Cutting Pizza on Pan Will This Dull Pizza Wheel? How To Prevent This?

[PizzaEater101]

Curious about this, if I cut the pizza on the pizza pan I am sure the pizza wheel will dull over time but if I put parchment paper down over the pan and under the pizza will this slow down the process of dulling the pizza wheel? 


Thanks

[BrickStoneOven]

It takes a long time for the wheel to dull when working in a pizzeria, I would imagine it would take a lot longer to dull in a home setting.

[scott123]

I was making pizza for quite a few years before I learned this, but pizza wheels are not supposed to be razor sharp. They're suppose to cleave the crust/toppings, not slice.  If they're razor sharp, they cut into the aluminum tray too much.

[PizzaEater101]

Thank you BrickStone and Scott for your replies.

Which do you prefer the pizza wheel with the handle or the one that is just round and you hold the back of it and run it across the pizza?

Which surface do you cut your pizza on, a pizza pan, wooden chopping board, a plastic cutting board or another surface?


Thank You

[BrickStoneOven]

This is the wheel I use http://www.zesco.com/4-Pizza-Wheel-Cutter-White-Polypropylene-Handle-HT-W5691-4-pz453D064.htm and cut the pies on a aluminum pizza pan. The wheel was bought in the summer of 09 and its as sharp as the day I got it.

[PizzaEater101]

BrickStone, thank you for the link.  That's a quality cutter since it still is sharp as the day you got it.  I'm not sure if mine is as sharp as the day I got it because I forgot how it was but it's a cheapy in a way.  I have a Coca Cola pizza cutter that I can't recall where I got it but could be at Big Lots because they sell a lot of Coca Cola stuff which they must get on closeout from stores going out of business.  So I can only think I got it there. It works but there are much better cutters out there as yours is a great one.    I had another one but not sure where I put it. 

Here it is this is just like mine -

http://www.drinkstuff.com/products/product.asp?ID=246&nav=bc

[PizzaEater101]

Just bought a Zyliss cutting wheel as seen in this pic below.   My little Coca Cola pizza cutter works fine but I wanted something with more mass behind it and a bigger wheel to it.  The Zyliss qualifies.  I also had the choice of a Kitchen Aid model with a handle but seeing I have a Coca Cola one with handle I wanted to try this Zyliss without a handle.  Heck Alton Brown used his to cut prosciutto and worked out great. Yes you can do this with one with a handle.   This cost me $5.99 and it looks way better than my Coca Cola one.  Maybe I'll buy the Kitchen Aid one better.  I recall reading a post by Peter that he has both the Zyliss and the Kitchen Aid and if memory serves me right he prefers the Kitchen Aid cutter more.  With that said I still wanted to try one without a handle to see how it goes and later I can buy the Kitchen Aid cutter and see how that is -

[Ev]

I have the one pictured above as well as a 4 inch with a handle. I also have one of these. http://www.webstaurantstore.com/20-rocking-pizza-knife/124PKR20.html
 I cut on the pan with the wheels. So far, after about two years, they're still pretty sharp. I use the rocker on a board just because there's no lip to get in the way of the blade. The nice thing about the rocker is it cuts cleanly without dragging the toppings.

[PizzaEater101]

I have the one pictured above as well as a 4 inch with a handle. I also have one of these. http://www.webstaurantstore.com/20-rocking-pizza-knife/124PKR20.html
 I cut on the pan with the wheels. So far, after about two years, they're still pretty sharp. I use the rocker on a board just because there's no lip to get in the way of the blade. The nice thing about the rocker is it cuts cleanly without dragging the toppings.

Between the one pictured above that I just bought and the one with the handle which do you like better and why?

Since you have all three you probably use all three but how do you determine which one you are going to use?  Does it depend on the type of pizza you make?  I do like that rocker knife but my wheel works pretty good but later I'll get the rocker. Thanks.

[Pete-zza]

James,

A while back, the subject of pizza cutters came up in a thread about Tom Douglas' place Serious Pie, in Seattle. You might want to read the series of posts starting at Reply 19 at http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,8519.msg77423.html#msg77423. You can see the Serious Pie pizza cutter in operation in the YouTube video at

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngxpwrnt7bM&amp;NR=1&amp;feature=fvwp" target="_blank" class="aeva_link bbc_link new_win">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngxpwrnt7bM&amp;NR=1&amp;feature=fvwp</a>

.

Peter

[Ev]

Between the one pictured above that I just bought and the one with the handle which do you like better and why?

Since you have all three you probably use all three but how do you determine which one you are going to use?  Does it depend on the type of pizza you make?  I do like that rocker knife but my wheel works pretty good but later I'll get the rocker. Thanks.

Ok, lets see. The palm cutter is the one I use the least. For some reason it's not very comfortable in my hand. My daughter gave it to me as a gift, so I keep it around. Usually, I leave it on the table for guests to use as needed. The handled cutter, I use most just because I've had it the longest and it has a larger wheel than the palm cutter which helps with the dragging issue. Also, having limited space on my counter, it's easier to use than the rocker. The rocker, however, is tops when dragging the toppings is an issue, but you need room to maneuver the thing, which is why I'll use it primarily on a large flat cutting board on a table outside by the wfo. Also, I believe the rocker is built for speed, but to be honest, I'm not very fast. If I tried to be, I'd probably cut my finger off or something. Mostly, I bought the rocker because that's what we use at Norma427s' market stand. It is kind of pricey though.
 For general use, I'd recommend a handled cutter with the largest wheel you can find. If you look around you find ones with replaceable wheels in case they get too worn.