What to Buy Kitchen Tools The 9 Best Pizza Tools for Preparing Professional-Quality Pizzas at Home Including our favorite outdoor oven and pizza peel. By Jennifer Zyman Updated on May 23, 2023 Share Tweet Pin Email In This Article Expand Jump to a Section Reviews Our Expertise We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. Food and Wine / Ooni Homemade pizza is always a good idea, especially when you have the right tools to make it, including a pizza oven. When I installed an outdoor kitchen in my last house, one of my main expenses was a wood-fired pizza oven from Italy. After a year of trial and error, I got control of the fire and developed a lot of preferences for tools. Pizza is all about the dough and how you cook it. All the typical dough requirements apply when making your crust from scratch. A great scale approved by our test kitchen will ensure precision with any ingredients, and a heavy-duty stand mixer will help save your arms some work. This list of tried-and-true pizza gadgets features tools I’ve tested in my own kitchen and products that have earned Food & Wine’s seal of approval. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, there's something for every skill level. Best Outdoor Pizza Oven Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Ace Hardware The Ooni Koda Pizza Oven won our outdoor pizza oven tests, as it was the easiest to use and put together. The Ooni features a wide opening to handle pizzas, whether turning in the oven or moving in and out. Better access to the pizzas in the oven means better results. The gas oven heats up to 932°F and produces consistently golden and crispy crusts with evenly melted mozzarella cheese up to 16 inches in diameter. While the oven is lightweight, it is on the large side, so check the specifications to ensure it will fit. Don't let the weight fool you: This outdoor oven is durable and still accessible enough for one person to move on their own. Even though pizza may feel like a special night, this model’s simple operation means frequent weekday pizza nights are a new possibility. Price at time of publish: $599 Best Indoor Oven Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo Pizza Oven 4.9 Amazon View On Amazon View On Williams-Sonoma View On Best Buy This Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo is for pizza makers who don't want to be outside or have outgrown cooking on a stone in the oven. While this indoor pizza oven is more expensive than outdoor options, it is the best choice of all the models we tested in our lab. The oven comes with presets such as "Wood Fired," "Thin and Crispy," and "Pan Pizza." It adjusts to replicate the selected cooking environment and has a manual mode to greater control the radiant, conductive, and convection heat separately. This oven uses electrical radiant heat in a straightforward design, so pizzas come out with a spotted crust. Capable of making pizzas up to 12 inches at temperatures up to 750°F, pies came out crispy and golden brown. Another plus is that the oven comes completely assembled, so you can start using it as soon as it arrives. We wholeheartedly recommend it for home cooks looking for quick pizza indoors. Price at time of publish: $1,000 Best Bench Scraper OXO Bench Scraper Amazon View On Amazon View On Target View On Boscovs.com Oxo's Stainless Steel Bench Scraper has everything you need in a bench scraper. It’s an excellent tool for pasta and bread makers because it quickly lifts even the stickiest dough off most surfaces, features a comfortable rubber handle for gripping while cutting more fickle dough, and can go right into the dishwasher for easy cleanup. The stainless steel blade edge is etched with measurements, which is incredibly useful when a pastry dough, for instance, calls for a specific height. I also love using my bench scraper to scoop chopped ingredients or pull up stuck-on dough. Plus, it works well for preparing homemade gnocchi, biscuits, bagels, and English muffins, effortlessly shaping boules into tight balls. It is a kitchen MVP, and you can't beat the price. Price at time of publish: $12 Best Pizza Peel Heritage Acacia Wood Pizza Peel Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart This pizza peel is useful for preparing and serving pizza. The 14-inch paddle is scratch-resistant and made to last so that it won't warp over time. Thanks to its smooth acacia wood surface and ergonomic handle, the dough won't stick to the paddle, and maneuvering pizzas in and out of the oven is effortless. What’s more, you can use it to serve pizzas or to make a charcuterie platter that’s easy to move from place to place. Clean the peel after every use with hot soapy water and dry