Crafting gourmet pizzas at home is simpler than commonly assumed - all you need is some fundamental apparatus and an appetite for pizza-making. This is a real-life testimony from someone like myself, who spent the lockdown perfecting the art of creating pizzas at home rather than jumping on the sourdough-making bandwagon.

A restaurateur who makes exquisite pies once told me that using store-bought yeast and discarding starters entirely is the way to go. Seeing the marvelous pizzas other pizza enthusiasts created in their home kitchens instilled further confidence in the ease of creating excellent pies using readily available ingredients.

To master this craft, I invested time in exploring and trying various pizza equipment. While I might not be a top-tier pizza expert yet, I certainly whip up a pretty good pie consistently. Here are 13 tools that I regularly use in my pizza making venture. Even if you own a handful of these, you'll undoubtedly produce excellent pizzas before you know it.

Anyone who's an average pizza maker (or indulges in frozen pizzas), appreciates a good cut. KitchenAid’s pizza wheel, sharp and reliable, will give you a clean-cut every time – no more cheese sliding off or crust tearing unevenly.

Swap your baking tray or cutting board for a pizza pan - it gives a professional finish and enables you to serve guests efficiently. These pans can sturdy hold a full pie with ease.

I personally advocate for using a pizza steel over pizza stones or baking sheets. It heats up extremely, never cracks, cleans effortlessly, and pretty much never sticks.

Commercially shredded cheese often contains additives to counter clumping, which reduces its freshness. A box grater enables you to shred fresh mozzarella and parmesan every time you're preparing a pizza - the superior taste and texture are instantaneously noticeable.

The book I referred to frequently when I initially dabbled into pizza-making was Ken Forkish's. It’s filled with a plethora of dough and pizza recipes, and Forkish’s explicit instructions on how to mix, shape, and toss the dough were fundamental for me.

I recommend checking out this vibrant, fun, and simple pizza manual by Joe Beddia’s restaurant. Contrary to most pizza books, this one provides only one dough and one main red sauce recipe, accompanied by a range of inventive topping ideas.

If you prefer a crispy bottom crust, let the pizza cool on a rack instead of a tray. Amazon’s bestseller includes two 16 by 10 inches racks just for $10.

Having a precise kitchen scale is crucial to measure flour, water, yeast, salt, and other necessary ingredients. A modestly priced scale from Amazon fits the bill.

A dough scraper is a neat and effective utensil to cut pizza dough without causing any stretching or tearing - definitely a pro tool worth adding to your collection.

When attempting Detroit-style pizza, LloydPans are considered the best. These pre-seasoned, non-stick pans made of anodized aluminum gives you those pleasingly caramelized edges with no worries about pizza sticking.

As for pizza peels, you can either opt for a thin, light, and easy-to-use metal peel, like I do, or a sturdy wooden one with an angled lip that makes sliding off the dough into the oven a breeze. It really comes down to your personal preference.

Lastly, experiment with different pizza toppings - even unconventional ones like hot honey can be a hit when paired with the right ingredients.