Here are a few tips and tricks for cooking pizza at home:

• The pizza stone. The benefits of a pizza stone cannot be overstated. Place it on the lowest possible rack in the oven and warm it up while you preheat the oven, then place your prepared pizza on it. The pizza cooks from the bottom up, giving you a crispy crust that's still moist on the inside. My favorite is a 15-inch round stone.
• The pizza peel. This is a big paddle for moving the pizza around. I have no idea how you can do this without it.
• Not too stiff! This is a very supple dough that makes a tender, chewy crust. Be careful not too add too much flour—better to leave it a bit sticky than to risk a crust that doesn't throw well or bakes up tough.
• Keep it from sticking. Your dough will be very moist, so you'll need something to keep it from sticking everything in sight. There are a few choices:
  
  • Corn meal. My kids won't eat this, but it's really common all the same. Mix plain ol' Quaker corn meal with a serious dose of garlic powder and sprinkle it liberally on the pizza peel and the stone. Careful with cooking, though, because cornmeal tends to brown (and burn) quickly.
  • Stone-ground wheat. I checked the other day, and found out that the guys down at Junior's Italian use a blend of stone-ground whole wheat and all-purpose white flour. He says he likes this because it's less susceptible to burning.
  • White flour. I learned this from a friend whose family ran a pizza place in Florida years ago.  If you are not crazy about the graininess of wheat or corn meal on your pizza, use flour instead. Dust your dough liberally before throwing it and sprinkle a healthy dose on your pizza peel before building your pizza.
• Make the dough ahead. If you think you might be in a hurry on pizza day, make the dough up the night before. Kneed it and let it rise once. Shape it into a ball, place it in a bowl or flat pan, cover it, and let it rest for about 20 minutes before sticking it in the fridge. The next day, let it warm up a little before you shape it.
• Cooler dough throws better. Even though you're working with soft dough, it throws better when it's cool.  The stiffer dough is less prone to develop holes in the center when you toss it. The day-in/day-out pizza guys I've talked with keep their dough in the fridge and let it warm for 20 to 30 minutes before throwing it. The perfect dough is not cold, but is cool to the touch—slightly cooler than room temperature.
• Room temperature. Speaking of room temperature, when you build your pizza, all toppings should be at room temperature—or maybe a bit cooler. This allows you to slide it into the oven without it sticking. For example, if your sauce is right from the stove, you'll get condesation and the pizza will stick to the peel. Not too good.
• Don't forget to make the sauce. There's plenty of time while you're making the crust, but it's best to make it ahead of time. Just be sure it cools to room temperature (or even cooler) before you build the pizza.

If you've run across other tricks, I'd love to include them here. Drop a comment, and I'll stick in your tips (with credit, of course).