Author Topic: Pizza stones, what the heck ???  (Read 2600 times)

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Offline vesta111

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Pizza stones, what the heck ???
« on: September 22, 2013, 09:34:26 AM »
Hubby came home all smiles as he found a set of one Pizza stone, some kind of metal holder and a device to cut the Pizza.  I/2 off at the store.

Darn I darn near snagged one at Good Will a few years ago and some old man reached under my legs to get it before I could pick it up.

Crap, so now I faced the brand new stone, No frigging directions on how to use, just this big round thingy with a holder of some kind and a round pizza cutter. 

Spent an hour on line trying to find about this old time cooking implement and found 15 sites with contradictory advice.     

How to season the some kind of clay round, what to do and not do.    Found one site that says to not put a frozen pizza on the stone, and another that said it was OK.     Some sites say to place the stone on------bottom rack, some say the middle rack and one says the top rack in the oven.

Something this simple I have never run into, I feel like an idiot asking the correct way to manage a vegetable peeler in today's world.

For those that have these stones  how do they get ship shape and ready to do what they are supposed to do ??

Offline Dori

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Re: Pizza stones, what the heck ???
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2013, 10:58:03 AM »
For those that have these stones  how do they get ship shape and ready to do what they are supposed to do ??

I would treat it like any ceramic.  Don't immediately put it into water after use.  Let it cool first.  It's also porous, so I wouldn't use soaps and cleansers.  One site said if you have to clean it, use a paste of baking soda to scrub it and hot water.

As far as curing it, I don't really know.  But cast iron is porous and you have to cure it with oil then heat it up.

It also suggested that before you use it, to put it into a cold oven and then turn it on to 450 for 20 min.  I would also suggest putting it into a cold oven before heating and before putting the pizza on it.

They are supposed to distribute heat better for browning and cooking the pizza crust.  I sort of have one made of cast iron, but I can't really tell much difference between it and a regular pizza pan. 

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Offline Big Dog

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Re: Pizza stones, what the heck ???
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2013, 12:32:52 PM »
I had a pizza stone. I used it a lot, and liked it a lot. Now I have a cast iron "prospector's" pan, which I prefer to the stone- but I am a big time cast iron fan.

Dori gave you good advice about heating the stone before you use it the first time. That will remove oils and crap that can get on the stone during manufacturing.

As you use the stone, olive oil and oil from the cheese and meat will cook into the stone. Don't be afraid of that, it is a good thing.

Don't use soap on the stone. Cook off the bread and cheese residue once in awhile.

You can bake cracker crust before adding cheese, sauce, and toppings. You can also make flatbreads.

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Offline biersmythe

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Re: Pizza stones, what the heck ???
« Reply #3 on: September 22, 2013, 05:43:58 PM »
I have had several pizza stones over the years and I really like them. I broke one (dropped it  :thatsright: ) the other probably went with an old roommate not sure I don't have it now...lol What i have done to season them is put it in the oven at 425 ish the first time. I cured one of the stones with canola oil before first use just wiped it down and put it in the oven for about 30 min. it smoked a little so the next one I seasoned I did with peanut oil it was better. I never washed them and I kept mine in my oven always. The cheese and what not wont stick after a bit just scrape it with the spatula after you cook your pie. I treated mine like cast iron no soap and just wipe down. I cooked with it on the mid rack and worked great for pizza and flat breads or artisan loaf breads. I didnt use the little rack that came with mine cause I never removed the stone from the oven. Hope this helps.
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Offline RobJohnson

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Re: Pizza stones, what the heck ???
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2013, 09:12:29 PM »
Damn. Now I am hungry for pizza.