pizza and your stone for removal from the oven. To clean, you wash the peel by hand with warm, soapy water and let it air dry.
Kitchen Byte recommends the Heritage Acacia Wood Pizza Peel because pizza dough did not stick to it in their tests, it looks good, and it’s made of top-quality materials. The reviewer noted that there was no damage after several uses. However, she warns that you do need to follow the manufacturer’s care guidelines to ensure a longer life.
Best Reviews also recommends this peel because pizzas slide off easily, it can accommodate pizzas up to 14 inches, and the handle is nice and long. Yet, the reviewer questions the long-term durability of the wood.
Approximately 84% of the people who reviewed the Heritage Acacia Wood Pizza Peel on Amazon gave it five stars. The most helpful reviewer liked the peel because it looked beautiful and seamlessly transferred pizzas into the oven without sticking. She just sprinkled it with a little cornmeal. She was also impressed with the personalized customer service.
Several buyers comment that they hang the peel for display in their kitchen as a decorative element. Others found it was easy to clean with nothing more than a damp cloth.
Pros: Pizzas slide off easily, easy to clean, beautiful appearance
Why you'll love it: The Pizza Royale Bamboo Pizza Peel is made of eco-friendly and antimicrobial bamboo and is backed by a 180-day guarantee and excellent customer service.
The Pizza Royale Bamboo Pizza Peel is one of only a few high-quality pizza peels that are available in small sizes. This is helpful because larger peels tend to take up a lot of space. If you prefer smaller pizzas and kitchen space is at a premium, smaller peels are the way to go.
The Pizza Royale peel is made of bamboo, which is lightweight, durable, and generally considered the most environmentally-friendly "woods," though it’s really a grass. Bamboo is also antimicrobial, which should keep bacteria and other germs from setting up shop on your peel.
There are more than 800 five-star reviews of the Pizza Royale Ethically Sourced Premium Natural Bamboo Pizza Peel on Amazon. One buyer found that all of the marketing claims for this model were true: the board is smooth, has a nice beveled edge, comfortable grip, and is easy to clean. She was also impressed that the owner of the company contacted her to see what she thought of the peel.
Other reviewers like how dough slides off the bamboo easily, though one buyer notes you may need to use tongs to lift the edge of the pizza off the pizza stone.
Pros: Easy to clean, comfortable grip, made of sustainable bamboo, excellent customer service, risk-free 180-day guarantee
Cons: Requires proper care for long-term durability
Why you'll love it: The thin blade of the American Metalcraft Aluminum Pizza Peel is durable, easy to clean, and makes rotating and removing your pizza effortless.
The American Metalcraft Aluminum Pizza Peel features a 14-by-16-inch thin aluminum blade that easily slides under your baked goods. There are four wooden handle lengths to choose from: 12 inches, 21 inches, 38 inches, and 50 inches. So, whether you're using a traditional oven or a large brick oven, there's a size that works for you.
Add a fair amount of cornmeal or flour to the blade to ensure your uncooked pizza can slide off onto the stone. Afterward, the peel can be cleaned by hand with warm water and a mild detergent.
Cook's Illustrated recommends the American Metalcraft Pizza Peel because it does an excellent job of rotating pizzas in the oven and removing the pizza once it's done. In the site's tests, the reviewer found the peel worked like a thin metal spatula. The only downside was that the metal surface required a lot of flour to unload dough without misshaping it.
Serious Eats recommends this peel because it outperformed all of the others in its tests. Yet, due to the long handle, the reviewer notes that it may be hard to store in some kitchens.
Around 89% of the people who rated the American Metalcraft Pizza Peel on Amazon gave it a positive review. Many of the buyers chose this peel because they had bad experiences with wood peels that attracted mold, warped, or cracked. In addition to avoiding these problems, reviewers note that cutting pizza on the metal doesn't cause it to scratch.
One reviewer complained that due to the design of the peel, he could only fit pizzas that were up to 12 inches in diameter.
Pros: Durable, thin design allows for easy rotation and removal of pizzas, several handle length options
Cons: Requires plenty of flour to smoothly unload raw dough, may be hard to store
The Kitchen Supply Aluminum Pizza Peel by Honey-Can-Do comes in three different widths: 12 inches, 14 inches, and 16 inches. Not only can the 16 inches version handle larger pizzas, but it’s also the most affordable option. The paddle is made of a thin sheet of aluminum that squeezes between your crust and the stone.
The 8-inch wooden handle keeps your hands out of harm’s way as you reach into your standard oven. As with other metal peels, the main downfall is that the raw dough may stick to the blade if you don’t use enough flour or cornmeal to move things along.
Kitchen Byte recommends the Kitchen Supply Aluminum Pizza Peel by Honey-Can-Do because it got the job done in the site's tests. The thin edges of the paddle easily slid under the pizzas, which made rotation a snap. Still, there was concern about the long-term durability of the lightweight aluminum, and the reviewer noted that the edges were quite sharp out of the box.
In its review, Food Shark Marfa appreciated that the wood handle was attached at an angle for effortless maneuverability, and it stayed cool to the touch.
There are more than 1,500 four- or five-star reviews of the Kitchen Supply Aluminum Pizza Peel by Honey-Can-Do on Amazon. David Pollitt, the most helpful reviewer, bakes pizza a few times a week and owns this peel and a wooden one. He found the wood is better for putting the pizza on the stone, and the Honey-Can-Do model is better for rotating the pizza and removing it from the oven.
Buyers also like that the handle is long enough that they don’t get scorched by high temperatures. However, there are complaints about jagged edges. These need to be filed down, or you risk scratching your pizza stone and counter.
Pros: Excellent for removing and rotating pizzas, stay-cool wooden handle, lightweight
