How To Clean A Wooden Pizza Peel
A wooden pizza peel is basically a giant wooden spatula that is generally used for handing pizza in and out of the oven to your workspace. It is perhaps the most useful tool for cooking a delicious piece of pizza. It is more popular than its metal pizza peel cousin because it effectively prevents the dough from sticking on the pizza peel's surface. On the other hand, metal ones are more durable, easier to clean, but the pizza sticks more easily. After reading this article on how to clean a wooden pizza peel, you will be able to transform your hardworking wooden pizza peel to its former glory.
Premium Care for Wooden Pizza Peel
Taking good care of your kitchen utensils looks simple enough, but it is actually a sacred duty that a pizza lover needs to learn. When you don't clean them good enough, it will cause bacterial growth that will invade your next dish and might cause health problems or, more accurately, stomach ache or, worse, diarrhea. You don't want that happening to you or your family members, so what you need to do is arm yourself with the right knowledge on how to clean a wooden pizza peel. Once you learn the proper way of cleaning a wooden pizza peel, not only you acquired a bonus skill, you will now be able to present your family with your pizza dish without a worry.
- The first thing you want to do is scrape up your wooden pizza peel for hardened dough or any leftovers on the surface using a plastic scraper. Never use a metal object or a metal scraper in removing leftovers because this might bring more harm than good to your wooden pizza peel.
- Using a damp sponge is the best way to sanitize your beloved wooden pizza peel. Pair a wet sponge with warm, soapy water to inflict the minimum damage to your wooden pizza peel as much as possible.
- Whatever you do, do not put the wooden pizza peel in water to prevent cracking or warping.
- Just in case you unintentionally soaked your wooden pizza peel in the water, you can use food-grade mineral oil on your board to revert the surface and increase your wooden pizza peel's lifespan.
- Do not use olive oil or any vegetable oil to your wooden pizza peel. You may think that this is a good idea so that the dough won't stick to the surface, but it is terrible as they can make the wood smell awful. You don't want that smell sticking into your precious pizza.
- You can also try to remove any excess oil with a dry, soft cloth.
- You can softly wipe off the pizza peel’s head to remove pizza scraps, and pizza sauce remains.
- You can either air-dry your wooden pizza peel on a dish rack or hang it up the cupboard but never put it in the dishwasher.
Taking Care of Your Wooden Pizza Peel
Now that you know ‘how to clean a wooden pizza peel’, it is time to learn how to take care of a wooden pizza peel. Taking care of your wooden pizza peel is just as equally important as the proper way of cleaning it. Proper maintenance and care are essential to prevent damage and prolong the life of your wooden pizza peel. Below are the things you can do to take good care of your lovely wooden pizza peel.
- You may be tempted to use your wooden pizza peel as a chopping or cutting board. Still, you do not want to do that because your knife, pizza wheel, or any sharp equipment you use to cut a pizza will definitely leave a scar to the surface of your wooden pizza peel, making an ugly, uneven surface. This will undoubtedly result in the sticking of raw dough to your wooden pizza peel and can ultimately result in your pizza not sliding in the oven, which can bring frustration if you are in a hurry.
- One of the most important things to remember when handling a wooden pizza peel is the accidental burn marks. It may not be as threatening as a scar in your wooden pizza peel, but it can be equally ugly if you suddenly forget that you are using a wooden peel, which is obviously not fireproof.
- Some bakers advise sealing your wood when launching your pizza into the oven; however, that is unnecessary. That is because wood peels themselves genuinely are better for launching your pizza into the range without the need for a sealing technique.
One method used by professional pizza makers is they sprinkle their wooden pizza peels with a tiny amount of flour. The science of this is that the flour will take hold of the pizza peel fiber and make the raw dough to slide smoothly into the oven.
Now, can you tell if knowing ‘how to clean a wooden pizza peel’ is just as important as knowing how to take care of it? I think you do now.
Do You Need a Pizza Peel
The answer to that should be obvious enough. If you want to put up a pizza restaurant or to be a professional pizza maker, chances are you are going to need a set of equipment to bake your pizza, and that includes a pizza peel. However, if you're planning on baking on a baking tray, you won't need a pizza peel. Here's how to learn more about pizza peels.
Conclusion
Never forget the lessons of ‘how to clean a wooden pizza peel‘ because it is just as important as your other house equipment. Damage or worse, lose one, and you will probably lose an extension of your body. Always take good care of them, and they will serve you well for the times to come.
