Been experimenting with a traditional Chicago deep dish recently and turned out so well, I think we’re going to add it. I know there is a specific tool to use to remove these pizzas from their pans easily but can’t remember what it’s called or where to get them. Anyone recommend or know what it is?
We’ve always just used a standard pizza serving spatula.
We have always used a deep-dish pan gripper and a flexible, long blade cake decorating spatula. First run the spatula around the pizza to make sure it is free from the pan, then holding the pan in one hand with the pan gripper place the spatula blade along side the pizza in the pan, now flip the pizza slightly allowing the spatula blade to slip under the pizza allowing you to guide it out of the pan. Another approach is to use a cake pan with a removable bottom (just be sure to season the pan well first if its a bright metal pan). In this case all you need to do is to place the baked pizza (still in the pan) on a raised object slightly smaller in diameter than the diameter of the pan, then press down on the pan edge, it will drop away from the rest of the pizza leaving the pizza supported only on the bottom of the pan, slip a spatula blade between the pizza and the pan bottom to assist in transferring the pizza to your cutting surface. In my humble opinion, the first method is faster and more convenient but takes a little coordination while the second method is easier to master.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
I find also that the amount of oil you put in the pan makes all the difference… if there isn’t enough the cheese sticks and its really a digging job to get the pizza out… We’ve been doing pan pizzas in deep round pans and its working fabulous. (although my husband doesn’t use as much oil as I do, therefore he’s always scraping and digging to get the pizza transferred out. Me it just slips right out with a slight twist of the wrist while the other hand is holding on to the pan with the pan gripper.)
I’ve been experimenting with a 9" round pan for cheesy bread and a detroit style pan for deep dish from Lloyds pans with the gray coating on them (I forget offhand what they call it) and even if I don’t oil it with anything, I have no problem with it sticking to the pan. I still brush it lightly with garlic butter for flavor. I grab the pan with an oven glove, since I don’t have a pan grabber yet, and use a cake spatula like Tom said and it slides right out. Takes some touch, but it’s not hard to get it down.
We use a long handled spatula but one that is as flat as possible you gotta get the spatula as far under the pizza as possible for maximum support and keep it flat so that it doesnt poke a hole on the bottom of the pizza when you are guiding it out of the pan. It just takes practice and you will have it down. What I tell all new people is that you have to have confidence when getting the pizza out of the pan dont think about it too much or hesitate cause the pizza will fall apart around the spatula.
We use a 14" X 2" pan. They are nicely seasoned so no oil is needed as long as the dough was handled well and had no leaking thin spots. We remove the pie from the pan with a standard metal peel. Just slip the corner of the peel down the side of the pie and work under and lift the whole pie out. Might not work on smaller sizes though.