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Here is a comprehensive list of everything you need to make great pizza at home. It’s really important to get the right equipment, as making the best pizzas relies heavily on the tools used.
There are some definite do’s and don’ts when buying pizza equipment. The stuff pushed in shops and online isn’t always the best. This list has come from my best picks – you can avoid all the mistakes I’ve made buying products.
I’ve included a list of the important features of each tool, so follow the tips when buying. I’ve included a recommended product on Amazon for all of them.
These aren’t always the most expensive options, these are the tools I use. Sometimes comparable quality can come from much cheaper brands so I always recommend these.
A good pizza cookbook is great to get you going, check out my favorite pizza books.
The essential tools I recommend every pizza maker to own are:
Other useful equipment:
- Metal pizza peel (this becomes essential if you have a pizza oven)
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Cast iron skillet
- Portable pizza oven
- Quality Ingredients
1. Pizza Steel Or Stone
Why You Need It
THE key piece of kit to cooking great pizza at home. This slab of mass heats up in the oven and emulates the brick floor of a pizza oven.
Having intense heat from the bottom ensures the dough cooks through really well to make a crisp crust. It also halves the cooking time, which makes the crust light and crisp. Rather than drying out all the moisture over 10 minutes and producing a denser pizza crust.
Without a pizza stone/steel, you have to cook the pizza on a baking sheet. This doesn’t have the mass to store any temperature to transfer to the dough. You end up with an undercooked and doughy pizza base.
Stone vs Steel
A pizza steel is a relative newcomer. It is made of solid steel and this makes it perform better than a stone. This is because metal transfers heat better than stone and it also heats up in 15 minutes rather than 30 minutes.
Metal doesn’t shatter like stone so the steel will last a lifetime. Pizza stones will last a few years before breaking, so the higher price of the steel is well worth the investment.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Large enough for a 14″ pizza.
- Rectangular/square is better than round.
- Ensure it can fit in your oven.
- Steel doesn’t break.
- Steel conducts heat better.
- Steel is easier to clean and it won’t end up smoking.
- (Get a steel!)
Where To Get It
This steel is much cheaper than the original Baking Steel and makes fantastic pizzas – I have this size and thickness and recommend it.
Pizza Steel – Check the price on Amazon here.
2. Wooden Pizza Peel
Why You Need It
A wooden peel is the peel used for deploying the pizza to the oven. Its surface is porous, so the raw dough doesn’t condense and stick to it.
It’s terrible to spend all that time making your dough, stretching, and arranging, only to have it stick to the peel and be ruined. It’s one of the most important tools, as it’s almost impossible to get a pizza to the oven safely without it.
The wooden peel isn’t so good at retrieving the pizza because they are usually thick wood, so harder to get under the cooked pizza. A metal one is used for retrieving, or you can use tongs if your oven is small.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Large enough for the width of the pizza (at least 14″).
- A long handle if you have a wood fired pizza oven.
- Hole in the handle to hang it on the wall for storage.
Where To Get It
Here is a 14″ peel with a beautiful smooth acacia wood finish and hangable handle for the wall.
Acacia Wood Pizza Peel – Check the price on Amazon here.
3. Digital Scales
Why You Need It
Pizza dough is all about ratios and percentages of ingredients.
That’s how much water, yeast, and salt there is in the recipe compared to the total amount of flour. For example, 1000g of flour and 650g/650ml of water is a 65% hydration dough.
You can only measure this accurately with a digital scale with the correct precision. You can’t get the same consistency if you use volumes such as cups.
Accuracy is important with baking because baking is a science. It will turn out differently each time without accuracy.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Measures to 0.1gaccuracy.
- Large enough to take a bowl
- Doesn’t limit you to a small weight. Go for at least 1kg+
Where To Get It
This one measures down to 0.1g and up to 5kg / 11lbs. You can zero the scales after you’ve added your own bowl.
ZERLA Digital Food Scale –Check the price on Amazon.
4. Dough Scraper
Why You Need It
This tool is a lifesaver when working with dough – it’s a multi-tool at heart.
You can scrape up the dough from the worktop, you can cut the dough with its sharp blade and you can also scrape surfaces clean. It helps manage large pieces of dough when it all gets a bit tough to handle.
It also means you can work with wetter dough, as you can move the dough without it getting stuck to your hands. A few kneads with one hand and a gathering with the scraper allows you to just keep going without getting into a sticky mess.
