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What does a Pizza Maker do?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

A pizza maker is someone who makes pizzas. Pizza makers can work in pizzerias and other establishments where pizzas are served, and the complexity of the job varies, depending on how the restaurant is organized. Many pizza makers learn their skills on the job, but it is also possible to receive formal training at a culinary school to learn about the various steps of pizza making and refine skills.

In some restaurants, pizza is made from scratch, and the pizza maker is heavily involved. This starts with preparing the pizza dough, which must be done several hours before service to give the dough an opportunity to fully rise and develop. When someone orders a pizza, dough which is risen and ready to go must be prepared to make a pizza, which involves flattening it to the desired size and thickness. Pizza makers are often depicted tossing dough to get it to flatten evenly, a task which requires elastic dough and skilled hands.

A pizza in an oven.
A pizza in an oven.

In addition to working on the dough, the pizza maker may prep the items used on pizza, or supervise an assistant in their preparation. Cooks like to have ingredients precut and ready to go during service so that they can work quickly, and a pizza maker may grate cheeses, chop vegetables, and prepare meats. Pizza makers also make sure that containers of seasonings, oil, and other tools of the trade are readily available and set up before they need to start cooking. Pizza makers can also cook and prepare sauces, participate in the selection process for ingredients, and develop various pizzas for the menu.

A pepperoni pizza.
A pepperoni pizza.

In a sit down restaurant, the pizza maker prepares the pizza, slides it into the oven, and removes and slices it when it is fully cooked. Pizza makers may also be responsible for maintaining the pizza oven, confirming that the temperature is correct and keeping an eye on all the pizzas inside. To-go pizza is prepared similarly, except that it is boxed instead of plated for the customer.

A man delivers pizza from a local pizzeria.
A man delivers pizza from a local pizzeria.

A pizza maker can also make pizzas which will be refrigerated or frozen until they are ready to cook. Customers can take these pizzas home and heat them at leisure in their home ovens. The pizza may not taste quite the same as a pizza prepared in a commercial oven, as commercial pizza ovens get very hot, changing the way in which the pizza cooks. Various tricks may be used to impart some of the familiar flavor, such as adding liquid smoke to the pizza to recreate the slightly smoky flavor and aroma of a pizza prepared in a wood fired oven.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a PracticalAdultInsights researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a PracticalAdultInsights researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

Euroxati

On a weekend where I have nothing to do, pizza is one of my favorite dishes, especially how it's a meal that can appeal to everyone, and not just because of the toppings. Even if you're not hungry, you can still order a small sized pizza, and even put it in the fridge for later. Also, it's especially good in the morning, right out of the fridge. I usually prefer it this way, as heating it up causes it to get soggy.

RoyalSpyder

@Krunchyman - Not only do you bring up a good point, but you are actually right as well. Overall though, you're more than likely to find hand made pizza at authentic restaurants, especially those that contain the deep dish style. One example of this is Maciano's, where everything is fresh. However, when it comes to delivery, that's a different story. Cheap pizza places may have dozens of customers waiting, and there isn't always time to "prepare" everything, if that makes sense.

Krunchyman

While it's true that many people prepare pizza by hand, I wonder if there are some establishments that have several pizzas in stock, and all they do is heat it up in the oven. For example, I have been to several sit down restaurants before, and the pizza (when hand prepared) took quite a while to bake. On the other hand, there have been times where the pizza I've asked to be delivered has arrived at my house no later than fifteen minutes. It's something I've always wondered about.

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    • A pizza in an oven.
      By: Serenethos
      A pizza in an oven.
    • A pepperoni pizza.
      By: Kayros Studio
      A pepperoni pizza.
    • A man delivers pizza from a local pizzeria.
      By: Stephen Coburn
      A man delivers pizza from a local pizzeria.
    • Kneading the dough is an important step in pizza making.
      By: fedorovalena
      Kneading the dough is an important step in pizza making.
    • Some restaurants employ pizza chefs.
      By: sherstobitov
      Some restaurants employ pizza chefs.