Pizza Equipment Needed to Great Make Pizza at Home

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Ah, the smell of pizza baking in the oven. It’s a culinary classic that’s been tantalizing taste buds since the days of ancient Rome. Nowadays, any foodie worth their salt can make delicious, homemade pizza right in their own kitchen! With just a few essential tools and supplies, you too can master the art of pizza-making. So fire up your oven and let’s get started!

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at all the kitchen essentials you need for making pizza at home. From pans and peels to stones and screens, we’ll cover all the must-have items for creating great pizzas from scratch in your home. We’ll also explore some helpful tips on how to use them so you can become a pizza-making pro in no time!

No matter if you’re an amateur cook or a seasoned chef, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know about making delicious pizzas at home without a commercial pizza oven. Let’s dive into the details of what it takes to make restaurant-quality pies right in your own kitchen!

A (Kitchen Aid) Stand Mixer

Making high-quality pizzas at home can be a daunting task. You need the right equipment if you want to do it right. One essential tool that should be in any pizza-maker’s kitchen is a stand mixer. I personally use a 6-quart Kitchen Aid stand mixer. Not only does it make preparing your dough easier, but it also speeds up the process exponentially.

When I first started making pizzas at home, I used to dread kneading my dough by hand. It was time-consuming and tedious, not to mention hard on my arms! But once I invested in a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, making pizza dough was so much better! You can do it by hand, but I just can’t get a better dough.

Kitchen Aid mixers come with a paddle, a whip, and a dough hook. I pretty much only use the dough hook. However, I do use the paddle when I make meatballs, and the whip when I make mashed potatoes.

Stainless-Steel Bowls and Wooden Spoons

When it comes to making pizza, stainless steel bowls are a must-have. If I am going to use the dough on the same day, I will just let it rise in the stand mixer mixing bowl. It is good to have a set that offers different sized bowls, especially if you do not use a stand mixer.

Having a large stainless-steel bowl makes it easier to mix the dough by hand. Just put your flour, water, salt, sugar, yeast, and oil in the large bowl, start mixing with a wooden spoon, and once it comes together, finish kneading it on a floured surface.

However, if I am going to let my dough proof and rise overnight in the fridge, I use a stainless-steel bowl. You do not need a fancy or expensive set. I have an inexpensive set of stainless-steel bowls, and they have not shown any signs of wear and tear through years of heavy use.

Dough And Bench Scraper

A dough scraper and a bench scraper are essential pizza-making tools that serve different purposes.

A bench scraper is a metal, rectangular-shaped blade with a handle that makes it easier to scrape off flour and dried bits of dough from your countertop. When you are portioning out dough, the bench scraper easily cuts through dough and can also be used to scoop the dough up after it’s been cut.

A dough scraper is a handheld, rounded, plastic spatula that makes it easy to scrape dough out of the mixing bowl after you have made it and to get it out of a stainless-steel bowl after it has proofed.

Digital Scale

When it comes to making pizza dough, being able to precisely measure your ingredients, particularly your flour and water, is important. To make sure you are using accurate measurements, you need to get a digital scale that shows you the weight in grams and ounces. A lot of the pros use grams in their recipes. I use pounds and ounces.

A digital scale enables you to precisely measure and weigh out your ingredients, helping to ensure consistent results every time. It takes the guesswork and hassle out of measuring, allowing you to accurately portion the right amount of dough for your pizza.

You will get a lot of use out of a digital scale.

Measuring Cups and Spoons

While the pros measure out ingredients using weight, some recipes will call for cups of flour and water. I have several sets of measuring cups and spoons that I use for scooping flour and measuring out salt, sugar, yeast, and oil. I also have a Pyrex measuring cup that I use for measuring water.

Pizza Steels and Pizza Stones

To make the perfect New York-style pizza at home, you need to use a pizza steel or a pizza stone.

A pizza steel is a flat metal plate meant to simulate cooking on an outdoor grill or oven. It retains heat very well and is great for creating the perfect crust on your homemade pizzas. A pizza stone, on the other hand, is made from ceramic or clay materials and helps absorb moisture from the dough as it cooks – resulting in an even crispier texture. The combination of these two products allows you to cook pizzas quickly and evenly with great results every time.

If you want to ensure your homemade pizzas turn out perfectly every time, investing in a pizza steel and/or stone can be worthwhile additions to your kitchen collection. I have both. I had a stone first and then a friend gave me a pizza steel as a gift. Now, the steel is all I use. It transfers a lot of heat fast to the crust that gives it a nice crisp.

Pizza Peels: Metal and Wooden

Whether it’s metal or wooden, a pizza peel is an essential kitchen tool for anyone wanting to make their own delicious pizzas at home. Pizza peels make it easy to get pizzas into and out of the oven.

