Best pizza peels according to redditors

r/pizza to learn how to make it.

Get 6 unglazed quarry tiles from a home improvement store. http://imgur.com/a/pe8VU A fraction of the cost of a pizza stone, and works the same.

Then you need is a pizza peel.

Bread flour, yeast, pizza sauce, mozz & ingredients of your choice.

The importance of a baking stone or baking steel is that you don't want to put a pizza in a hot oven with a cold surface that it's sitting on. Say you take a baking sheet with the pizza and toss it in an oven at 450, the baking sheet is going to absorb the heat, and take awhile to get up to temperature, and the bottom of the crust will not get heated at the same speed as the rest of the pizza. This results in a soggy feeling pizza.

Now if you have a baking stone or steel, you let them preheat with the oven. So when you put the pizza on the stone or steel, the crust will get cooked just as rapidly as the rest of the pizza.

The key is getting a pizza peel so that you can transfer the prepared pizza to the pizza stone or steel.

link to the pizza peel I got

I combine the peel and parchment method for maximum pizza moving prowess.



Edit: I have this peel, it doubles as a home defence weapon.




https://www.amazon.com/American-Metalcraft-3714-Length-Silver/dp/B010NBDQW4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1464825327&sr=8-7&keywords=pizza+peel

Get him a pizza peel. (The thing you use to take the pizza out of the oven)

http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-14-Inch-16-Inch-Aluminum/dp/B002JPJ0QY/ref=lp_383851011_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1418604835&sr=1-1

I worked in a pizza place in highschool and learned the awesomeness that is the pizza peel. Great for pizza, obviously, but comes in handy for getting other stuff out too. Getting a wooden one is nice because cleaning flour and whatnot off of it is as easy as getting a knife and planing it off. They make them in aluminum too, but they're more expensive.

You lightly flour or apply cornmeal to the peel (very lightly) and before you put in the pizza you give the peel a quick twist to dislodge any sticky doughy bits, and it slides right in. Same for getting it out again!

It's a pizza peel

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LPDSAY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_eX92AbGE2Y3KS

Pizza Peel.

I've got this one and really like it. Wood ones are common too but I haven't had great luck with their durability.

Biggest issue with them is sticking. You can use a little bit of corn meal which helps it slide (not a fan because you always end up with some in the bottom of the oven) or you can lift a corner and blow under it to get it to release.

My wife was nice enough to snag a super peel for me. You're a little limited when it comes to the size of the pizza you can make, but the thing is great for getting pizza on to my stone.

This is the most painful thing a pizzamaker can experience. I know that feel, bro.

If you've gone and bought a stone, treat yourself and buy a peel. I like
this one -- it's got a sweet conveyor belt-like system, so you don't really even have to mess around with jiggling the pie off the peel like you would if you under-semolina'd a metal or wooden peel.

If you want to make pizza at home on a regular basis, I'd go to a gourmet/kitchen shop and get a stone and a peel.

The other piece of equipment I like is a Kitchenaid mixer. I can do it by hand, but it makes a bigger mess. Using the mixer with a dough hook, I can make a 2-pizza batch of dough, get it in the refrigerator (to let it rise for a day), and clean up in 30 minutes, and that's counting 15 minutes to let the dough rest in the mixing bowl before mixing again.

Watch some Youtube videos. Youtube is a great resource for techniques.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efw5NLf004o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrEmMXSgRmU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSxx2BB_PSY

I was posting this up last year for people come xmas time. Hopefully it helps depending on what she likes to bake.

Bread:

• A really nice lame 1
  
• Bannetons 1
  
• A couche 1
  
• Large dutch oven
  
• Pizza stone 1
  
• Peel 1
  
  Cookies:
  
  
• Kopykake (Note buying it new is pricey but these can sometimes be found used for $50 and still in nearly mint condition!)
  
• This awesome cookie sheet 1
  
  Cake:
  
  
• Silicon molds 1
  
• Ring molds 1
  
• Acetate
  
• Airbrush
  
• Portion marker 1
  
  General kitchen stuff:
  
  
• Whetstones
  
• Glass mixing bowls
  
• Really nice rolling pin
  
• Chef knife
  
• Bread knife
  
• Kitchen scale
  
• Cookbooks!! (Textbooks are great to!)
  
