Cleaning pizza screens

itsinthesauce · March 31, 2004, 07:28:15 PM

Pizza Screens....Has anyone an idea as to the best way to clean these things? They work great, but what a hassle to clean them.

Big Al · April 01, 2004, 10:50:33 AM

If they are really bad, like with burn't cheese I soak them in the sink and then scrub them with a brillo pad and try not to bend the screen in doing so. Pizza screens are mostly associated with New York style pizza.

Mine do not get that way very often unless I let my son make the pizza, he is a bit more "creative" with where the cheese and sauce lands. Also they tend to not do as well with "cursed" frozen pizza. Shall I use the word "Totinos"? My son, college student, makes these on my coveted pizza screens and invariably they stick big time.

Former Pizza restaurant owner confession--- We "rarely" cleaned the screens, just used them over and over. Those little pieces of crust caught between the metal flaked off after a few more pizzas got cooked on it at 550 degrees in a bakers pride gas oven.

Randy · April 01, 2004, 11:34:58 AM

I've never done anymore than place them in the dishwasher. Well, I will take that back. One time I did pressed the dough into the screen without thinking about it trying to make it look perfect.
But if you just lay the dough on the screen you shouldn't have a problem.

Randy

LMU Pizza Man · April 01, 2004, 04:34:16 PM

Does everyone coat their screens in olive oil and bake them before using? I usually just brush off any excess chucks and let the rest flavor the crust for the next pizza or fall off in the oven. I was told by my uncle who owns a pizza place not to wash them. Nothing worse than a soapy crust.

Randy · April 01, 2004, 05:28:15 PM

Before each use give them a spray with Pam.

Itsinthesauce, did you spray your screens with pam?

Randy

itsinthesauce · April 01, 2004, 06:03:58 PM

No, I didn't...dumb move on my part. Thanks for the tip. That's why this site works. It's the simple things that make a difference.

Fran

Randy · April 01, 2004, 06:55:30 PM

Fran I think you are right. It is the small things that mean the difference between a good pizza and a great pizza.

Randy

DKM · April 02, 2004, 11:45:00 AM

I'm more like the pizza shops. I don't wash them, just a wipe them off.

DKM