Pizza Peel...wood or metal?

Oh, heck.  I suppose this is good information.

Ron (the unabashed Martha Stewart of the forum and gasket resource) and I have the same philosophy on peels.  Conveyor belt to put the pie on the stone:

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1145966/mega-peel-project-for-unadulterated-dough-transportation/p1

Steel to pull it off.

Wood to cut and serve.

@northGAcock metal is safer.  But in context of moving raw pizza dough and pulling cooked pizzas off a stone, I don't think food safety is an issue at all unless we're using our wood peels between pizza cooks to prep bear steaks.

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/which-cutting-board-safest

nolaegghead said:

@northGAcock metal is safer.  But in context of moving raw pizza dough and pulling cooked pizzas off a stone, I don't think food safety is an issue at all unless we're using our wood peels between pizza cooks to prep bear steaks.

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/which-cutting-board-safest

Nola, I would agree with that. I think there is some risk but to your point, minimal. There are proteins on pizza (Pepperoni or say an uncooked Italian Chix Sausage, etc.) that can come in contact with the peel. The peel may also come in contact with tainted surfaces, and can contaminate the wood. Having worked in the restaurant business, The health departments would not agree with the article you linked above. I may be overly cautious....but how I roll. At the end of the day, how we all handle our food and surrounding prep area, will deliver the safest environments. 

northGAcock said:

northGAcock said:

nolaegghead said:

@northGAcock metal is safer.   

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food-safety/article/which-cutting-board-safest

@nolaegghead - I looked a little further into this. Please know that I am not trying to challenge you personally. Dairy (cheese) is one of the biggest transporters of allergens. 

Wondering about the best kind of cutting board to use to help avoid a food-related illness? Here's all the info you need.Cutting Board Basics: Wood Vs. PlasticNonporous surfaces like plastic or glass are easier to clean than wood and thus better in terms of food safety. Wood is naturally porous, and those tiny fissures and grooves in wooden cutting boards can harbor bacteria. Which is why cutting boards made of wood aren't allowed in commercial kitchens. That being the case, why use them at home?

and butcher shops use wooden blocks all day every day. i believe with the resteraunts it just easier to keep cycling thru plastic boards sterilizing them in the washers throughout the day and just replacing them as they get grooved up.

northGAcock said:

From a health / sanitation perspective, your metal is going to much safer. Wood cutting boards are not considered safe in commercial settings. Bacteria can get in the pours of the wood, and can be difficult to sanitize. That said, your peel may not come in direct contact with as much risky items as a cutting board. (I still use a wood cutting board for slicing meats at my own risk). Is it a best practice? No it is not.

Many opinions on here to consider, just know that stainless is a much better option from food handling perspective. I have a stainless peel for this reason.

Agreed about the relative safety of metal vs wood. I guess. Still, I have read that wooden cutting boards are at least as safe as plastic. Knives cut grooves in plastic so they're not so easy to keep clean after all. I use both and have never had a problem. Commercial places like the Skylight Inn in NC chop their Q all day, every day on a wooden block. And John Boos is still in business.

As for peels, I have had my two wooden peels since the mid 90s. No metal. I build the pies on 'em, launch, retrieve, slice and serve. If they get oil or cheese on them I might even wash them after dinner. Might not. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I have yet to have any issue at all. In 20 years! I rarely wash my grids either.  

I didn't even know they made SS peels. All I've ever seen were Al or wood.

nolaegghead said:

You can run plastic through the dishwasher.  Wood can be sterilized with hydrogen peroxide.  I'm not really concerned about germs but I'll cut raw chicken on a plastic board and send that through the dishwasher.  Cheese is sterile IMO.  

ive read before that with plastics washed with hot water and soap in the sink its still necessary to disinfect it with a bleach or hydrogen peroxide not much different than wood if you dont have the newer high temp dishwashers. i dont believe ive ever disinfected any board, even my outside fish cleaning board that just gets a rinse of fresh water and sometimes some acid rain

Carolina Q said:

I didn't even know they made SS peels. All I've ever seen were Al or wood.

I stand corrected....you are correct with Aluminum (confusing my steels here late in the day)....I don't have a stainless peel.

Focker said:

Plastic boards in commercial use, is solely $$$ driven.   

They are big into coloring boards. Green for vegi, red for beef etc.. Preventing cross contamination. Then the pot washers stacks them one on top of each other. Oh well.

I think the best combination is wood to launch, metal to retrieve and wood to serve

don't mean to hijack the thread but what does everyone who uses a wooded peel use to clean them? when you cut the pie on the peel it tends to get a little messy especially when you have a lot of toppings....  yum

I don't cut on my peel. I like it to remain as smooth as possible. A smooth peel is better for launching pizza. 

Botch said:

NPHuskerFL said:

I have both. Wood for pie into the egg. Metal to pull pie out. 

Same here.  I never could get a raw pie to not stick to a metal one, and a metal peel works much better for slicing through any cheese that has overflowed onto the stone and begun carmelizing.
Also, having two allows you to build a second pizza on the wood one, and add it to the Egg just as the previous one is coming off.  

+22 . . . ya need both!

I have been very happy with my new Wood Peel, made of Acacia Wood, looks great hanging up when not in use:  http://www.amazon.com/Ironwood-Gourmet-Acacia-Wood-Pizza/dp/B0017SZT1E