• Deepfryer
  
• Marble board
  
• Ramekins
  
  Some of the links might be dead, havent really checked
  
  As far as new and fancy things go, there really isn't all that much out there for us bakers. You savory guys get all the fun toys.

I got a super peel last Christmas because I was mangling half my pizzas. It is a wood peel with a piece of linen that acts like a conveyor belt. It was recommended by America's Test Kitchen.

https://www.amazon.com/Super-Peel-Pizza-Solid-White/dp/B001T6OVPO

Did you use a peel?

I really do want the baking steel, but it doesn't make sense to me to spend that much money on a piece of metal with a brand name. I just want to know if the difference in quality of the results between the baking steel and the cast iron pan I found is worth the doubling in price between the two.

I already have a metal pizza peel. It's this one. It works fine for me. But I am curious now, is there a difference to using a wooden peel vs. a metal one in terms of the results?

hey, we keep the ol' questions in the bi-weekly threads (stickied at the top of the main feed.)

That being said, check out these two peels:

• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001MRSKM
  
• https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037XFTTY
  
  Like /u/RockinghamRaptor said, the wood is for launching (dust it with semolina) and the metal is for retrieving / rotating.
  

First of all, I can see how my use of the term 'dome' might be confusing, but, in this context, I'm just using it as a synonym for ceiling. Your oven has a ceiling, and, for achieving fast balanced bakes, it's far too high. I guess the manufacturers wanted to sell something with multiple uses, such as cooking a turkey, but, in order to accommodate taller foods, they pretty much ruined it for fast baked pizza.

When I talk about a low ceiling, this is what I'm referring to:

https://cdn.barbequesgalore.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1130x733/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/b/fbpizzaoven_main_1.jpg

This is a little extreme, but, between having a ceiling that's too low and that's too high, low is always better- for pizza. No, you'd never fit a turkey in there, but, as I said, a proper pizza oven is single purpose.

I believe you have an Aldi oven. I've spent quite a lot time helping people correct/mod faulty oven setups like this one, and, after analyzing both your pics and others, I have some ideas how this oven could be modded to produce a more balanced bake (without a great deal of expense), but... based upon your assessment of your first pizza being 'perfect,' I think my suggestions might end up being overkill.

If it's just a matter of repeating the quality of the first pie in ensuing bakes, then I think I can get you there without too much fuss. This is probably going to take a little trial and error, but you should be striving to build a fire that burns a bit stronger for the pre-heat, but then burns out pretty quickly, so that by the time the pizza is going in, it's giving off some heat but it isn't a roaring flame. Depending on how many pies you're baking, you're going to want to add some wood during the bake, but I would err on the side of caution.

One important aspect of tending the fire in a WFO is that, unlike an indoor oven, where, if you need more heat, you can turn the knob, and just about immediately get the heat you need, in a WFO, if, say, your stone is on the cool side, if you add more wood to the fire, it will take a minimum of 30 minutes for the stone temp to reflect it. If, say, the stone gets too cold, it will be a result of too small a fire 30 minutes prior, and, if it gets too hot, again, it will be because the fire was too hot earlier.

You're going to have to keep a mental (or a physical) diary of how much wood you used for the initial fire, what temps you see on the stone, and how much additional wood it takes to maintain a sensible stone temp. Your IR thermometer will be your best friend here. If you don't have one, get one.

These are just ballpark numbers, but, for the next bake, I'd take the preheat to 240c on the top dial, which should hopefully produce somewhere in the realm of a 300c-325c stone temp. If you overshoot that, even on a second or third pie, it means your initial fire was too large.

