I'm trying to decide between using a pizza wheel or a rocker knife to cut my pizzas. Are there any advantages or disadvantages to using one over the other? A: Probably the single most important question to ask is " are you planning to cut your pizzas in or out of the box? " If you plan to cut the pizzas in the box the pizza wheel is your only cutting option. But if you will be cutting the pizzas on a cutting board and then placing the pizza into the box, you have both options open to you. While thin-crust pizzas can be cut with either a wheel or rocker knife, thick-crust pizzas are usually best cut using a rocker knife to help prevent plowing the cutting wheel through the toppings and rearranging them over the top of the pizza. One thing to keep in mind is that while it is rare to have to sharpen a cutting wheel, the rocker knife will need to be periodically sharpened to maintain ease of operation and a clean cut. We are thinking of adding thick-crust pizza to our menu. What is your take on using a par-baked crust? A: If a par-baked crust ever had a place where it excelled, this would be it. I can't think of a better application for a par-baked crust than in making thick crust/deepdish pizza. The biggest problem in making thick-crust pizza is the need to proof the dough, allowing it to rise and develop a light, tender eating characteristic, which should be your ultimate goal. To do this, we must allow the shaped/panned dough to rise for a period of time which can be anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours or more prior to dressing and baking. In working with a freshD E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0 / P I Z Z AT O D AY. C O M / 2 1 020_PIZ_1220_KK.indd 21 11/11/20 11:47 AMhttp://www.ammfg.com http://www.ammfg.com http://www.PIZZATODAY.COM