Take Your Pizza Game To The Next Level With A Turning Peel

There's nothing like a delicious homemade pizza. Not only is making it yourself budget-friendly, but it's also a fun activity for the whole family. If you've made this dish in your home oven before, you may already be familiar with some tricks that will make it look and taste like it comes from a high-end Italian restaurant. The Pioneer Woman recommends always ensuring that when it's time to place the pizza in the oven, you do so on a pre-heated, very hot surface. This doesn't have to be anything specific (although a pizza stone is always a great investment), but whether you're cooking your pizza on a baking sheet or something else, it should spend at least 30 minutes getting nice and hot in your oven first.

Preparing the dough properly is also of utmost importance when crafting your own pizza. While you may be tempted to use a rolling pin to spread the dough before piling on the toppings, Taste of Home cautions against this. The key to a soft and fluffy dough is to tug on it from side to side with your hands until it reaches the desired size. And, if you aren't a fan of soggy pizza dough, try not to go overboard with additional ingredients after plopping on the sauce and cheese.

While there are many more hacks out there that you can use to make a mouthwatering pizza, one way you'll take your pizza game to the next level is with a turning peel.

If you're on the fence about investing in a turning peel for your pizza nights, this is your sign to jump on over. A turning peel is the key to an evenly cooked pizza with no burnt areas. This essential tool is basically just a long handle with a rounded, flat head on one end, explains The Pizza Heaven. It allows you to easily rotate the pizza while it's cooking without having to take it out of the oven or stick your hands inside and risk burning yourself. All you do is slip the head underneath the base of the pizza and shift it around to the next desired spot. This is instrument is especially ideal for anyone with an oven that is hotter or cooler in certain areas and for those cooking more than one pizza at a time.

Gozney offers some tips for using a turning peel, starting with how to tell when it's time to do that first turn. It's actually quite simple: the crust will darken a bit and begin fluffing up within the first half minute of cooking. You'll then want to stick the turning peel in the oven for a few seconds to let it heat up before sliding it under the pizza. Rotate it a few times with gentle flicks of the wrist, ensuring you lift it up to check the base for good color. Repeat this motion until it's fully cooked.