A pizza peel is the flat paddle you use to slide pizza into a hot oven and pull it back out. Simple enough, but wood and metal peels are good at different jobs, so the right one depends on how you cook.
A peel mostly gets pizza in and out. You build the raw pizza on it and slide it onto the hot stone (that's launching). Later you slide it under the baked pizza, pull it out, and carry it to the table. There's also turning the pizza while it bakes so it cooks evenly, which matters most in very hot pizza ovens.
Most home cooks need help with launching first. If you bake in an outdoor pizza oven, turning becomes a big deal too.
Wood peels
KaTom's guide to peel materials says raw dough is less likely to stick to wood than to metal. That's the main reason wood peels are a favorite for building and launching. Wood is also nice to look at, so plenty of people use a wood peel as a serving board too.
Wood has a few downsides. The peels are thicker, so they're harder to slide under a baked pizza. They're bulkier and take up more space. And wood needs a little care, because too much water or heat can make it warp or crack.
Metal peels
Metal peels are usually made of aluminum, which is light and doesn't rust. Their big advantage is the thin edge, which slips right under a baked pizza. Metal also handles the heat inside an oven better, so it's the usual pick for moving pizza around while it bakes.
The catch is that raw dough sticks to metal more easily. Dust it well and launch fast. Semolina works great for dusting, and it's what America's Test Kitchen recommends for peels. Metal can also dent or scratch with heavy use. Some metal peels have holes so extra flour falls off before it hits the oven.
If you have an outdoor pizza oven, you'll also see small round peels on long handles. Those are turning peels. The small head lets you nudge and spin the pizza inside the oven without pulling it out. In a pizza oven, the side near the fire cooks much faster, so pizzas there usually need a turn every 15 to 30 seconds, and a turning peel makes that quick and easy. In a regular home oven, you don't really need one.
Picking a size
There's no single right size, but a few rules help. Pick a peel a little wider than the pizzas you make, so the edges don't hang off the sides. Measure your oven opening or your pizza stone, since the peel has to fit through the opening with room to move.
For a home oven, a short handle is easier to use and store. For a hot outdoor pizza oven, a longer handle keeps your hands farther from the heat. And make sure you have a spot on the counter to build the pizza on the peel, plus somewhere to store it.
Care
Tasting Table says never to soak a wood peel or put it in the dishwasher. Hand wash it with warm water and a little mild soap. Dry it with a towel, then let it dry flat in a cool, dry spot. Now and then, rub in some food safe mineral oil to keep the wood sealed.
Cutting pizza on a wood peel will leave knife marks over time. That's normal, but a separate board keeps it looking newer.
For a metal peel, hand wash it and dry it right away. Many makers say to keep peels out of the dishwasher. Don't cut pizza on it, since that can scratch the metal and dull your cutter, and store it somewhere it won't get bent.
Where to start
If you bake in a regular oven, or you're a beginner, one wood peel is where we'd start. It makes launching easy and doubles as a serving board. If you're feeding a crowd, a two pack of light wood peels lets you build the next pizza while one bakes. With an outdoor pizza oven, you'll probably end up with two: a wood peel for launching, plus the metal peel that comes with the oven for turning and retrieving.
Our hardwood peels are made to order in Ohio. The Hardwood Pizza Peel comes in cherry, maple, or walnut and 2 sizes ($79.99 to $149.99). There's also the Round Hardwood Pizza Paddle ($74.99 to $139.99) and the Walnut Pizza Peel 22 x 16 in. ($142.99). They usually ship in 3 to 5 business days, and shipping is free.
For a cheaper wood option, the Wooden Pizza Launch Peel 12 in. Wide 2 Pack is $44.99 for two light basswood peels. You can see all of these in our pizza peels collection.
If you're getting a pizza oven anyway, the Lil Luigi oven kit ($299, free shipping) includes a metal peel, a poker, and a cutter.
If you're new to making pizza, our free 14 page guide, Pizza Night at Home, covers dough, stretching, and how to launch without sticking. Join our email list and you can download it right away.