Aluminum Pizza Screen Vs. Steel

Heating

• Aluminum is a good conductor of heat, and a pizza screen made from aluminum will transfer the oven's heat directly to the pizza crust very quickly. The resulting pizza could have a burnt crust before the interior of the crust or the toppings have properly cooked through unless you are baking a thin-crust pizza and have your oven preheated to a high temperature. Steel pans colored black are best for cooking thick-crust pizzas because they transfer heat more slowly than aluminum, preventing burning of a thick crust. The black steel retains more heat from the oven compared with a lighter color, creating an evenly browned thick-crust pizza.

Support

• Aluminum pizza screens are not designed to support deep-dish pizzas. For cooking these, you must use a pizza pan made of steel. The steel is designed to be thick enough to hold up a deep-dish pizza and its toppings. If you need the support of a steel pizza pan but want the crunchy crust of a pizza screen, opt for a perforated pizza pan made of steel to get the best of both worlds.

Weight

• When the weight of a loaded pan or screen is an issue, choose an aluminum pizza screen, which is less dense than a steel pizza pan. A steel pizza pan with a deep-dish pizza on it will be very heavy for some people. For smaller cooks or children helping an adult make the pizza, the weight of the pan or screen and pizza should be taken into account to avoid a pie dropped because the pan could not be carried.

Preparation

• Steel pizza pans require seasoning before using, but aluminum pizza screens only need a light spray of vegetable oil cooking spray before forming the pizza on top. To season a steel pizza pan, brush the inside with vegetable oil and heat in the oven for 45 minutes at 325 F. Wipe excess oil off after cooling the pan before making the pizza on top of the pan. Oiling the steel pan or aluminum screen keeps the pizza dough from sticking. For the steel pan, it also prevents rust in storage.