The 4 Greatest Pizza Pans of 2024, Examined & Reviewed

Pizza could have originated in Italy, however in the USA, it’s a hotly contested meals with many cities claiming to have the most effective. Whereas loads of spots around the US have nailed the traditional Neapolitan-style pie, some areas have created their very own pizza kinds with distinctive variations on the crust, toppings, and baking fashion. Detroit’s signature pizza is a sq. or rectangle-shaped pie with crispy, tacky edges and a focaccia-like dough that’s chewy, but ethereal. Chicago is famed for its deep dish, an merchandise that veers extra towards savory pie or casserole than pizza (don’t hate me, Chicagoans!). Sicilian-style pizza hails from the island off the southern tip of Italy, however was dropped at the States by Sicilian immigrants, and plenty of eating places coast-to-coast have tailored it to the model yow will discover in America mostly right now.

There isn’t any want to purchase a airplane ticket to expertise the magic of those varied pizza kinds. You should utilize cake pans or sheet pans to make sort-of profitable deep dish pizza at house however why go for that when there are devoted pizza pans specifically made on your favourite sort? I examined eight of the most effective Detroit-style, Chicago-style, and Sicilian-style pizza pans to see if any might assist make a pizza that will rival the professionals.

The Winners, at a Look

The darkish steel nonstick coating and sharp proper angles of the LLoydPans Detroit-style pan gave me a superbly crispy, golden brown crust that was even throughout the whole backside. The roomy measurement allowed the dough to unfold out to simply the suitable thickness and I used to be capable of pop the pizza out with out something getting caught to the edges.

This square-shaped pan has rolled edges that make it straightforward to show and elevate the pan, plus a superbly nonstick coating that produces a crisp, chewy crust. 

The Chicago-style deep dish pans from LloydPans have excessive, straight sides and a darkish coated exterior, which helps make that signature flaky, barely fried crust. I significantly appreciated the additional tall sides, which allowed me to stack the pie thick with toppings, cheese, and sauce.

This enticing pan is manufactured from high-quality French ceramic and has two handy handles for lifting a larger-than-average pie out of the oven. Whereas it’s not as deep as extra conventional Chicago-style pizza pans, it nonetheless produced a beautiful pie that had crisp, buttery edges and a uniformly golden-brown backside.

The Checks

• Detroit-Fashion Pizza Take a look at: For the Detroit-style pans, I made Detroit-style pizza in every to see if I might obtain a crispy cheese edge alongside the facet of the pan, and totally cooked, chewy dough.
• Sicilian-Fashion Pizza Take a look at: To see how the Sicilian-Fashion pans might carry out with this fashion of pie, I made a Sicilian-style pizza in every and evaluated the pies for delicate, focaccia-like crust and crispy bottoms.
• Chicago-Fashion Pizza Take a look at: To see how the Chicago-style pans might carry out, I made a Chicago-style deep dish pizza in every and appeared for qualities like a barely fried crust, and a saucy, well-cooked inside and toppings.
• Cleanup/Efficiency: For every pan, I additionally thought of how straightforward or troublesome the pans had been to wash and if they’d any options that made efficiency or usability any simpler (or more durable). 

What We Discovered

Darkish Metallic Carried out Extra Warmth

The darker steel pans performed warmth extra intensely, boosting the decrease temperature that deep dish pizzas bake at, in comparison with the ultra-hot temperatures New York- and Neapolitan-style pizzas want. Darker steel has greater thermal conductivity, particularly when it’s manufactured from supplies like carbon metal or anodized aluminum (which all of the LloydPans are). These kind of metals soak up and distribute warmth shortly and evenly, guaranteeing a uniformly baked crust. You may bear in mind out of your center college science class that dark-colored surfaces soak up extra warmth than lighter or reflective surfaces, which is precisely what’s at work right here.

LloydPans Had been King

It got here as little shock that the LloydPans carried out exceptionally nicely throughout testing throughout the board. This model of pans is specifically made for industrial pizza institutions and is a favourite of pizzaiolos each at house and in eating places. I reached out to a couple skilled institutions searching for the secrets and techniques of the commerce.