Beyond taking steps to control your fire more carefully, I would also suggest adding some doming to your repertoire. Doming is, quite simply, raising the pizza towards the ceiling of the oven towards the end of the bake in an effort to cook the top more (while not cooking the bottom). Here's an okay video where you see the pizza being domed at the end (4:04 mark).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJvkf77p4GY

Your technique is going to be a little different, since I think you're probably going to want to close the door for at least a portion of the bake to trap some heat in. You're ceiling is also going to be a LOT cooler than his, so, rather than a brief up, then down, you're going to want to spend some real time with the pizza raised high in the oven- maybe even half a minute or longer- total. Bear in mind the heat in the top of the oven will be uneven, so you'll need to dome for maybe 10-15 seconds, bring the pizza down to the hearth, turn, dome, turn, dome, turn, etc. Turn quickly- the longer the pizza contacts the hearth, the more the bottom is going to cook.

At the pre-heat temps I mentioned before, I think your oven routine should look a little like this:

0:00 launch, close door
1:00 check the bottom of the pie, turn
turns every 30 seconds until the bottom is almost done
doming until the top is properly colored.

If you check the undercrust at 1:00 and it tears- you checked too early. Next time either check a little later and/or maybe run the oven a bit higher. For this oven, you're never going to be able to do an authentic Neapolitan 60-90 second bake, but I think you can do a pretty respectable balanced 4-5 minute NY style bake, if you dial everything in.

Lastly, as I'm sure you're figuring out, a turning peel is critical. It should be round, slightly smaller than the pie you're making, and be long enough that you don't burn yourself. For a single pie oven, you don't need something incredibly long, but, at the same time, since you're going to be doming for longer periods than is usual, you'll need some length. I think you could get something like this to work:

https://www.amazon.com/American-Metalcraft-17080-Aluminum-Handle/dp/B004FNU6GG/ref=sr_1_13?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1496688041&sr=1-13

If you absolutely had to use a square peel, you could probably turn with a small one, but round peels are a bit easier to work with.

Looking for Pizza Peel Recommendations!

So far its been hard to choose one since all of the reviews on amazon claim that they splinter/crack. I'm a value buyer so let me know what you guys think.

​

I currently own a 15x15 steel plate to bake on. What size should I look for a pizza peel?

​

Ideally I would spend under $20

I was looking at these:

1. Honey Can Do 16 inch https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-16-Inch-Basswood-Curved/dp/B002JPJ0RS
   
2. Pizza Royal https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BXYKNLC/ref=twister_B07C3Z9297?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
   
3. Ironwood https://www.amazon.com/Ironwood-Gourmet-28214-Napoli-Acacia/dp/B0017SZT1E
   
   ​

Okay, here we go...

Mandatory items:

• Food processor or stand mixer
  
  
• Baking scale that measures in grams and ounces
  
  
• Baking stone ^1
  
  
• Wood pizza peel ^2
  
  
• Aluminum pizza peel
  
  Notes:
  
  ^1 Most people will swear by a baking steel instead of a ceramic stone. If your budget allows it, a 1/4" thick steel is much better than a stone.
  
  ^2 I linked to a fancy one, but it really makes dismounting your raw pizza onto your hot stone/steel an easy task. There are cheaper wood peels that don't have the canvas conveyor.
  
  Recipes:
  
  For the dough, my favorite is Kenji's. I follow it to the T, weighing out each item in grams, and it's perfect. Honestly, I've only tried two other dough recipes, and the differences between all of them are minor, but Kenji's is the lightest and crispiest, but not too crispy.
  
  For the sauce, I've only tried a couple, but I love u/dopnyc's sauce. I tweak it a little. I use canned whole san marzanos, but only the tomatoes, I omit the juice they're in and the water in the recipe. I blend the whole tomatoes and then add all of the other ingredients. This makes enough for about four 12" pizzas. It will freeze well.
  
  For the cheese, the most important thing is you need whole milk, low-moisture mozz. Avoid pre-shredded anything, the added cellulose prevents proper melting. Avoid skim/part skim, and avoid fresh mozz (the stuff in water). It's kind of hard to find, but at my local grocery store, Kraft sells string cheese called Creamy that works great. It's delicious. However, it doesn't shred well, so I have to freeze it for about 15 min before grating. Now, I'm not saying that string cheese is the best option, it's just my only option at my local store. There are better options sold in a brick. Again, whole milk, low-moisture is the key.
  
  Toppings:
  
  Try to find a log of pepperoni and slice them off yourself. This will usually yield the coveted pepperoni cups once baked, each with their own personal portion of delicious pepperoni grease.
  
