Ok first question: How do you stop a bubble popper with a wooden handle from splintering. Second question pizza peels: Is there an advantage to using a peel that is all wood, vs a metal one? If so on the wooden peel, how do you stop it from getting a nasty and splinttery?
Debbie;
A long handle fork (think BBQ fork) makes for a pretty decent bubble popper, or if you need something a bit linger, go to the local hardware store (Home Depot has them) and buy a length of aluminum rod stock in either 3/16 or 1/4-inch diameter. Make a 90-degree bend about 1.5 to 2-inches from one end. Sharpen a point onto the short bent end. One the other end, bend about 6-inches over, so it is parallel to the rod, this will be the handle. Works great. With that said, if you have sufficient fermentation time on your dough, and if you allow it to warm for 90 to 120-minutes after taking it out of the cooler before baking, you wil probably have little or no use for a bubble popper.
As for the peels, the metal blade peel is the oven peel, used for peeling pizzas out of the oven, as well as spinning/rotating/moving pizzas in the oven. The wood peel is used only as a prep-peel. The peel dust is applied to this peel, the opened dough skin is placed onto the peel, and the dough dressed to the order. The dressed dough skin is then peeled into the oven using the wood peel. Buy one of the laminated wood peels <mrpeel.com> to prevent splintering. Properly handled, peels seldon splinter. Do NOT soak them in water, instead, dip them into water, and immediately scrub clean with a plastic pot brush, rinse and sanitize, then wipe dry using a clean, dry towel.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
Same has been true for my 34" bubble popper with wooden handle and forked metal “business end”. We only scrub with plastic pot brush, spray with degreaser, wipe down, then mist with quat sanitizer. I’ve had it on line 4 years with little to no wear. We prefer the wood to the aluminum handle that sometimes gets HOT when left on top of oven. If it gets a little soot or buildup over a shift, a little light rubbing with some steel wool gets it right, then clean as above. One time it went through the ware-washer, and it split at the grain in one spot, luckily, it was shallow, so a little sandpaper, mineral oil, and back on line.