Equipment
The
best place to start here would be in the area of pans. There are a great deal of options available
to you and I will try and provide some good general guidelines. The kind of pans that you purchase is going
to depend largely on what kind of pizza you want to make as well as how much
money you are going to want to spend.
The
most popular type of pizza that most people are taking on is the thin crust,
New York style pizza. There are a number
of different types of pizza that fall under the category of thin crust that
start out with similar elements but end up dramatically different. But if thin crust is what interests you,
there are a few basic options.
I
wish I could tell you that pans are easy to find but it is going to require a
little bit of work on your part. Let me
rephrase. It’s going to take a bit of
leg work on your part to acquire the kind of pans that will yield the best
quality product. Most kitchen and box
stores now stock primarily the light aluminum pans because they are cheap to produce
and therefore economically priced. There
are some drawbacks. The pans usually
need to be seasoned before their first use; not a huge hurdle but a hassle
nonetheless. Also, the pan tends to
reflect heat instead of absorbing it so the pizzas frequently come out
under-baked. It’s easy to get lured in
by the lower cost but you will be paying in other ways, namely in your
satisfaction.
I strongly recommend pans produced with the heavier material that does not require seasoning. I also suggest a perforated pan instead of solid body as it seems to allow the bottom of the crust to cook more evenly. Chicago Metallic® makes a pan like this that is of good quality and reasonably priced. Many of their products are available online from Amazon.com.
The other option to consider for making
thin crust pizza is the purchase of a hearth baking stone. The biggest difference that I have found from
stone to stone is size and shape. Hearth
stones are available at most box stores but online sources will probably
provide a stone that is tougher and more durable. One economical option if you don’t want to
invest in a pizza stone is to use unglazed quarry tiles. You should be able to find them for very
cheap. A pizza stone is a good
investment though and I have found that even if I am not baking on it; having
it in the oven helps produce a pizza that is more evenly baked. Professional pizza ovens get upwards of 800
degrees. Using a hearth stone is the
closest you can come to making the environment of your oven similar to that of
the deck ovens used by the pros.
Another important piece of information you should have in terms of caring for a pizza stone is in regard to cleaning. Do it as little as possible. If you have burnt chunks of crust or toppings then you can scrape off what you can with hot or cold water. Do not use any type of cleaning product. Think of your stone as a sponge that absorbs everything it touches. If you get that cleaner on the stone, it will absorb the flavor of that cleaner and it will be ruined forever.
If you purchase a stone, you should also invest in a pizza peel in order to get the pizza in and out of the oven with as little mess as possible. Peels are fairly easy to find and are generally inexpensive.
I have a larger sized, 14 inch pan made by Chicago Metallic®. This is a good size for feeding a crowd and seems to be well suited for a deep dish pizza. I use smaller pans for the stuffed pizzas. Like the thin crust pan caring for this pan is very easy. It is quick to clean and produces a crust that is evenly and thoroughly baked. Like flour, all pans are not made equal and there is a recognizable difference from pizza to pizza based on the pan you use. It definitely produces an acceptable substitute it Chicago happens to not be available at the time.
There are also pans available that are made with the same material as the hearth stones. This pan was manufactured by Sassafras®. Unlike the hearth stones, this pan can be put into the oven cold. It wouldn’t be practical to try and assemble a pizza in a blazing hot stone pan. This pan is smaller at around 11 inches and is well suited for making stuffed pizzas. The crust comes out crisp and it allows you to get that unique stone flavor into your deep dish that you wouldn’t be able to accomplish just putting a thicker dough onto your hearth stone.
Another
type of pan that is also suited for deep dish Pizza is what you see here, a
deep dish PSTK pans (Pre-Seasoned Tuff Kote).
They are a bit more expensive than the rest especially when you add in
shipping but they are worth the investment.
The finish on the pans is tough and lasts a long time and the end result
of your work is very satisfying.
So
my best advice is to be patient and take the time to find a pan that is going
to work best for you. Do some research
online and you should be able to come away with something that you can be happy
with that won’t be too much damage to your pocketbook.
From here, there is basic equipment
that would be good to have around the kitchen.
Cooling racks are highly recommended.
They allow your pizza to cool without moisture getting trapped underneath
and making the crust soggy. There are a
number of different styles of cutters that you can purchase; they are all just
as effective. I would recommend
purchasing a heavy rolling pin; it will make your job a lot easier. A dough docker is nice to perforate dough but
you can certainly get away with using a fork.
My advice: start with the basics and
add various equipment as you gain experience and have a better idea what items
will make your job easier and more enjoyable.