  I like Kenji's itallian pizza sausage recipe. It's very flavorful. You can make this with a food processor instead of a meat grinder/stand mixer.
  
  I gotta go for now, but let me know if you're still interested, I can write up some more on technique for dough balling and stretching and baking.

I feel that I should buy this for you.

Kitchen Supply 14-Inch x 16-Inch Aluminum Pizza Peel with Wood Handle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JPJ0QY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Dbpiyb05YNEVF

Absolutely, you need to heat a pizza steel (the 1/4 inch "baking steel" style, not a pizza pan) for at least 30 minutes. I like to go to 550F but 500 should be minimum. A pizza stone, on the other hand, takes 45 minutes to an hour to heat up to the right temp.

You need to have the pizza directly on the stone or steel for it to help your pizza quality out. You can use a pizza peel with a little practice--this style with a canvas belt works great for beginners. Or, you can use parchment paper, but make sure to take the parchment off from underneath the crust as soon as it is easy to slide out. Just a few minutes into cooking.

Nope! Pretty sure it's this one. I'll double-check tomorrow morning and let you know!

Assuming you already have a oven

you'll save money in the long run if you do the cost with an initial investment of $55, 35$ pizza steel and $20 pizza peel

Cost of packaged ingredient(Assuming basil is free):

$4 for cheese

$3.49 for centos tamto puree

$6.49 for king arthur bread flour(2270g)

Now for the cost of a one pizza(270g each) not including cost of water and salt:

$0.48 for 133g of flour

$.44 for sauce(1/8 of puree, it usually takes me 8+ pizzas to use the entire can)

.8$ for electricity assuming 5300W/1000w * .15kwh = .8$ 550F @45m-60m baking time

$2 for half cheese, it takes half a mozz for a one pizza

that's a total of $3.72 for a ~12" pizza.

assuming domino's prizes $8 * CA tax(1.08237) - 3.72 = 4.93896 in savings

at this rate it would take only take 11-12 days to get your money back, if you consume one pizza on a daily basis. And this is assuming you didn't buy anything in bulk prices.

Here's what your pizza would look like(these are mine no machine used unlike the guy in the video), no kneading required for the first one; it actually comes out better too. Look up the no knead method or pm I will gladly to ***

https://imgur.com/gallery/GTimP5O

https://i.redd.it/e7n1qp0u0yq21.jpg

EDIT:Price may vary depending on your location. All prices and taxes are relative to bay area CA. Ingredients may also very depending on which method is used to prepare the dough. No sugar was considered, because using sugar is stupid and the bread browns well enough without sugar. No need to bring more sugar into your life.

Sources for pricing:

https://www.amazon.com/Chef-Pomodoro-Aluminum-Foldable-Homemade/dp/B01NBX7GOB/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=pizza+peel&qid=1554793116&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/Pizzacraft-Square-Baking-Kitchen-Barbeque/dp/B00NMLKW6Q/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=pizza+steel&qid=1554793163&s=gateway&sr=8-6

https://www.instacart.com/products/270974-whole-foods-market-fresh-mozzarella-ball-8-oz

https://www.instacart.com/store/items/item_29690029

https://www.instacart.com/store/items/item_185825888

I cheat. I use the Exo Super Peel Pizza Peel. It has a rolling belt of nonstick material around it, you basically just roll the pizza directly onto the stone. It sounds weird but it works.

I would post the dough recipe but I had to Frankenstein it a little bit due to my initial batch having bad yeast. I think in the end I would say it had ~85% 00 Flour and ~15% King Arthur Bread Flour. Hydration was probably close to 55-60% and since the first batch was bad this had no time to cold rise so it proofed at room temp for ~1 hour.

Here is a link to the grill attachment.

Also sorry for the shit pictures - was super excited to devour this. I’ll get more next time.

http://www.amazon.com/EXO-Super-Pizza-Solid-White/dp/B001T6OVPO

It's really important not to load too many toppings on. Go easy. Also, you should build the pizza quickly. Wait til the oven is ready, roll the pizza out, and then GO GO GO! Get the toppings on quick before the dough sticks.

