• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Good Cheap Eats
  • About
    • About Good Cheap Eats
    • Media
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Contact Me
  • Members Only
    • Login
    • Club Homepage
    • Club Resource Library
    • Downloads
    • Live Club Events
  • Recipe Index
  • Blog
  • SHOP
    • Purchases
    • Cookbooks
    • Planner
    • The Good Cheap Eats Club
    • Meal Plans
    • Holiday Helps
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easter Recipes
  • Budget Strategies
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Join the Club
  • About
  • My Account
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easter Recipes
    • Budget Strategies
    • Recipes
    • Shop
    • Join the Club
    • About
    • My Account
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Main Dishes » Pizza

    Pizza Tools to Make Pizza Night Easier

    Published: Dec 10, 2015 · Modified: Aug 23, 2021 by Jessica Fisher

    FacebookTweetPinPrint
    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. For more details, please see our disclosure policy.

    Homemade Pizza is tasty and cheap. Tool up with these must-have pizza tools so that pizza night comes together easily.

    Pizza Tools to Make Pizza Night Easier | Good Cheap Eats this …

    Pizza Night has been a Friday night tradition at our house for about 18 years. It took some trial and error at first and some coaching from my friend Jessika. But, over time I’ve found some really great methods and tools that help me make pizza night easy.

    I mean easy.

    Like things can work like clock work around here on Fridays without a huge mess. Well, as little of a mess as eight pizzas can minimally make. We’re currently up to a double batch of pizza dough each week so it is a production.

    So that you can make your pizza nights easy, I thought I would share the tools and methods that are currently working well for me.

    Must-Have Pizza Tools

    baking tools and food scale on kitchen counter

    Pizza tools for making the dough

    A kitchen scale – I use a kitchen scale to weigh flour these days. It’s super easy to put a bowl on the scale, zero it out, and start scooping flour into the bowl. I only have to do one math problem instead of remembering how many cups I put in. I’ve had this model kitchen scale six years and it’s performed wonderfully. The batteries it came with last five years!

    A KitchenAid mixer – In the old days, like 2014 and earlier, I used a bread machine to make the dough. I loved that I could throw in the ingredients and walk away. After going through three or four of this model bread machine — the last one died last year — I decided that was enough. I’d either need to invest in a better appliance or make do with the appliance I already had: my KitchenAid mixer.

    Now the reason I liked using the bread machine all those years was mainly for the nonstick bread pan. It was super easy to clean up. I was worried that would be an issue with the Kitchenaid. And that by moving the dough to a greased bowl, I’d have not one but two bowls to clean!

    Turns out, there’s an oil for that. 😉

    Once I’ve got my dough all nice and beautiful, I grease the Kitchenaid bowl with nonstick cooking spray and let the dough rise in the bowl I mixed it in. Yay! It cleans up almost as easily as the bread machine.

    A large plastic cutting board – I use a large plastic cutting board to work my dough on. Once all the pies are prepared, I dust off the board and use it for cutting the pizzas.

    pizzas on trays sitting on stovetop

    Pizza tools for baking

    I’ve experimented with a lot of different pizza pans. I have a variety of different styles, sizes and shapes. I don’t have time to mess with pizza stones and pizza peels, so I prefer to make the pizzas on pans that can go in and out of the oven in turns.

    Round pizza screens – My favorites are probably these pizza screens. There are a number of sizes. I’ve found them to be a great investment. I spray them with cooking spray (over the sink) and they come clean every time.

    Round perforated pizza pans – I have two that I bought 15 years ago at Walmart. I can’t find a link online, but these look similar. They’ve worked really well and were my favorites until I found the screens.

    I have a USA pan, as well, but while I like all the other USA pans I’ve bought, I don’t love the pizza one. It doesn’t allow as high a heat as I like to bake my crust so the dough is not as crisp when it comes out of the oven. I think it’s also more insulated so the crust has a slightly different texture.

    When I’ve exhausted my favorite pans, I still use the USA pan at a lower heat and then use parchment on a regular baking sheet for the rest of our pizzas. Apparently, Santa needs to bring me some more pizza screens.

    Pizza tools for serving

    A pizza wheel – I have a Pampered Chef pizza wheel that has lasted me about ten years. I love it! No complaints there.

    Pizza night is a lot of fun. It’s the thing that everyone most looks forward to at the end of the week. Having the right pizza tools can make it fun and easy.

    What are your favorite pizza tools?

    Pizza Tools to Make Pizza Night Easier | Good Cheap Eats
    « Favorite Slow Cooker Pot Roast
    Greek Wedge Salad »
    FacebookTweetPinPrint

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Donna

      February 19, 2016 at 4:42 pm

      I finally got one of the pizza screen pans like you have in this post… and wow, it’s a game changer! I’m ordering 2 more! Perfect crispy crust! Thanks for the heads up!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        July 07, 2016 at 4:12 pm

        So glad it’s working for you!

        Reply
    2. Erin

      December 12, 2015 at 1:43 pm

      Can I ask what sauce recipe you use on your pizza’s the most? I have your freezer cookbook and see the recipe for the red sauce, but I also see the pizza sauce recipe. Which is the one that you use the most?

