14 Most Important Tools You Need For Making Homemade Pizza

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The movies and real-life pizzerias always make pizza making look so easy. It seemingly came second nature to the staff at the local pizza joint I frequented growing up, who were able to toss dough in the air with their eyes closed and always knew exactly when to pull a perfectly cooked pie from the oven. After working professionally in a pizzeria and taking up pizza-making as a hobby, I've come to realize that mastering a good pie is all about two things: practice and having the right tools on hand. 

The word "right" is definitely subjective here. If you're making pizza once a year (and after realizing how tricky it is to master dough, you vow never to try it yourself again), your version of the "right tools" may be a pre-made pizza crust, a metal sheet pan, and a dream. But if you want to make pizzas that rival the ones sold at your local pizzeria, you're going to have to stock up on some specialized gadgets and tools. I chatted with two pizza experts — Sean Martin, co-creator and chef at Vindulge and co-author of "Fire + Wine Backyard Pizza," and Luke Jacobellis from Tony's New York Pizza in Newbury Park, California — to get the scoop on what tools every home pizza maker should have. 

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If you make homemade pizza once a year, you probably don't need to spend a few hundred dollars on a pizza oven. That said, it was the first product that author Sean Martin recommended aspiring pizzaiolos purchase. "When it comes to pizza ovens there are so many to choose from, and in the end, it comes down to finding the best oven for your budget and lifestyle," says Sean Martin. He suggests looking for a pizza oven that is no less than 13 inches wide, as that'll give you enough room to stick a peel into it. You'll also need to decide between a wood-fired oven or a gas-powered one — though, as Martin explains, some pizza ovens can utilize both sources. In the end, Martin says that "very few can taste the difference at higher heat when using propane over wood," and cautions that wood ovens can both be more expensive and more work to maintain. 

There are several models he recommends, including the budget-friendly and gas-powered Solo Stove Pi Prime, the portable Gozney Tread, and the Alfa Forni Moderno Pizze 2, which can cook two pizzas at once. I am a proud owner of a gas-powered Ooni Koda 12, and I can personally vouch for how easy it is to heat up and operate — even if you're just learning how to make homemade pizza.

An infrared thermometer is a must-have, regardless of whether you're making pizza in an outdoor oven, standard home oven, or a grill. As Sean Martin says, "The single most important temperature reading you need for great pizza is the pizza stone, not the internal temperature of the oven." So, although your home oven might read 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the surface you're cooking the pizza on might be much hotter or may still need to be preheated more to ensure that your pie cooks correctly. Martin explains that the temperature that your stone should read will depend on the type of pizza you're making; for a grilled pizza, you might be looking for around 500 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, while a Neapolitan-style requires something closer to 700 or 750 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Martin recommends the ThermoWorks IRK-2 – but it's a big splurge for a beginner pizza maker. That said, it has about all of the bells and whistles you could ever want on an infrared thermometer — including a range over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, backlit display, and a built-in circle laser. If you're ballin' on a budget and just getting used to using this tool to check the temperature of your stone, you may want to turn to the Etekcity Infrared Thermometer, which costs less than $20 and allows you to measure from up to 15 inches away from your stone. While it doesn't offer nearly the same range as the ThermoWorks IRK-2, it still does the job for most pizza making. 

Outdoor pizza ovens get hot, so you definitely don't want to be sticking your hands anywhere near them when you go to fire your pizza. This is why stocking up on the right peels (yes, plural) is important. The first one that Sean Martin mentions is a perforated metal peel. He explains that the perforations on the bottom of the peel, along with a generous dusting of flour, will help prevent the pizza from sticking. These launching peels can also come with longer handles so that you don't have to worry about getting too close to the fire. I personally own the Ooni Aluminum Pizza Peel and find that it gets the job done; you can also select between three different lengths depending on the size of your oven.

Another type of peel that you may see used is a wooden peel. Since wood is flammable, I personally wouldn't recommend using it to launch or retrieve your pizza. But you can certainly use a wooden one to assemble and serve your pie. Just be wary of the dimensions of your oven — you don't want to stretch your crust to fit the wooden peel only to realize that it won't fit. And, as Luke Jacobellis from Tony's New York Pizza notes, always add a little semolina or cornmeal between the pie and peel to stave off sticking. 

Just because you can cut pizza with a chef's knife doesn't mean that you should. Your cutting utensil is important because it ensures that you get nice, clean cuts on your pie, rather than mangling it and destroying all your toppings in the process.