“Lloyd pizza pans are the most effective for all panned pizzas. They make pans designed for almost each fashion, and I wouldn’t use something however Lloyd. Their high quality and consistency throughout totally different pizza kinds are unmatched,” says Alex Koons, proprietor of Hot Tongue Pizza in Los Angeles and host of the pizza podcast Pie 2 Pie. “These pans don’t must be seasoned, and so they’re American-made, which is a plus. In addition they have glorious customer support, and residential patrons can simply buy their pans by Amazon for comfort.”

Tall Sides Had been (Clearly!) Greatest

A few of the pans I examined had reasonably tall sides, which resulted in lackluster pizzas. Virtually all the successful pans had been a formidable 2.5 inches tall. The exception was the Emile Henry ceramic pan, which was a modest 1.25 inches. It made the minimize due to its heavy weight and darkish colour that retained warmth nicely, and the useful carrying handles.

The Standards: What to Search for in a Pizza Pan

The finer factors of what makes a very good deep dish pizza pan will differ barely fashion to fashion, however all of them must be manufactured from darkish steel to encourage most crust growth. For pizzas that depend on olive oil or one other type of fats to crisp the dough, the darker steel helps soak up and switch warmth evenly. A nonstick coating will enable you to get tacky, crispy edges with out inflicting you to battle to take away a slice—and it eliminates the necessity for scrubbing, too. For Chicago-style deep dish pans, search for ones which might be a minimum of 2.5 inches tall with straight sides to get that true thick pie texture. Sicilian- and Detroit-style pizzas must be made in rectangular or sq. pans, a minimum of eight by 10 inches to make a decently sized pie.

Our Favourite Deep Dish Pizza Pans

What we appreciated: When the pizza first got here out of the oven, it was instantly obvious that the sides had achieved that completely crisp and brown texture so liked in Detroit-style pizza. A fast swipe with an offset spatula launched the crust with ease and I used to be capable of switch the pizza to the reducing board in a single entire piece. Even in spots the place cheese pooled and burned off the crust within the corners, the cheese nonetheless didn’t follow the super-slick floor of this pan. A peek on the backside confirmed that the pan had transferred warmth nicely, resulting in golden brown swirls of extra-crisp crust. 

In the event you’re fearful about shopping for a single-use kitchen device, don’t be. This pan may also pull double-duty to make issues like sheet cake or dinner rolls. 

What we didn’t like: The nonstick coating may very well be liable to scratching over time if uncovered to steel utensils, so keep away from reducing slices whereas the pie remains to be within the pan. It’s not dishwasher-safe, so that you’ll have to present it a little bit of a scrub to get it clear once more (although I solely wanted to wipe it out with a paper towel). 

Key Specs

• Materials: Coated aluminum
• Top: 2.5 inches
• Sizes: 8 x 10 inches, 10 x 14 inches
• Care: Hand-wash solely

What we appreciated: Sicilian pans may be sq. or rectangular, however the one I most popular was the sq. LloydPans Sicilian-style pan. Like the opposite LloydPans, this one has a nonstick darkish steel coating that contributes to a crispy baked crust with a chewy inside. It baked up evenly, with out scorching spots or burned areas. The pan’s rolled edges gave extra buy to have the ability to seize and switch it with a thick oven mitt. It has greater sides than the Winco Sicilian-style pan I examined, so there was much more room to seize with out dipping my towel in boiling-hot oil. 

What we didn’t like: It’s a hand-wash-only merchandise, so you could want to present it a light-weight scrub. Nothing caught to the pan I examined, together with cheese, so I simply wiped up extra oil and it was pretty much as good as new.

Key Specs

• Materials: Coated aluminum
• Top: 2.5 inches
• Dimension: 12 x 12 inches
• Care: Hand-wash solely

What we appreciated: Accessible in all kinds of sizes, the LloydPans Chicago-style deep dish pans are a few of the greatest choices available on the market for making any such pizza at house. They’ve excessive, deep sides—greater than you’ll get from a regular cake pan. The eight-inch pan created an ideal Chicago-style pie for 2, with a number of layers of cheese, sauce, and pepperoni. After baking, the inside was scorching and the toppings had been nicely cooked, with the crust fried to a light-weight crisp and golden brown. 