well before treating a wood-safe oil to keep it looking its best. It was our favorite when we evaluated the best pizza peels on the market in tests, and it should last if you treat it right. Price at time of publish: $35 Best Outdoor Pizza Tool Set WPPO 4 Piece Wood-Fired Pizza Oven Utensil Kit Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Bbqguys.com The fire must be constantly tended to when you cook on an outside pizza oven — especially a wood-fired model. It took me years to master building and managing the fire inside my wood-fired oven, and the key was having tools like the ones in this Pro-Aluminum Wood-Fired Pizza Oven Utensil Kit. You need more than just a wooden peel because you don’t want to burn or dirty the peel you use for uncooked pies. This set has everything an aspiring pizzaiolo would need to move coals around the fire, including a cleaning brush to clean the oven floor in between pies and tools to turn the pizzas around for even cooking. All the utensils have extra long handles ideal for medium to extra-large ovens. Price at time of publish: $265 Best Infrared Thermometer ThermoPro TP30 Digital Infrared Thermometer Gun Amazon View On Amazon View On Buythermopro.com View On Home Depot A thermometer is essential because the temperature is key, whether the pizza is cooked in an outdoor oven or on a pizza stone. The crust won't rise beautifully if the oven is not hot enough between pies. The ThermoPro Digital Infrared Thermometer Gun won best overall in our lab tests because it responds quickly in approximately 500 ms and is accurate to a 1.5°F variation. In my experience, the stone temperature drops once in contact with pizza dough, and it's sometimes cold toppings. So, I like to always take the temperature between pizzas for the best results. Price at time of publish: $23 Best Steel Baking Sheet Dough-Joe The Samurai 15-inch Steel Baking Sheet Dough-Joe View On Amazon View On Fallsculinary.com We tested several top-rated pizza stones to find the best, and the Dough-Joe Samurai Baking Sheet came out on top. During our tests, it provided exceptional heat retention, yielding crispy and chewy crusts. We found baking steel an excellent alternative to more expensive options because it performs just as well. The instructions claim there is no need to wash it, but we like to clean it when there is noticeable debris. If you wash it immediately, thoroughly dry it with a neutral oil, and bake for 90 minutes at 500–550°F. The steel accommodates a 12-inch pizza. Price at time of publish: $60 Best Pizza Pan Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Baking Pan With Loop Handles 4.8 Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Lifeandhome.com While we love wood-fired ovens and baking steels, our Editorial Director, Megan Soll, has a clever alternative for making homemade pizzas. She recommends the Lodge 14-inch because it’s easy to maneuver when taking it in and out of the oven thanks to the helper handles and arrives pre-seasoned with oil, so you don't need to treat it in any way except for a good rinse for the packing dust. While it makes beautiful pies and doubles as a serving dish, this is a versatile piece of cookware, not a one-hit wonder. You can use it to make dosas, cook pancakes, griddle a burger, or heat tortillas. Since Lodge’s cast iron is known to be heirloom-worthy, this is the kind of item you buy once and use forever. Price at time of publish: $60 Best Pizza Cutter Dexter-Russell 18023P Outdoors 4-Inch Pizza Cutter with Purple Handle Amazon View On Amazon View On Walmart View On Globalindustrial.com Regular knives just don't cut it when it comes to pizza. The rotating function of a pizza wheel cutter, like the Dexter-Russell Outdoors 4-Inch Pizza Cutter, is key for even slices. It was our favorite of all the pizza cutters we tested in our lab tests due to its protective finger guard, stain-resistant blade, and textured handles, so it doesn't slip out of hand. Pizza cutters are notorious for quickly dulling, but these blades are replaceable and easy to swap. Since you can buy replacement blades, this knife should last a lifetime if treated well. It isn't dishwasher-safe, but it cleans up fast with soapy water. Price at time of publish: $36 Our Expertise Jennifer Zyman is a Senior Commerce Writer for Food & Wine and a former restaurant critic with a culinary school degree and over 15 years of food writing experience. Her work has appeared in Atlanta Magazine, Bon Appetit, Eater Atlanta, The Kitchn, Local Palate, National Geographic, Simply Recipes, Southern Living, and Thrillist. She determined this list based on testing data and research. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit