what2ask
Home | Full A-Z list | Feedback | About Us
Pizza stones - what to ask before you buy
If you're not sure whether to buy a pizza stone, the questions here will help you decide.
Click on a question below for more information.
- What is it: What is a pizza stone?
- Usefulness: Will I use a pizza stone?
- How it works: How does the pizza stone work?
- Heating it: How long does it take to heat a pizza stone?
- Seasoning:How do I season a pizza stone?
- Ease of use: How easy it is to use a pizza stone?
- Moving the pizza: How do I get the pizza onto the hot stone?
- High temperature: How do I deal with a very hot pizza stone?
- Staining: Will the pizza stone stain?
- Cleaning: Can I clean the pizza stone?
- Tiles: Can I use a ceramic tile instead of a pizza stone?
- Weight: How heavy is the pizza stone?
- Soggy crust: Will the pizza stone always ensure a crisp crust?
- Value: Is it worth buying a pizza stone?
1. What is a pizza stone?
A pizza stone is piece of flat, unglazed ceramic material which has a porous surface to absorb moisture from a pizza (or other bakery type food) during the cooking process.
The idea is to cook a pizza more evenly, with a crisper crust.
Pizza stones are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and costs. Because a pizza stone is such a basic item, a cheap one will generally work as well as an expensive one, so if you decided to buy one, shop around for a low price.
2. Will I use a pizza stone?
Before you buy a pizza stone, determine if you would use it. You may find using a pizza stone too time consuming and complicated.
3. How does the pizza stone work?
For the pizza stone to work, it has to be heated to a very high temperature.
It has to be placed in a cold oven and heated with the oven to avoid heat shock, which could result in the pizza stone breaking.
Once the pizza stone is really, really hot, you place your uncooked pizza onto the stone and cook it (in around 7-10 minutes).
4. How long does it take to heat a pizza stone?
Find out just how long the pizza stone will take to heat. Your oven may have to be on for up to an hour to make the pizza stone hot enough before you can start cooking. This means heating up your kitchen and costing you money.
5. How do I season a pizza stone?
Heat your oven to Very Hot (450F or 220C). Spread oil over the cooking surface of the pizza stone and bake until the oil is absorbed. Allow to cool in the oven, then repeat.
Regular oiling whenever you cook pizzas on the pizza stone will ensure the stone remains seasoned and will eventually become almost 'non-stick'.
Don't use soap or detergents on the pizza stone as they will remove the seasoning (and make your food taste bad).
6. How easy it is to use a pizza stone?
Make sure you know how to use the pizza stone before you buy one.
7. How do I get the pizza onto the hot stone?
If you have prepared a pizza on a floured surface, while the pizza stone is heating, it can be frustrating trying to get the pizza onto the stone without burning yourself or wrecking the shape and/or contents of the pizza.
Using a pizza paddle may help, but you have to be careful that the pizza doesn't stick to the paddle.
Some cooks dust the pizza paddle with cornflour (or breadcrumbs or semolina) to stop the pizza sticking to the stone.
A pizza paddle can cost more than a cheap pizza stone. but it is hard to use a pizza stone without one.
8. How do I deal with a very hot pizza stone?
The pizza stone gets very, very hot. This means you can't just lift it out of the oven with your average cotton oven mitts.
If you do remove it from the oven, you have to be very careful where you place it to avoid damaging your kitchen bench.
You can't put the hot pizza stone onto something cold as that may cause it to crack.
The recommendation for most pizza stones is to let them cool down in the oven as the oven cools. This can take quite a long time. In the meantime you still have to get your pizza off the very hot stone before serving.
9. Will the pizza stone stain?
Because it is porous, the pizza stone will absorb moisture from anything it touches. Pizza will stain it, so don't expect it to look pristine once you have used it.
Eventually, with regular use, the stains will run together and the absorbed oil will make the pizza stone slightly 'non-stick' but you will generally still have to flour the pizza stone before you use it.
10. Can I clean the pizza stone?
Cleaning the pizza stone is a matter of waiting until it has cooled down in the oven (this will take quite a while), removing the obvious bits of food, then rinsing it in plain water and scrubbing food off it with a stiff brush. If you use any commercial detergent or cleaner, it will absorb the smell of the cleaner and may ruin your next pizza.
11. Can I use a ceramic tile instead of a pizza stone?
Only if it is unglazed. Glazes may contain toxic chemicals (such as lead) which may contaminate your food. The tile may be thinner and lighter than a purpose made pizza stone.
12. How heavy is the pizza stone?
A pizza stone is usually pretty heavy. Make sure you can comfortably lift it in and out of your oven.
13. Will the pizza stone always ensure a crisp crust?
Not necessarily. If use a lot of fresh veggies, a lot of oil, or a fairly liquid sauce, you may find the base turns out soggy after all.
14. Is it worth buying a pizza stone?
Ask yourself if you could use a thin, metal, perforated pizza tray instead.
- For most home made pizzas, a thin perforated metal pizza tray will make the base crisp enough
- Some cooks even pre-heat their metal pizza tray to reduce the chance of a soggy crust.
- The pizza stone uses a lot of energy to heat up - the stove will be on for a long time before you can cook the pizza. Consider your power bills.
- A thin metal tray is much lighter so it will be easier to handle even when hot.
- A thin metal tray won't crack if you put it onto a cool surface or into cold water.
- And the metal pizza tray is way easier to clean.
And then, of course, there's takeaway pizza... :-)