What we didn’t like: Like all LloydPans, it’s not dishwasher-safe, however that wasn’t a difficulty. The pizzas of each sizes I examined popped out of the pan with out sticking.

Key Specs

• Materials: Coated aluminum
• Top: 2.5 inches
• Sizes (Width): 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 inches
• Care: Hand-wash-only

What we appreciated: Not like some other pan I examined, the Emile Henry has handy handles that assist with maneuvering it out and in of the oven. This got here in useful as a result of appreciable heft that the fabric added to the general weight. The pizza had a well-baked crust that browned uniformly throughout the underside. Eradicating the pizza as a complete was unattainable as a result of weight of the pie and its filling, however I might minimize a slice and take away it with out concern.

It’s a stunning pan that may switch seamlessly from oven to desk. I might see all kinds of meals made on this pan, from pies and tarts to baked rice dishes or casseroles. For these wanting extra of a multitasker, this is able to be an amazing possibility.

What we didn’t like: Chicago deep dish purists will say that this pan shouldn’t be deep sufficient to supply true deep dish pizza. At simply 1.625 inches tall, the ultimate thickness of the pizza was extra like a tart than a thick pie, so I couldn’t get a number of layers of cheese, toppings, and sauce. It’s additionally a a lot heavier pan than the others I examined and required two fingers to place in and pull out of the oven. 

Key Specs

• Materials: Ceramic
• Top: 1.625 inches
• Dimension: 12 inches
• Care: Dishwasher-safe

The Competitors

• Winco Rectangular Sicilian Pizza Pan: This pan arrived dented, however even with that it didn’t strike me as a lot totally different than a nonstick coated rimmed baking sheet and I believe you could possibly get practically an identical leads to a type of with out shopping for one thing completely new. Additionally, it performed a bit an excessive amount of warmth and scorched the underside earlier than the highest might totally bake.
• Ooni Detroit-Style Pizza Pan: Whereas we appreciated the lid that comes with this pan, which might turn out to be useful when proofing, it’s too small to make Detroit–fashion pizza. Our normal batch of Detroit-style pizza was means too massive for this pan, resulting in a crust that was virtually two inches excessive. It’s value noting that Ooni does make a larger size of this pan that I didn’t take a look at.

FAQs

What’s Detroit-style pizza?

Made well-known in Motor Metropolis within the Forties, Detroit-style pizza is a crispy pan pizza with a dough that fries in olive oil in a steel pan, not in contrast to focaccia. Historically, the toppings go proper on high of the dough, adopted by cheese, after which a layer of sauce spooned on high. The cheese caramelizes alongside the sides, making a crispy, tacky crust. 

What’s Chicago-style pizza?

Chicago-style pizza is the fashion most individuals consider once they hear the time period “deep dish.” The pizza bakes in a deep, spherical pan with straight sides, permitting for alternating layers of cheese, toppings, and a chunky tomato sauce. The crust is buttery and flaky, extra like pie crust than focaccia, and the pizza is baked at a decrease temperature for an extended period of time to make it possible for the thick inside of the pie totally bakes. The construction usually makes it a knife-and-fork type of deal. 

What’s Sicilian pizza?

Hailing from Sicily, any such pizza makes use of a yeast-risen dough much like focaccia however thinner than your common Detroit-style pizza and thicker than Neapolitan-style pizza. It bakes on a rimmed baking sheet (or a pan of comparable form and measurement) and infrequently has the tomato sauce on high of the cheese, doubtlessly adopted by sprinkles of breadcrumbs or floor laborious cheese.

Why We’re the Consultants

• Taylor Murray has been working in meals and meals media for over 10 years, together with in award-winning eating places like Eleven Madison Park. She has written extensively for Severe Eats (together with opinions of carbon steel pans and carving boards).
• Taylor examined eight deep dish pizza pans, utilizing every to make the kind of pizza they’re designed for. Throughout testing, she evaluated every pan’s efficiency, usability, and design.
• Taylor spoke to Alex Koons, proprietor of Hot Tongue Pizza in Los Angeles and host of the pizza podcast Pie 2 Pie to get some skilled, inside details about pan pizzas.