3 Pizza Tools You Should Add to Your Kitchen ASAP, According to a Professional Pizza Chef

New York City just landed an outpost of one of the best pizza restaurants in Italy, and that’s leaving everyone not in New York (me) feeling very jealous. Thankfully, there are ways to make excellent pizza at home, you just need the right tools and technique. To help out everyone from pizza novices to aficionados, we spoke with head Piazzolo of L’Antica Pizzeria Da Michele, Michele Rubini, about what tools you need to make quality pizza at home.

While you would think atop the list is a stand mixer, Rubini thinks this is non-essential. He says that “there is no substitute” for “the pleasure of learning the feeling of dough making,” and when you come to understand the texture and consistency that is right, the feeling is unmatched. But there are some other tools that can help you on your journey, according to the famed pizzaiolo. 

Nerd Chef Pizza Steel Stone

To buy: $110 at amazon.com

A steel baking stone is definitely one of them. “A household oven is one of the major limits in pizza making (especially if you’re trying to make Neapolitan style) and the steel baking stone is for sure the way to go if you really want to step up the game,” Rubini says. He recommends using it in combination with a skillet broiler, and preheating the stone for over an hour. This will create the “almost” ideal environment for great pizza, in just four to five minutes. 

Karboby 14-Inch Perforated Pizza Peel

To buy: $40 at amazon.com

Next on Rubini’s list is a quality pizza peel. Despite various options available in wood, he insists on getting an aluminum one. He says that the perforations allow excess flour to fall out before the pizza makes it onto the baking stone. Because flour gets bitter if it’s burnt, this will help you avoid a bitter taste to your finished pizza. Lastly, Rubini says this one is “easy to clean and also easy to slide it underneath your favorite pie after you have stretched your pizza on a clean surface.”

Babadoh Set of 6 Dough Containers

To buy: $59 at amazon.com

Last but not least, Rubini recommends adding these dough containers to your kitchen. “Let’s put it this way,” he says, “after you spent so much time mastering your pizza dough recipe, you want to store it perfectly and without risking it, so it won’t dry out.” He insists that nothing is better than these Babadoh Pizza Dough containers. “I’ve been using them for a while now and simply love them,” he says. “They are easy to store and easy to clean, and they are a great place to proof your dough.”