6 Essential Pizza Tools, According to a Pop-Up Pizza Expert

We’ve all got our Guy, the expert on a specific topic we go to anytime we have a question. My dad is my Legal Questions Guy. My friend who is a physician’s assistant is my Why-Do-I-Feel-a-Sudden-Sharp-Pain-Here Guy. And Brandon Gray, the chef behind LA’s wildly popular pop-up Brandoni Pepperoni, is my Pizza Guy. 

Recently, I tapped him for some recipes and recommendations for the best pizza tools for making Brandoni Pepperoni-level pies. He shared his recs for the Ooni oven he can’t live without, the olive oil he finishes every pizza with, and the kitchen tools that will transform your backyard into a legit pizzeria. I’ll let the Pizza Guy take it from here.

Ooni Koda 16 Pizza Oven

Of the three outdoor pizza ovens Gray owns (yes, three!), this gas-powered one is his favorite. “It’s the most versatile,” Gray says. “You can put any size or style of pizza in it, from a 10-incher to a 16-incher.” It’s constructed for better homemade pizza making. The space between the pizza stone and top of the oven is small, which means more even cooking and consistent temperature. And about those other two pizza ovens: They’re Ooni, too. “My business is built on the back of Ooni,” he says. “They’re portable, so you can pick them up and go wherever: the park, the beach, the sky’s the limit.”

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Dexter-Russell Pizza Cutter

Gray has sliced thousands of pies with this stainless steel pizza wheel, and it holds up. Supersharp and easy to handle, it doesn’t require the usual roll-over-your-previous-cut move. “I’ve had it for about a year and I haven’t had to sharpen it once,” he says. While some pizza cutters have a curved handle, Gray prefers this slicer’s straight design. “Knives have straight handles as well. Better wrist movement,” he adds. 

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Nuvo Everyday Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

This fruity, slightly peppery olive oil from Gray’s local California farmers market is his go-to. It’s made by brothers Josh and Nathan Mardigian using olives from their family’s 125-year-old orchard in Chico, California. The olives are cold-pressed in a vacuum for maximum freshness. Gray loves how this particular olive oil is a vessel for carrying other flavor profiles, “like a better version of an all-purpose grapeseed oil,” he says. And it finishes every pizza at Brandoni Pepperoni, which is perhaps the biggest endorsement for adding it to your own pantry.

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Gi.Metal 16-Inch Aluminum Pizza Peel

Do not be alarmed by the price of this pizza peel—trust the Pizza Guy. Gray stands by it because it’s so well-made that holding it makes you feel like an instant pizza expert. “Man, this is such a good product,” he says, as he picked it up during our phone interview. “No matter where you grab it from, it feels extremely light and well balanced.” Beyond the masterful distribution of weight, the metal pizza peel can handle heavier pies, while the holes on the paddle itself release extra flour clinging to the pizza dough. Sure, you can go with a more affordable wood pizza peel, but it won’t have the same finesse. 

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Erickhill Infrared Thermometer

“A thermometer is a thermometer,” Gray admits. “But for baking pizza, you want something that goes up to about 900 degrees.” Enter this intense-looking gadget, which Gray has been using for the last eight months. It can measure high heat (up to 1,112 degrees Fahrenheit) quickly and accurately, which is crucial for the fast-cooking pizzas he cranks out. 

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Hotel Pan With Nine Pans

You can’t take the restaurant out of the restaurant chef. Case in point: this hotel pan set-up that’s actually ideal for outdoor pizza making during LA’s hot summers. “It just makes sense,” Gray says. “You can create a space where the ingredients are cold at all times. It’s like having a fridge, but it’s open.” Here’s how it works: Fill the large hotel pan with ice and water, then arrange the smaller “nine pans” inside. This keeps meats, delicate herbs, and cut produce fresh. 

Geared up? Try one of Gray’s favorite pizza recipes: