A pizza stone gives a simple, inexpensive method of improving the taste of a frozen or fresh pie. It somewhat replicates the method of cooking used in restaurants.
Though a bit smaller in size, pizza stones act similar to the floor of a commercial, large pizza oven that radiates heat around your pie as it bakes.
Now, you can utilize pizza stones for more than only frozen or fresh pizza prep. A great pizza stone could be used for baking bread, muffins and cookies. And it is a perfect platform for you to defrost and/or warm up your frozen appetizers.
The Pizza stones are created from a wide range of stone, materials and otherwise. Now, these materials usually tolerate the high heat needed to bake a pizza without being cracked.
Stones come in different shapes: round, square, rectangular, and in sets which assemble just like a jigsaw puzzle.
Some packages of client-oriented pizza stone include racks that could be used in holding the stone after coming out of your oven.
Finding The Proper Pizza Stone
Pizza pans consist of diverse materials; there are some that are natural while others are artificially made.
We recommend that you focus your purchase on the material of the stone, as the material’s variances will cause your pizza to cook differently. Additionally, some materials are more durable compared to others.
- Lead-free clay is a classic material of pizza stone. It is known for its capability of rendering a crispy crust, however, it needs a lengthy preheat time to come to temperature.
- Stoneware is the ceramic generic name. Stoneware is a good conductor of heat and has some tendency to crack if not properly preheated.
- Cordierite is a mineral which can properly handle high temperatures. Resistant to thermal shock, it’s also the material utilized in making kiln shelves.
- Now Ceramic stone really distributes heat correctly, but it has to be carefully preheated to avoid any crack.
Other materials that are used for pizza stones are cast iron that has a 400�F of heat limit, and the new steel “stones” that are good heat conductors, expensive and albeit heavy.
Tips for Using Your Pizza Stone
Below are some tips to make the most of the top pizza stones purchase:
Now, if you love kitchen items with many functions, choose durable and heat conducive stone which will also let you roast vegetables, complete your perfect grilled cheese, your bake potato chips, and make falafels without you deep frying.
Just preheat your pizza stone by placing the stone on the lowest rack of your cold oven and wait for at least 30 mins for it to heat-up.
Allow the dough to get to room temperature before you bake it. Cold dough that is placed on your hot pizza stone might cause the stone to easily crack from the quick temperature change.
Many pizza stones do not need seasoning. For those that do, wipe your stone using a wet, soap-free cloth. You can then warm your wet stone in an oven on low heat. By the time it’s dry, just apply a light coat of oil using an old towel. After you apply the vegetable oil, then bake for an hour 400�F. Leave it in your oven to finally cool off.
Almost all pizza stones have to be washed by hand. But, the use of dish-washing liquid or soap is a no-no, as your stone can get a soapy taste.