People mentioned cornmeal, which is a good plan for novices. If you really want to be serious about it though, you need a perforated pizza peel. You generously flour your prep area, roll the dough out, build the pizza right there on the counter, and then you slip your perforated peel under it, give it a shake so the excess flour falls through the perforations, and then slide it onto the stone. This is the way to get the perfect crispy bready crust, without too much burnt flour (which is bitter) and without cornmeal (which is a different texture).

If you're going to make this into a hobby, and you're willing to spend more money, I highly recommend the Super Peel. It takes virtually all of the anxiety and failure out of transferring the pizza to your stone. I am not a fan of using parchment paper as I tend to cook pizza at temperatures which burn the paper and impart a foul odor on the pizza itself.


Demo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Cepy0tSu88
Buy it here: http://www.superpeel.com/
Or here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001T6OVPO

Launch peel - https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/epicurean-reg-natural-pizza-peel/1014457607

Turning peel - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004FNU6GG/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_85PiDbC04E1HS

You'll be needing a pizza stone and a pizza peel. Use the stone every time you bake pizza, to season it. Even if you're heating up a boxed pizza, use the damn stone.

Next, you want to make sure you're using a good recipe. This is one that I have used. It's damn good. Just follow the directions.

As for sauce, I prefer a white sauces to red, but that's entirely up to you. Find a recipe that you fancy, learn it, and be ready to use it.

As for the rest of the ingredients, I'm not going to tell you to spend a bucketful of money to make a pizza, but better quality ingredients yield better flavor. Keep that in mind.

Also recommend the Super Peel I love mine! Great gift (for those that bake using stones etc. rather than Dutch Ovens)

A good peel is critical to a good launch. Counterintuitively, the best peels are often the cheapest actually because they are the least fancy. A soft more porous birchwood peel such as: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LPDNPO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Mq2PDbJY50QEY

The wood must be porous because the porosity allows for the excess water from the dough to be absorbed. The excess water is what causes sticking. Once i switched to birchwood, launching was never an issue again. I find the longer peels are easier to launch with but a lot of people may need to get a short one due to a kitchen island blocking the way. Also, you should probably get a peel the size of your cooking surface or perhaps slightly bigger if you ever intend to switch to a larger surface.

Yeah 485F is the perfect temp for me, stone and semolina ball bearings

Don't be shy with the flour, you can probably use even more than you already did. Some people will use cornmeal, but I don't like what it does to the texture of my pies.

Also, consider getting a wooden peel. There are some pretty affordable ones on Amazon, like this guy. Wood does a better job than metal does of keeping the crust dry and will transfer more easily. You should only use the peel to build and transfer the pie, not as a cutting board. You also don't want to wash the peel in water or oil it.

Another trick is to build the pie toward the front edge of the peel, rather than the middle. If you want, you can lift the edge of the dough and blow an air bubble underneath which will also help it slide.

Lastly, once you stretch the dough and start building the pizza, the clock is ticking. Try not to keep the pie on the peel more than 3-4 minutes before you transfer to the oven.

There's a lot there and you don't need to do all of these things at once--I hope you find something that suits your style.

This is what you need, learned about this from America's test kitchen.

EXO Polymer Sealed Super Peel Pizza Peel
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NGOOM6K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_qmhuxb4PB5M6F

This thing will change you life if you routinely cook pizzas on the egg. Makes getting even a super thin crust pizza on and off the stone a breeze. It’s hard to describe how it works but it’s basically a conveyer belt on a pizza peel.

EXO Non-Stick Polymer Sealed Super Peel Pizza Peel https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NGOOM6K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_VpfrDbMK956CK

you could get this style of peel http://smile.amazon.com/Super-Peel-Pizza-Solid-White/dp/B001T6OVPO?sa-no-redirect=1
you just make the pizza on the peel and you use the cloth to slide the pizza right in the oven

Get pizza peel with conveyor belt, build pizza on belt and easily slide it in to oven.

https://www.amazon.com/EXO-Non-Stick-Super-Peel-Composite/dp/B00CLS8LLE/ref=asc_df_B00CLS8LLE/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193129986239&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=3894195540959087619&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9021455&hvtargid=pla-309035916144&psc=1

I just use this.. I have no troubles with pizza stickage anymore.