There are endless options out there for pizza cutters, though Sean Martin recommends avoiding one in particular. "Shears may look fun on Instagram but it's a mess to cut and you often have to touch every slice in order to do it," he says. "So, just save the scissors for other things and invest in a good pizza cutter with a handle." Wheeled cutters are easy to use: Just forcefully push the blade down into the crust and roll away from you in a single motion — don't see-saw back and forth. They work best for thin-crust pizzas and will give you very even slices. 

If you're working with a pan pizza or a Detroit-style pie, however, you will likely need to get a larger rocker instead of a wheel. I personally like KitchenStar's 16-Inch Pizza Cutter because it comes with a cover and can make quick work of a thick crust.

You may be able to get away with slicing your frozen pizza on a plate, but the same is not the case for a homemade version. There are several reasons why you'll want to invest in a quality cutting board to slice your pizza. The first is that you don't want to leave any marks on your peel that could ruin its finish (and cause your pizza to stick to it), nor do you want to have to worry about damaging plates or other surfaces (we can probably all admit to trying to cut something directly on the countertop rather than a board at least once). 

I prefer to cut my pizza on a plastic cutting board, which I replace regularly. Rubber and wooden cutting boards are both popular options, but you may want to consider your preferred method of cleaning (not all boards are dishwasher-safe), what else you're cutting on it, and how big of an impact aesthetics have on your purchase. Moreover, I would recommend transferring your pizza after it's cut to a perforated, raised surface (like the stands you see at pizzerias) because it allows air to flow underneath the pie and prevents it from getting soggy. 

Not only do you need to have the right tools to bake and slice your pizza, but also to assemble it. One of the items that I couldn't imagine making pizzas without is a sauce spoon. These spoons are not the same as ladles; they have a flat bottom that allows you to distribute the sauce evenly across the pizza — almost like a spatula. You can find ones with little lips so that you can easily pour your sauce onto the pizza, as well as those that have the exact size scoop you need for your pizza. Sure you can use a measuring cup and a spatula, but who wants to do extra dishes? 

There are tons of different scoop sizes and options worth considering. You can get one with a longer or shorter handle, depending on what you need. I own this Magiclulu spoon and frequently use it for saucing pizzas; I especially appreciate that it has measurements on the inside. 

Shaker jars are an item that you can never really have too many of, and it turns out that they come in handy for several different things while making pizza. For one, it can dispense flour and help prevent your dough from sticking. Pizza dough tends to have a high water content — around 65 to 70% – which is why it's so extensible, chewy, and delicious. However, this high moisture content makes it prone to sticking to everything — including your hands, the peel, and the bowl. Having a shaker jar of flour, cornmeal, or semolina handy allows you to add just enough to stave off sticking, but not so much that you alter the consistency of the dough. If you were to just scoop some dry ingredients from a bag and add it to the dough, you might risk making it too dry. 

Another time that a shaker jar may come in handy is when you want to add cheese or herbs to your pizza. At the pizzeria I worked at, we would add a sprinkle of oregano and Parmesan to our pies before sliding them into the oven. It's so easy to have these seasonings at your disposal rather than having to rifle through your spice drawer with flour-covered hands. 

Pre-shredded cheese has its merits, though if you want the highest quality pizza, you may want to try grating your own. It won't melt as well as freshly shredded cheese because pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking agents like wood pulp. These ingredients can prevent the cheese from sticking together in the bag, but they can make for an inconsistent melt. 

If you have the extra time, I would recommend grating your cheese with a box grater. Many folks already have this essential kitchen tool in their cabinet, as a box grater can be used in so many creative ways, such as grating veggies, spices, chocolate, and more. You can also use a food processor equipped with a grating blade, or purchase an attachment for your KitchenAid stand mixer that will make quick work of your cheese. Use a larger hole size for mozzarella and opt for a smaller blade for Parmesan. 

A digital kitchen scale is one kitchen tool that every baker should invest in. "Grams matter and having the scale to weigh your proper baker's percentage for hydration levels and flour is the difference between good and great dough," says Sean Martin. He recommends buying a budget-friendly kitchen scale model from a brand like Escali; its Primo model is a good place to start. This scale, which comes in many different colors, is very intuitive and easy to use. 

