Ironwood Gourmet Napoli Pizza Peel, Acacia Wood 14 x 20 x 0.5 Inches

This is a 'wooden' Pizza Peel.Years ago, when I worked at one of the best Pizza Restaurants I've ever known, we always used a large wooden Pizza Peel to make the Pizza on, and then, deliver it to the oven, and then we used a thin metal Pizza Peel to remove the Pizzas from the oven when they were done. One person can be making the next pizza on the 'wooden' one while another person is removing them from the oven with the metal one. The wooden ones lent themselves well to the initial task of Pizza creation and delivering them to the oven, while the thinner metal ones lent themselves well to more easily removing the Pizzas from the oven. Keep in mind that, in those days, we were using the old huge stone slab gas fired pizza ovens (I'm thinking they were the best kind, although, maybe not quite as energy efficient as the newer ones, they still delivered a really good traditionally cooked pizza crust).When I went shopping for Pizza Peels, I really liked the looks of this one. The 'wooden' appearance reminded me of 'Old Times'. So I gave it a try. When it arrived, it was a bit smaller than I had pictured in my head. However, it is really an appropriate size for my kitchen, and my oven. (I don't have the old kind of oven, where you could get 12 or 13 pizza's in there at a time, or where you could create an incredibly huge pizza.) The largest pizza I've ever created in my house was with one of the Lodge Cast Iron Pizza pans, which is a pretty big pizza. I was able to create one of comparable size with this Peel. So, I'm happy with that.The instructions for this Pizza Peel was a bit difficult to read (my old eyes don't read such small print anymore.) But I did get through most of it. They suggested acquiring some of the manufacturer's 'Butcher Block Oil', which opened a whole new line of subject matter for me, and I promptly attacked Google Search with the 'Butcher Block Oil' search line. I found a couple of particularly good articles on how to deal with 'Butcher Blocks', as well as several other types of wood based food prep instruments. What I found out was that while there are a number of really good 'oils' that would work with wooden food prep items, many of the oils could possibly create allergenic reactions in some people. But the one that seems to 'float to the top' (so to speak) is good old food grade mineral oil..One of the websites went to the trouble to explain that any kind of wood is an excellent absorbent. That's what wood does for its whole life. It absorbs moisture from the ground and surroundings. So if you are using wood in your kitchen, that wood still wants to do the same thing. Absorb moisture. So, the key is to get some food grade type of oil and let it absorb that rather than all the moisture from your foods that you are preparing.Well, I bought a bottle of mineral oil off of Amazon's website, and then the next day, my loving wife (who excels at this, BTW ... ) got a bottle of the same stuff at Walmart for about a tenth of the price, leaving me feel like an idiot (Again! :o) ... duh!). (You can find mineral oil in the pharmacy area, where it is commonly used as a laxative).Well, I spent my last weekend, starting Friday night, feeding my wooden Pizza Peel a whole bunch of mineral oil. It was thirsty! ... And on Sunday, I made my first Pizza with it. It was just right for size, and having done my research (spelled, reading the reviews on Amazon), I used a piece of 'Parchment Paper'. That combination worked like a 'champ'. However, I believe I could have used 'flour' or 'corn starch' and obtained the same result (at least from the perspective of the Pizza Peel) by moving the Pizza from the Peel to the Oven. (I'm just using parchment paper to protect my Pizza Stone from stains). There is a bit of 'technique' for moving the Pizza from the Peel to the Oven using flour or corn starch, and it takes a bit of practice, but once you've done it a few times, you quickly become a pro. You lightly shake the well floured Peel side to side very slightly, until the unbaked Pizza loosens its bonds from the board. Then you shuffle the Pizza into the oven and onto the stone. It's been years since I've done that, but I know it can be done.Having made Pizza's at home for like nearly 40 years, I can tell you that this one turned out the best. It wasn't all due to this Pizza Peel, but it did play it's part very well. So, I've made a special place for it to hang on my wall in the kitchen when it's not in use. (By the way, [that is ... "BTW" for the 'texter generation'], the handle has a very nicely done metal insert through the handle for hanging it).I really like the beauty and utility of this Peel, and look forward to creating my next Pizza.When you get yours, be sure to feed it some oil. Google "Butcher Block Oil" and find out more.Hope you have as much fun as we did.

I love this. It is beautiful to have in the kitchen. Ergonomics are perfect for me to get pizza out of the oven. And I use it all the time on my kitchen counters as a regular cutting board. If you wash dry and oil (mineral oil) from time to time, the wood stays in great shape, nothing sticks to it, and it is easy to get clean (go light with the dish-soap).After 10+ years it is probably time for me to hit it with the sander and get all those surface mini-cuts out of the wood - but what sort of cutting board wouldn't need that?When I went through a divorce, we had too pizza peels in the house. No way was I giving this one up! ;)Hopefully the quality level of what is being sold now is the same as what I bought.

As others have said, this pizza peel is beautiful. But, that's not the important part. I love pizza, and I intended to use the pizza peel.I was a little concerned when purchasing as some reviewers have said it is a little thicker than expected, and was torn between purchasing this pizza peel and the kitchen supply aluminum pizza peel also sold here on Amazon, which seems thinner and possible more functional, but not quite as nice looking. I'm glad I bought this one.While it is a little thick to slide right underneath the pizza without any help (it may be possible, but difficult), it's quite easy to get the pizza on it with a spatula as a previous reviewer mentioned. All you need to do is lift the edge of the pizza and slip the peel under - after that just push with the peel and the pizza slides right on. You don't need to use the spatula extensively or anything - just enough to lift the edge of the pizza. We're gonna need it anyways to lift those big topping filled slices onto plates anyways, so it'll need to be washed anyways so no issues there. Alternatively, lift the edge with a fork, knife, pizza cutter, etc. Anything to just lift the edge of the pizza will do the trick.This pizza peel is the first I've used and let's me use a pizza stone properly. I used to always just use a pizza stone as I would a pizza pan or anything else - just sit the pizza on the cold stone and slip it in the oven when it was done preheating. It usually ended up sticking to the stone ruining the pizza anyways, so I rarely used the stone. With this peel, I can heat up the stone in the oven when it preheats, toss a little flour on the peel and build the pizza on it, and slide it right onto the hot stone. The pizza doesnt stick at all to either the peel or the stone this way. A little flour will go a long way (a lot works just as well, as when I first started I used more than needed to ensure it didn't stick - you just get a little extra flour taste with each bite).Overall, good peel and a good pick. Thick, sure, but it's not as thick as I thought and it's easier to get pizzas out of a hot oven onto the peel than I thought.

It’s a nice lightweight pizza peel. Oiled it and have used It several times. I like the grommet in the handle and the wood is pleasing to the eye. If it was a little heavier it would be 5 stars