Screen Tips?

[TimEggers]

I just ordered my first 2 pizza screens.  I got American Metalcraft 18' round screens.  I got them this large so I would have plenty of room for my dough.  My pizzas are usually anywhere from 10-14 sometimes 16 inches across (I have much to learn in ways of hand forming)!

I have never used screens before so is there anything I should know?  Any tips?  Cleaning, general care or baking tips?

Thank you!

[Pete-zza]

Tim,

When I first got my screens, I just washed them, let them dry, and sprayed a bit of oil spray over them for the first use. From what I recall, I didn't have to to anything more after that. What many pizza operators do is just run their screen through their conveyor ovens several times, or "bake" them in their deck ovens for a while, until they are just about black, with that "seasoned" look.

One of the things you may want to keep in mind is not to put a dough that is clearly soft and wet on the screen. Or let a dough set on the screen too long before dressing. In both cases, the dough might stick to the screen and sink into the holes in the screen and become stuck to it even more during baking. You usually can dislodge it by using a metal peel, but that doesn't always work. You should also have everything you plan to use on the pizza on hand before dressing it. And work fast. One of the advantages of using screens is that you don't have to heat the oven as much as when you use stones or tiles that require a long preheat at high oven temperatures (e.g., up to an hour or more). This is a godsend in the hot summer months. You will need maybe 10-15 minutes of preheat and the pizza will be in and out of the oven about 7-10 minutes later.

Peter

[piroshok]

What or how do these screens look like?
I have seen some non stick pizza trays with holes all over the bottom but I am not sure if they are the same
thanks

[scott r]

that is a different beast.  The screens are actually a wire mesh, or a very thick screen.

[piroshok]

oh yes I see them now
I don't think we have them here yet
I'll have to investigate their availability here
cheers

[Les]

I have never used screens before so is there anything I should know?  Any tips?  Cleaning, general care or baking tips?

I have non-stick screens.  I like them so much better than the regular ones, which I have too except they are quite a mess now unlike the non-stick screens which clean up easily.  The only downside is I've only been able to find a 14 inch screen (from Nordicware).

http://www.nordicware.com/b2c/product_category.cfm?prod_master_cat=4&prod_cat=16

[Pete-zza]

Les,

You may want to check the temperature rating on your screen. What you have is touted as a pizza "crisper". If it has a typical non-stick coating, the coating may break down at high oven temperatures. I have read that the breakdown point is somewhere between 450-500 degrees F.

Since pizza screens are creations for the pizza trade (pizza operators), if there were benefits to using non-stick materials, believe me outfits like pizzatools.com that cater to the pizza trade would be offering them. I did a quick Google search and could not find anyone who sells non-stick pizza screens for use in "baking" pizzas. The Nordicware item you have was the only "non-stick pizza screen" I could find from the search, and that item is a consumer item. You may want to check to be sure that it can be used for other than crisping a pizza at lower temperatures.

Peter

[Les]

Les,

You may want to check the temperature rating on your screen. What you have is touted as a pizza "crisper". If it has a typical non-stick coating, the coating may break down at high oven temperatures. I have read that the breakdown point is somewhere between 450-500 degrees F.

Since pizza screens are creations for the pizza trade (pizza operators), if there were benefits to using non-stick materials, believe me outfits like pizzatools.com that cater to the pizza trade would be offering them. I did a quick Google search and could not find anyone who sells non-stick pizza screens for use in "baking" pizzas. The Nordicware item you have was the only "non-stick pizza screen" I could find from the search, and that item is a consumer item. You may want to check to be sure that it can be used for other than crisping a pizza at lower temperatures.

Yeah, I did the same Google search, and the Nordicware seems to be it.

I first found them about two and half years ago at a Wholefood's adjunct shop for cooking tools.  I used the screens weekly for two years first in a convection oven that hit 550°, and then in my own pizza oven which gets up to 650°.  It was only a few months ago that I realized how much better a pizza stone can work and so completely abandoned my formerly worshipped non-stick screens.

My screens appear undeformed or damaged from all that I've put them through.  I don't know what the non-stick material is, but it reminds me a bit of anodized aluminim.  I've included a pic of my rather used screens; I inspected them and can't find any major wear.

[Les]

I fretted all night worrying about the non-stick pizza screen.  This morning I called Nordicware customer service and found out Peter's concern is justified . . . the screens have a normal non-stick coating that's not recommended for high heat.  When I told the customer service woman people often cook at high temps when they make pizza, she said "Oh, that's not normal."  When I suggested they might want to put a warning on their non-stick pizza products and she repeated how people don't usually bake pizzas at high temps.    Thanks for the vigilance Peter!

[abc]

I have non-stick screens.  I like them so much better than the regular ones, which I have too except they are quite a mess now unlike the non-stick screens which clean up easily.  The only downside is I've only been able to find a 14 inch screen (from Nordicware).

http://www.nordicware.com/b2c/product_category.cfm?prod_master_cat=4&prod_cat=16

what nonstick chemical is it, careful of such in high heat cooking.