As others have mentioned, get a peel. This one in Amazon has prime shipping and is $13. Others have said sprinkling some flour on it to help reduce friction, and it definitely works, but I prefer using a little bit of cornmeal. Experiment with either and you'll find what works best for you. After that, it's just practice, practice, practice. You'll learn to feel the consistency of the dough to know if you need to add more water or flour and get better at shaping it.

The best part is that even if you mess up, you'll still have a delicious pizza. More than once while learning I ended up with a messed up calzone instead of pizza. It was still great. And once you really get the hang of it it is amazing. I'm still learning, but that's half the fun. Here is a recent one of mine.

lol. I guess that's an illusion. It's a small peel:

http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-14-Inch-16-Inch-Aluminum/dp/B002JPJ0QY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1318182467&sr=8-2

Nice cutting board $100

Food mill $50

Cream whipper $30

Grill pan $33

Peel $60

Kitchenaid meat grinder/sausage stuffer $60

Culinary torch $20

It looks well cooked, except for the cheese half, yeah? Maybe tent some foil over that side next time?


As for a clean transfer in order to keep things round (if that's where you're having problems) I've had good luck with this peel and good old corn meal.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002JPJ0QY?cache=9ce409a8f8c7a3f2b7f5331da7bac609&pi=SX200_QL40&qid=1407030740&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1

Only $25, and I find metal works a lot better than wood.

This peel happens to be Epicurean. It's definitely knife friendly since it isn't really wood. More info here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PRI3TS/

So this is a little different, but hear me out.

A maple chopping block is a thing of beauty and a joy and I love mine beyond all measure. BUT ... for everyday cutting, I depend on these:
http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Boards-Epicurean-Piece-Natural/dp/B004TJMPWO

They are the best cutting boards ever, are dishwasher safe, develop a "patina" with age and use, and won't damage her good knives. I have the "natural" color ones that I use for every day and the black ones that I use for meat only. (I think you said she was veggie, so that might not be something she needs.)

But a set of these would be an awesome gift, IMO.

Also the same company makes pizza peels (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PRI3TS/) and a whole slew of other kitchen items that you could bundle together to make a theme.

Wrap them up with a set of good quality, old fashioned, flour sack kitchen towels:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UXNWGCY/

That would be an awesome gift - at least from my perspective. :)

Damn those are expensive. They do have a 16" version now.

Homemade pizza. I have the pizza stone. I have the pizza peel. I have all the necessary accoutrements for making the bestest pizza.

I have NEVER ONCE successfully completed the transfer from peel to stone. I know all the secrets to how to do it, watched all the videos. It never works. Gonna try this next. I'm not hopeful.

I have the Lodge with the lip and this pizza peel makes using it a breeze. I just realized it's a little pricey (got it as a gift) but it really is all that and a bag of chips. Perfect placement every time with no stress induced sweating.

That cloth spins around so that I can easily get it from the cloth onto the stone in the oven.

Check out this link: http://www.amazon.com/EXO-Super-Pizza-Solid-White/dp/B001T6OVPO/ref=sr_1_10?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1381800267&sr=1-10&keywords=pizza+peel

Very good question. I hate launching raw dough onto the steel with the aluminum peel I have. Dusting with flour or cornmeal makes a mess of the counter. Even with flour or cornmeal, little parts of the pie still stick almost every time. Blowing the board is not effective. Also, my peel is only 12 inches wide, which really isn't as big as I'd like to make pizzas in this style, so even a perfect raw launch isn't the only issue.

So, I launch on a screen, remove the pie from the screen after the bottom crust sets, and let it brown. I lose a little bottom browning this way, but the aggravation it saves me is worth it.

I know some people say wooden peels work better for launching and recommend getting one of each, but that's another expense. Maybe someday if I were convinced it would work. Something like the super peel seems great, but that's even more expensive, and, with a hot steel 6 inches under the broiler I'm not sure the super peel's mechanics would work all that well.

I have heard launching with parchment paper can be effective. I may try that.