Best gifts for pizza lovers — tools and tricks of the trade for the best homemade pie
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Today (February 9) is National Pizza Day, a day of celebration for one of the world's most beloved foods. Whether you're a thin-slice ride-or-die or prefer your pizza on the thicc side pizza is definitely worth celebrating. The world is rife with pizza lovers, including me and probably you.
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To honor the holiday, we've compiled some of the perfect gifts for pizza lovers, especially for the ones who make a lot of pizza at home. Whether you're a pizza expert or looking to up your dough game, these gifts and tips of the trade will ensure you never have to order delivery ever again. Okay, maybe not but there's nothing quite as satisfying as making a great pie at home. Here are some of our favorite gifts for pizza lovers and pizza makers.
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1. For professional pies: Hans Grill Pizza Steel PRO with peel
Soapstone is so last century. Stainless steel is far better at providing the massive amounts of heat that good pizza needs, which makes for crispier crusts and consistent browning from base to crust. This pizza steel also comes with a peel to safely deposit your pizza to and fro the oven. It's also great for baking bread and stores conveniently in the bottom rack of your oven. It normally runs for $100 but you can get 25% off the price.
2. For Neopolitan-style pizza: Ooni Koda 16 gas-powered pizza oven
Even small backyards can accommodate the Ooni Koda gas-powered pizza oven. This surprisingly lightweight oven (a little over 20 pounds) heats up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit quickly, stores easily and just plain looks cool. Our reviewers chose it as the best pizza oven for the price because of how easy it is to use. Watching a pizza cook in as little as 90 seconds inside an Ooni Koda 16 is mesmerizing.
3. For instant heat monitoring: Etekcity infrared thermometer
When cooking pizza, one of the variables that need to be just right is the temperature. The best and safest way to test whether an indoor or outdoor pizza oven is ready is using a good infrared thermometer which is not just easy to use it's also pretty fun. This thermometer instantly displays accurate temps from whatever its laser is pointed at. It's also a great laser pointer toy for cats.
4. For the best secret ingredient: King Arthur 00 pizza flour
Keeping a special flour around just for pizza may seem a little farfetched but it's one of the best-kept secrets in pizza making. This fine-milled 00 flour makes for crusts that are crispy on the outside and pleasantly chewy on the inside. If you like Neopolitan-style pies this flour ensures plenty of charred "leopard spots" too.
5. For better doughs: Escali digital food scale
Whether you're making pizza, bread or even brownies baking is all about precise measurements. Using cup measurements is always going to render less consistent doughs than ones made using precise weight measurements. The Escali digital food scale is our reviewer's favorite on the market right now because it's well within any baker's budget.
6. For perfect portioning: OXO Good Grips stainless steel scraper and chopper
Once your dough is made, you'll eventually need to portion it out. This dough scraper slices easily through a large mound for perfect portions, especially when you pair it with a digital food scale. It's got a ruler along its blade so you can use it to make pan pizza or even cinnamon rolls.
7. For no-nonsense kneading: KitchenAid Artisan Series 5-quart stand mixer
Can you make pizza by hand? Absolutely. Should you? Why? Don't let any stuffy Luddites lie to you: gluten formation happens whether you use your palms or a handy dough hook like the one that comes with the KitchenAid Artisan series stand mixer. This gorgeous mixer can easily last decades if you take care of it. It's an essential tool to own if you're looking to make homemade pizza often. It's also our reviewer's favorite stand mixer available right now.
8. For perfect proofing: Babadoh pizza dough containers
Pizza is notoriously simple, which is why it's so difficult to make a perfect pie. Getting a good rise out of your dough is essential for creating good air bubbles and tasty yeasty flavors. This set of six Babadoh containers ensures perfect rises whether you opt for a proof on the counter or in the fridge. These containers are also perfect for all manner of yeasted doughs and as storage for pizza toppings.
9. For fostering a lifelong love of pizza: KiwiCo Explore Italy crate
This educational crate comes with everything you need to inspire the love of pizza in a budding imagination. Kids can learn about Venice, and Leonardo da Vinci and even play a game of Roman-style tic-tac-toe. The crown jewel of this box is the pop-up hand-cranked pizza oven that kids can build, play with and display.
10. For nostalgic pan pizza: LloydPans Chicago Style Deep Dish pizza pan
It's the mid-90s. It's Friday night and you've cashed in your Bookit coupon at a sit-down Pizza Hut on a personal pepperoni pan pizza. Your mom has given you a stack of quarters to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time at the arcade. Everything is pizza and nothing hurts. Capturing this Proustian nostalgia—at least as far as the pan pizza is concerned—is possible with these special pizza pans that come in a myriad of sizes.
11. For clean slices: Joseph Joseph Disc Easy-Clean pizza wheel
Pizza wheels sort of run together but this one stands out among the rest. The Joseph Joseph Easy-Clean pizza wheel slices through thick or thin slices like paper, but more importantly the blade slides out for easy cleaning. There's even a handy silicone blade cover for safe storage.
12. For great grating: OXO Good Grips grater
If you plan on making pizza you'll eventually need to dispatch some cheese into fine shreds. This handheld grater makes quick work of semi-soft mozzarella and hard parmesan equally well. The non-slip foot ensures safer shredding too.
13. For easy dough rolling: Befano French rolling pin
True pizza experts don't need any tools to roll out their dough. Tossing rounds into the air makes for the best rustic pies. For the rest of us, using a rolling pin is probably more prudent. This French-style pin is incredibly easy to handle because of the absence of annoying rolling handles.
14. For perfect presentation: American Metalcraft wide-rim pan
Even when you make a perfect pie it's difficult to capture the ambiance from your favorite local family-owned pizza parlor. Serving a hot-out-of-the-oven pizza on this metal rim pan doesn't simply make for a great presentation but it may also keep your pizza warmer longer. It doubles as a cookie sheet when you're not using it as a serving dish.
15. For flavorful finishes: Cheese shakers
Shakers full of red pepper flakes or grated parmesan are essential for serving pizzas of all kinds. Devising your own "pizza shake" is even better for personalizing your pizzas. Fill one of these up with your favorite pizza-friendly herbs and spices and dust your pizza with them just before sliding them into the oven for some seriously tasty pie.
16. For a spicy pizza-friendly condiment: Mike's Hot Honey
Hot sauce, ranch and in some parts of the world, ketchup, are among the most beloved pizza condiments. No judgments. Another great pizza condiment is Mike's Hot Honey. It's sweet, pleasantly spicy and cuts through the richness of cheese and salted meats. Pizza isn't the only thing it's good with: it's great on everything from chicken fingers to ice cream.
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.