Gauge/Thickness of Pizza Peel?

[Raffy]

I can't order the pizza peels online so I went about looking for a metal fabricator. I was very fortunate to find one who is very competent and who is charging me more than reasonable rates.

He recommended 18 gauge stainless steel for the pizza peel "shovel." I'm just wondering if this is thick enough.

[brickie in oz]

I used 2mm aluminium for mine and it works just fine.

[Raffy]

18 gauge is about 1 mm should I get a thicker gauge?

[nissanneill]

18g in stainless should be ample especially if it has a couple of reinforcing ribs pressed into the peel. 16g is 1.6mm thick and a slightly thinner stainless steel peel would be much more rigid than if made from aluminium.

Neill

[Raffy]

Thanks, Neill. I'm sticking with the 18g then and advising him to put some ribs to stiffen the shovel. The peels will be made entirely of stainless steel. I'll post some pics once I get them. Thanks for the help

[david s]

Raffy,
I use 0.9mm which is slightly thinner. Even with this thickness I have had to taper the leading edge slightly to prevent the peel from catching the dough when sliding it under the base. Thinner is probably better because a cold hunk of stainless steel going into the oven must sap out some heat and the bigger the lump the greater the loss.

[Raffy]

Hi David,

I'm glad to hear from you that a 0.9 mm stainless steel pizza peel is more than adequate to the task even more so that you have actually proven it through continuous use with your oven. Before this posting I have already placed the order and your reply has given me peace of mind that I made the right decision.

Just one question though, with that thickness, did your peel ever warp or show any uneveness due to the repeated exposure to the heat?

Raffy

[david s]

No the heat doesn't seem to effect it, but you can bend it.

[david s]

I really like the shape of my peel because it has a flat bit at the front which gets under the dough better than a rounded edge, a point at the front for lifting an edge and the sides conform to the oven circumference to move coals around. I also like a slight upward bend, but this is easy to adjust. I think you get used to whatever you use and become skilled with it and anything different doesn't feel right.
Dave

[Raffy]

Hey David,

Thanks for the pics. Your pizza tools are beautiful. They are very cleverly designed. Did you make/design them yourself? I know what you mean about the "feel" of a tool. When one of our peels was replaced with a new one, the weight and feel threw me off stride a bit til I got used to it.

Can't wait til Thursday (delivery day for the peels). Once they are fabricated I can finally get down to some serious pizza making.

Cheers,
Raffy