Pizza makers prefer to use a wooden peel for getting the pizza into the oven. Be sure to sprinkle some corn meal or semolina flour on the peel before putting the dough on it. As a side note, the pros build the pizza on the counter (or, as they call it, the board) and then slide it onto the pizza peel. Others, build the pizza on the peel.

Metal peels are thin and lightweight with a handle, and they are generally used to get pizzas out of the oven. Wooden peels have a thicker lip, while the metal ones are much thinner. The thinness of the metal peels makes it easier to get your pizzas out of the oven.

Even though pros like using wooden peels to get the pizza in the oven, I use metal for both. I hardly use my wooden peel anymore.

Pizza Screens

Pizza screens are a great kitchen essential for making pizza at home. I have used pizza screens for years because it was so hard for me to get pizzas off a peel. I cannot tell you how many times I had to turn a pizza into a calzone or stromboli because I couldn’t get the pie off the peel properly.

Pizza screens are made of metal or wire mesh and offer the perfect balance between a crisp bottom crust and a chewy crust. Pizza screens help to evenly cook the pizza by allowing air to circulate, while also preventing sticking.

These days, I use a pizza screen when I am being lazy and don’t want to mess with the peel. Also, it’s a good idea to get a set of pizza screens of varying sizes so you can make different-sized pizzas.

Pizza Pans

No matter what type of crust you’re using – thin or thick – having the right pan can help take your homemade pizza night up a notch. With just one simple tool you’ll be on your way to making delicious pizzas that will make all your friends and family jealous of your culinary skills.

• Perforated pizza pans: These are similar to pizza screens, but they will give your dough a different kind of texture.
• Chicago deep dish pans: If you are a fan of Chicago deep dish pizza (which some think are closer to a casserole than a pizza), then you will want to pick up one of these specialty pans.
• Detroit-style pizza pans: If you are a fan of the Detroit-style pizza made popular by Buddy’s in Detroit, then get an authentic pan.

Pizza Cutter

From its sharp blade to its comfortable handle, the pizza cutter is designed to make slicing pizzas easier. The stainless-steel wheel is essential when cutting through thin or thick crusts and toppings. I like a large wheel on my pizza cutters so slicing thick pizzas is not a problem. However, you might just want to use a chef’s knife if you are cutting through a Chicago deep dish or Detroit-style pizza.

Oven Mitts, Pot Holders, and Tea Towels

When it comes to pizza-making, oven mitts, pot holders, and tea towels may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But you will definitely want them if you plan on making your own pizzas at home. After all, no one wants to burn their hands as they’re taking their pizzas out of the oven.

Oven mitts are designed with a heatproof material so that you can safely remove your pizzas from the oven without risking any burns. As an added bonus, they come in all sorts of colors and designs, so you can find something that matches your kitchen decor. They also come in different sizes to fit everyone’s needs and preferences.

Tea towels are good to have to cover your dough when it is proofing on the counter or resting on the counter. You can also use plastic wrap for the same purpose.

Kitchen Timer

Whether it is timing how long the dough is proofing or resting or how long the pizza is baking, you will want a kitchen timer. I have a timer in my oven and microwave oven, and those are the ones I use. However, some cooks like to have a kitchen timer on the counter.

The kitchen timer can be used for much more than just baking pizzas as well; it’s helpful in many aspects of cooking and baking. It can help with timing egg dishes in omelets, boiling vegetables, preheating ovens, making delicate sauces and soups, even measuring out small increments of time when following complicated recipes. In short, a kitchen timer is an invaluable tool for any aspiring chef or baker who wants to create delicious meals with ease!

Good Pizzas Require Good Pizza Equipment

Making pizza at home can be a very rewarding experience. With the right kitchen essentials, anyone can make a delicious pizza in their own home with ease. The Kitchen Aid stand mixer, stainless steel bowls, dough and bench scraper, digital scale, measuring cups and spoons, pizza pans, pizza cutter, oven mitts and kitchen timer are all helpful for making a perfect pizza.

The cost of some of these items may seem intimidating to some people but it is worth considering the money you will save by avoiding take-out pizzas. Making your own pizza means that you can choose exactly what ingredients you put inside your pies which can lead to healthier options than those offered by restaurants. Additionally, having these items on hand means that you will always be able to make fresh and delicious pizzas for your friends and family whenever you want!

A couple of tools you did not see on my list are a rolling pin and a pizza dough docker. I have a rolling pin, but I do not use it for pizza. I think it makes the pizza tough. Also, pizzerias that make New York-style pizzas do not use dockers, and that is why I don’t.

Having the right kitchen essentials for making pizza at home is not only more affordable than take-out but also gives you the freedom to make whatever kind of pie you desire with any ingredients available. It’s time to start cooking up some classic Italian goodness in your very own kitchen!