Martin recommends always looking for a scale with a tare function; this will allow you to weigh your ingredients, zero it, then add your next ingredient. While this is the bare minimum, there are a number of add-on functions as well. You can find scales with multiple platforms; the Ooni Dual Platform Digital Scale has a separate tiny scale designed for measuring things like salt and yeast. 

There's one more type of peel that's worth buying: the turning peel. Sean Martin even goes so far as to call it a "must-have accessory." "The turning peels are smaller and will allow you to rotate the pizzas for even cooking and be able to check the bottom easily," he says. While you may be able to shoot a pizza into your oven with a square metal peel, you won't be able to "dome" the pizza — which Martin explains is the process of lifting the pizza up in the oven to expose it to "more immediate heat." 

The size of your turning peel correlates with the size of the pizza you're making. This is because the turning peel tends not to have a smaller diameter than the pizza itself. Figuring out how to nimbly move your pizza around the oven can be a bit of a learning curve, but having a turning peel on hand is a critical tool to do it. Martin notes that you don't need to have a long peel for most standard pizza ovens; the shorter peel makes it a little easier to maneuver the pie in the oven. 

If you're not planning on using a pizza oven (which Sean Martin explains already comes with one), you'll need to retrofit your grill or home oven with a baking stone or steel. Essentially, these handy tools capture the heat from your oven and hold it consistently. They're often made with a porous material, which causes the moisture in the dough to evaporate quickly. If you're after a non-soggy pie, they're a must-have. 

Pizza stones and steels come in various materials, including cast iron, ceramic, carbon steel, and Martin's top pick: cordierite. Besides the material, he also shares that you need to look at the heat rating for each. "Any pizza stone worth buying will share its formal rating on a product page," he says, noting that you should look for ones that can withstand temperatures upwards of 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, which "prevents cracking and breakage." You can also ensure the longevity of your stone by never cleaning it by submerging it in water or using chemical cleaners on it — which can potentially ruin it.

It's so easy to use a pizza stone on a grill or in an oven. "Depending on how big your grill is, you can put the stones right on top of your grill," says Luke Jacobellis. You'll just want to make sure that you preheat the stone in either appliance so that when the pizza dough hits it, it crisps up well. 

I know what you're thinking — all of those people on your Instagram or TikTok knead bread by hand, and it looks so cottage-core and satisfying. I'm here to tell you that you should just use the stand mixer and save yourself the aggravation. You'll want to invest in a bread hook for your model, which will allow the dough to climb and stretch with very little work required on your part. And it's especially important to mix your pizza dough well because a well-hydrated and well-mixed dough makes for easy stretching and the perfect chewy yet crunchy bite. 

However, this tool comes with some caveats. Over-mixed (and under-rested) pizza dough will cause it to snap back rather than hold its shape on the peel. To prevent making your dough too tight, be sure to avoid mixing it on too high speeds or for too long. You can perform the windowpane test by tearing off a small piece, stretching it, and looking at a light through it. If it tears and you can't see through it, it may need to be kneaded for a bit longer. 

Bench scrapers are one of those kitchen tools that you don't really appreciate until you have one. Sean Martin says they're particularly useful for pizza making because they allow you to remove pieces of dough without compromising its structure — like destroying its shape or the air pockets you worked so hard to create. Martin explains that the tool is also useful for other food prep tasks, like mincing garlic or chopping herbs — provided that it's sharp enough. 

He recommends the carbon steel scraper from Steelport Knives — though it might not be the most ideal item for pizza makers on a budget. Amazon Basics makes one that costs much less than the Steelport Knives scraper; it has a contoured grip handle and measurements printed on it, plus it can be tossed in the dishwasher when you're done with it. 

If you are making pizzas once in a blue moon, you probably don't need to invest in a proofing box. But if you're the person that everyone looks to when it's a hot summer night and the word on the street is that you have a pizza oven, well, you might want to bite the bullet and add one to your Amazon cart. Proofing boxes are commonly used in commercial settings — like bakeries and pizzerias — because they allow for better control over the humidity levels and temperature. In essence, they ensure that all of your dough balls rise the same and stay hydrated throughout the proofing process. But that's not their only benefit. "Proofing boxes add height so your dough can expand versus using a sheet tray with plastic wrap," says Sean Martin. 

That said, you don't need to be cranking out 20 balls of dough at a time to get use out of a proofing box. You can find round Pizza Dough Proofing Boxes that can accommodate a single ball at a time — and you can always stack them on top of one another if you need more space to work with.