These scrapers are cheap and really fun to use, and definitely a tool you will use forever once having tried one.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Metal scraper is better for cutting and scraping the worktop.
- Plastic is better for cleaning out bowls but doesn’t have a sharp edge.
- A stainless steel blade is best.
Where To Get It
This stainless steel scraper looks great and is easy to clean. They are so cheap and so helpful!
Prokitchen Stainless Steel Scraper – Check the price on Amazon here.
5. Pizza Cutter
Why You Need It
This is the tool to cut your cooked pizza into slices. It’s nice to do it easily and cleanly to have well-cut slices.
For this, you need a sharp and sturdy pizza cutter. There are a few types out there, such as the wheel cutter or the rocker blade.
A full blade is obviously more expensive but is a more substantial tool. It can be fun owning a big blade to cut the pizza in one rock, so it’s a nice luxury item.
Just make sure you don’t get one of the novelty cutters that look like a bike or a guitar as they aren’t strong and break easily.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Don’t go too small
- Don’t get a novelty oneas it will break
- Don’t get a cheap one as it will break
Where To Get It
Affordable and reliable, this 4-inch pizza wheel is a nice sturdy one.
OXO Pizza Wheel – Get it on Amazon here.
6. Proofing Containers
Why You Need It
Dough is sensitive to the air because it dries out the surface and leaves a hard layer. So you need to keep it airtight somehow, especially if you are fermenting it for long periods.
You can do this with a bowl and some plastic wrap but this isn’t great. Firstly you need a bowl large enough for the dough to double in size or more.
Using wrap over your usual mixing bowl will cause the dough to overflow and push out of the wrap. Getting a container right for the job means it’s large enough and it has an airtight lid.
Nice and neat to make your dough and leave in your fridge until you need it with no fuss. This reduces plastic waste too.
You can either get a shallow proofing box which lets you ball up pieces of dough side by side for proofing. Or you can get a standard tall food container (see the pics) which can allow you to ferment your dough in bulk with a lid.
When you need a dough ball you cut off a piece and return the bulk piece back to the fridge. Both ways work nicely.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Can fit in your refrigerator for cold proofing.
- Has a lid to be airtight.
- Space for enough dough balls.
- Large enough to hold the expanded dough.
Where To Get It
If you want to get some dough trays for individual balls.
DoughMate Dough Tray – Check the price on Amazon.
If you want a tall food container then go for this one.
Rubbermaid Food Storage Container –Check the price on Amazon. don’t forget the lid.
7. Dough Mixer
Why You Need It
You can choose to knead the dough by hand or you can get an electric mixer involved. This typically consists of a bowl and a dough hook, and this takes care of the mixing and the kneading for you.
This is very useful if working with larger pieces of dough, as kneading larger pieces is more effort and more time.
Using a mixer also gives very consistent results as you can put the mixer on a speed, and for a certain time. Once you’ve found that sweet spot then you can just reproduce that every time.
With kneading, you need to learn when the dough is “done” which can take a bit more trial and error.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Proper dough hooks included (not just whisks!)
- Planetary mixing (dough hook spins and also orbits around the bowl).
- Large enough to mix a big piece of dough.
- Cheaper ones are too weak for dough.
Where To Get It
Get this 6-speed mixer which is powerful enough to handle dough, yet doesn’t have the price tag of more expensive ones.
Hamilton Beach 6 Speed Electric Stand Mixer – Check the price on Amazon here.
8. Pizza Serving Board
Why You Need It
This is a useful tool to transfer the pizza onto when cooked. From here it can cool slightly before being sliced with your pizza cutter.
Because it’s wood you can really go for it and cut that pizza up quickly. You can then serve it on the board to your guests, or transfer it to plates ready for the next pizza to land. Don’t use your pizza peel to cut on otherwise, you will make indents in it. It needs to be smooth.
If you don’t have a serving board then your 14″ pizza won’t fit on a regular-sized plate. You might risk breaking your plates if you try and use the pizza cutter directly on them.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Wooden to easily cut on.
- Large enough for a 14″ pizza.
- Hole to hang it up for storage.
Where To Get It
This bamboo cutting and serving board is 15″ so can handle a large pizza. Bamboo is nice and light and cleans easily.
Bamboo Round Cutting Board – Check the price on Amazon.
9. Metal Pizza Peel
Why You Need It
The metal peel is great for retrieving a cooked pizza and is a MUST HAVE if cooking in a wood fired pizza oven. There is no way you are reaching in there with your hand.