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 13, 2015 at 3:25 pm

        I use them both quite a bit, it just depends on what I have on hand. I alternate those in my freezer. If I forget to thaw, I use this one as well: https://goodcheapeats.com/2013/04/last-minute-pizza-sauce/

        Reply
    3. Heather M

      December 11, 2015 at 4:42 pm

      I have the very sam Pampered Chef pizza cutter. And have had it forever! I LOVE IT!! We use it all the time, for pizza, quesadillas, whatever.

      Reply
    4. Leigh

      December 11, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      I think I may need to order the pizza screens. It is $4 each for the 4 pack.

      Reply
    5. Katie

      December 11, 2015 at 5:32 am

      How do you get the pizza onto the screen? We also have a Friday pizza traditions, so we make it often, but we always pat the dough out onto the pan. Seems like that wouldn’t work with the screen? Do you form the crust on the counter, then flip it onto the screen somehow, like you see in movies? I’d really like to try the screens (using your link, of course 😉 ), but can’t wrap my head around how you get the dough there without a peel (which I don’t have or want).

      Reply
      • Claire

        December 11, 2015 at 9:20 am

        I am also curious about the pizza screen. What do you do with it?

        Reply
        • Jessica Fisher

          December 11, 2015 at 9:33 am

          I place the formed dough on the screen and then top it and bake. https://youtu.be/xMXydSWIg2M shows how I form the dough.

        • Claire

          December 11, 2015 at 9:36 am

          Oh! I understand. lol. It’s a baking pan for the pizza. I thought maybe it went on top of the pan. LOL.

      • Jessica Fisher

        December 11, 2015 at 9:33 am

        I form the crust in the air/with my hands and some on the cutting board and then move it to the screen. Here’s my video of making mini pizzas: https://youtu.be/xMXydSWIg2M

        Reply
    6. Joyce

      December 11, 2015 at 5:12 am

      A dear friend just sent me a new fantastic Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. I am in heaven! Cannot wait to use it to make those wonderful breads and pizza dough. We have a pizza stone we love to use. Now to find a good recipe for both!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 11, 2015 at 9:31 am

        Yay! Let me know how you like this one: https://goodcheapeats.com/2009/07/basic-homemade-pizza/

        Reply
    7. karen b

      December 11, 2015 at 4:42 am

      funny you mention, not having the time to mess w/ a pizza stone…………that is the only thing we use for our pizzas 🙂 to me its not a problem only takes a minute or less to clean after is been seasoned well, & not long before 🙂 love mine but never had anything else.

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 11, 2015 at 9:30 am

        Haha! Well, when I read how you weren’t supposed to form the pizza ON the stone, it was a deal breaker for me. Since we go through 8 pizzas a night, that’s a lot of moving from counter to stone.

        Reply
        • Katie

          December 11, 2015 at 11:06 am

          That’s why I never used the stone I received years ago–I didn’t have a way to get the pizza onto the heated stone. I’d imagine if I cooked it that way I’d be happier with the crust, but I really don’t have a place to store a peel and the stone was too small for anything other than a small/medium pizza, so it never happened. Maybe someday when I get that super big kitchen with oodles of storage?

        • Jessica Fisher

          December 11, 2015 at 11:09 am

          The pizza screens give it a really crisp crust because the dough has access to the heat. Perhaps not exactly the same as a stone, but great texture.

        • Cole

          December 11, 2015 at 4:53 pm

          I love our pizza screens! I bought one after I saw an episode of “My Grandma’s Ravioli.” (Italian grandpas were making shrimp pizza on a pizza screen.) Such a good investment for someone with a tiny apartment kitchen like me. 🙂

    8. Amary Right

      December 10, 2015 at 7:33 pm

      I love the cast iron pizza pans from Lodge. They are my very favorite. I love your blog and read regularly, first time commenting, though. Thanks for all you do!

      Reply
      • Jessica Fisher

        December 11, 2015 at 9:28 am

        Thanks so much for chiming in!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    jessica from good cheap eats

    Hi, I'm Jessica! I believe anyone can prepare delicious meals -- no matter their budget.

    More about me

    collage of media outlets where good cheap eats has been featured.
    cooking for one
    cooking for many banner
    cooking to freeze banner

    Best Easter Recipes

    • close up of air fryer asparagus on white platter.
      Air Fryer Asparagus
    • close up of a square of carrot cake on a white plate.
      30+ Best Easter Dessert Recipes
    • plates on table with squares of cinnamon coffee cake, next to baking pan on towel.
      Cinnamon Coffee Cake Recipe
    • lemon cupcake topped with sweet cream cheese.
      Sweet Cream Cheese
    • overhead shot of lemon wedges and a small pitcher of lemon sauce on a white platter.
      Lemon Sauce for Desserts
    • closeup of an easter oreo with crosses piped over a blue sky.
      Easter Oreos

    Take the Pantry Challenge

    • badge that says, I'm taking the pantry challenge at Good Cheap Eats
      Prepping for a Pantry Clean Out
    • overhead shot of cans and boxed ingredients in a flatlay.
      How to Stock the Pantry on a Budget
    • homemade light brown sugar in white bowl.
      90+ Pantry Staples You Can Make Yourself
    • bowl of soup with spoon of vegetables.
      What to Make for Dinner When There’s “Nothing” to Eat

    Footer

    back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Good Cheap Eats