Application Guide

While every expert has a favorite, almost any type of pan can give good re-
sults. I tend to use tin-lined steel or heavy-gauge aluminum round power
pans (the pans with the Swiss cheese holes in the bottom) and large round
deep-dish pans from Chicago Metallic, or large 18-by-
1
/
2
-inch baking sheets,
with very good results. The steel pans do need to be seasoned according to
the manufacturer’s instructions before their first use, and are just rinsed and
dried thereafter. If you use black-finish pans, they also will need to be sea-
soned. You can place a screen under the pizza on the baking sheet to catch
the inevitable drips. Never put these pans in the dishwasher; they will rust
mercilessly. I also really like the ceramic baking sheets from Sassafras, and
red clay pizza pans from Tufty Ceramics. Made of the same materials as bak-
ing stones but shaped as standard pans, they eliminate any need for a baking
stone. For some pizzas I use an 8-inch aluminum springform pan, such as for
small cornmeal-crust pizzas, so that I can build up a 2-inch side of dough to
encase the filling.
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