A wooden peel is too thick to get under the cooked pizza to pull it out. A metal peel’s profile allows it to slip underneath with ease. This also allows you to get underneath to spin the pizza when one side is cooking more quickly than another.
The metal peel has its downside with raw dough sticking to it. That’s why it’s recommended to have one metal peel and one wooden peel.
If you are only cooking pizza in a small oven at home then you can get away with using tongs to pull the pizza out onto the wooden peel. If you are using a wood fired oven then you definitely need a long-handled metal peel to turn the pizza.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Long enough handle for the back of the oven.
- A circular face is better for turning.
- Thin edge to get under the pizza.
Where To Get It
Get this aluminum 14″ peel, perfect for the home oven.
Kitchen Supply 14-Inch Peel – Check the price on Amazon here.
10. Rimmed Baking Sheet
Why You Need It
This is what you need to make tray-baked Sicilian pizza. You grease the pan well with oil, then allow your dough to proof in the pan to rise and fill it to the corner.
You then top and bake all at once and cut into squares.
This pizza is known as the crowd pleaser as you can feed a whole party at once with minimal effort. Pretty difficult to do if you need to stretch and bake half a dozen pizzas.
Using fresh dough, this pizza tastes great and I highly recommend you buy a pan and try it sometime.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Large enough for your pizza (at least 18″ x 12″)
- Tall enough to hold the crust.
- Not too deep that the sides tower over the pizza.
Where To Get It
Get this half-sheet pan which is 18″ x 13″ x 1″ and made of aluminum.
BellemainHalf Sheet Pan – Check the price on Amazon here.
11. Cast Iron Skillet
Why You Need It
This is another method for cooking pizza in a deep dish style. The cast iron skillet transfers heat very evenly and can give you a great crispy bottom when baked in oil.
This can be used in lots of other methods of cooking and is also great for cooking other food in a wood fired oven. Load it with meat, vegetables, bread dough, or even desserts like a pie, and then place it in your oven. The cast iron stands up to high heat.
Because the cast iron is all one piece, then you have no problems of melting the handle. The surface is also naturally nonstick and seasons over time to become even better.
Things To Look For When Buying
- 12″ is fine because it is a deep dish.
- Good brands have the best materials.
- No plastic on the handle.
Where To Get It
Get yourself a solid steel pan from a reputable brand with thousands of reviews.
Lodge12″ Skillet – Check the price on Amazon.
12. Portable Pizza Oven
Why You Need It
Cooking wood fired pizza no longer needs a large, permanent wood fired oven. You can now get a very affordable pizza oven that can be packed up and stored away.
On top of that, these smaller ovens don’t need hours of firing to get hot, so can be used with much less preparation. They don’t suffer from performance either – allowing you to cook Neapolitan-style pizzas in around 90 seconds.
There aren’t many downsides to these ovens, and in recent years there have been a few companies that have refined products to include gas burners to accompany wood fire options.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Gets to the proper pizza oven temperature.
- Can withstand the heat without damage.
- Moveable for true portability.
- Mainstream brands are better than cheaper imitations.
Where To Get It
Different Ooni models take wood pellets, wood, or charcoal and they heat up in 20 minutes. You can cook a pizza in 90 seconds with an actual wood fire. The price point is fantastic for this oven.
Ooni Pizza Oven – Check the current price on Amazon.
13. Quality Ingredients
Why You Need It
Pizza can sometimes be the most simple of foods so quality ingredients are a must. Well-made fresh pizza doesn’t have to rely on a large amount of greasy toppings that you get at the takeaway.
Instead focus on the dough, the tomatoes, and the cheese – and of course your cooking environment and tools.
Getting some proper high protein bread flour or Italian 00 bread flour for the dough is better than regular flour. Quality whole plum tomatoes are best for the sauce. San Marzano from near Naples is the best, but any quality Italian plum tomato is just as good.
You can buy all of these on Amazon pantry if you can’t find them locally.
Things To Look For When Buying
- Quality whole plum tomatoes.
- Dry mozzarella or fior de latte.
- High-gluten bread flour or 00-grade Italian flour
Where To Get It
Check the Caputo flour on Amazon here.
Check the San Marzano tomatoes on Amazon here.
What Next?
If you’re struggling with making your dough or stretching it out, check out my pizza making video course which covers dough and the other ingredients and tools in depth.