Pizza pans: perforated or solid, vs cooling racks

[mikel33]

Can somone explain the benefits of each to me? Thanks

-Mike

[Pete-zza]

Mike,

I am not sure what you are getting at. The only pizza pans that I am aware of that can be either perforated or solid are cutter pans such as shown at http://www.lloydpans.com/C-1000021/Cutter+Pans and at http://www.lloydpans.com/C-1000022/Cutter+Pans+Perforated.

I don't know what you mean by cooling racks unless you are referring to pizza screens, such as shown, for example, at http://www.lloydpans.com/C-1000034/Screens. There are also perforated disks such as shown at http://www.lloydpans.com/C-1000032/Quik-Disks and http://www.lloydpans.com/C-1000033/Hearth+Bake+Disks.

You posted under the NY style but none of the above items is used to make a classic NY style although the hearth type disks (http://www.lloydpans.com/C-1000033/Hearth+Bake+Disks) are used by some pizza operators in conveyor ovens to make a so-called "NY style".

Maybe you can clarify what you are looking for.

Peter

[Pete-zza]

Mike,

If you don't see what you are looking for in my last post, you can also check out the pan selection at American Metalcraft, at http://www.amnow.com/Pizza-Trays.

Peter

[mikel33]

Oh, sorry lol.

What I mean is, I'm looking for something to put the pizza on right out of the oven (to rest and cut it), that allows it to stay slightly crispy, but still chewy. I thought I read somewhere that a cooling rack will make it keep it super crispy, but a solid pan will make it steam a little, helping it get a bit chewy.

I guess I'm asking for the best item to rest a pizza on to keep it like a NY pizza. If that makes any sense, lol. I guess I meant tray, not pan.

[Pete-zza]

Mike,

I would say that a cooling rack is better than a pizza tray because the steam escaping from a cooling pizza on a pizza tray can be redirected back up into the pizza and make it wet and soggy. I have read that a cardboard round also works. There is also a device called a Pizza Pleezer with dimples that lift the just baked pizza off of a flat surface, as shown at http://www.zesco.com/products.cfm?subCatID=1321&PGroupID=040604AZ01. Some pizza operators who do pizza delivery also have specialty items to help keep delivery pizza from getting soggy while en route to a customer location, but those items are not usually sold at the retail level.

I am sure that our members have also devised methods for keeping baked pizzas dry.

Peter