24.3.2014 How to Use a Pizza Stone: 15 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

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How to Use a Pizza StoneUsing Your Pizza Stone Cleaning Your Pizza Stone Getting a Makeshift Pizza Stone

A pizza stone cooks great pizza, and a whole lot more! Not only is it a great

cooking surface, it can help your whole oven cook more evenly. Here's a quick

and easy guide on how to get the most from this wonderful cooking tool.

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Place your pizza stone in conventional oven. For cooking pizza and cookies, the

top rack in the center is the ideal location. For cooking bread, biscuits, and other

items, the middle rack in the center is the better choice.

Start with a cold oven. Never put a cold pizza stone in a hot oven, as it can shatter

due to thermal shock.[1]

In fact, make sure never to expose the pizza stone to rapid temperature shifts.

Placing a frozen pizza on a pizza stone is almost as likely to result in a shattered

stone as placing a cold stone in a hot oven. You're better off cooking your frozen

pizza straight on the rack.

Pre-heat oven (if necessary) with pizza stone in it.

Place food item on pizza stone with a pizza paddle. Do not grease or oil. For

breads and pizza crust, you may want to add a little cornmeal to aid removal.

It can take a little finessing to get used to, but a pizza paddle is a useful instrument,

especially for transferring uncooked pizza dough onto the stone. There are three

different kinds of peels — short-handled wooden peels, long-handled wooden

peels, and metal peels. For the average person cooking at home, the short-

handled wooden peel will probably work best.

If you don't want to use cornmeal under your dough, you can also use flour. Rice

flour is a great way to ensure the dough doesn't stick to your paddle.[2]

Leave pizza stone in oven — at least until it is entirely cool. You do not have to

remove it at all, as it can add to a "brick oven effect" that actually helps your oven

retain and spread heat more evenly. You can put cooking dishes, pots, pans, cookie trays,

and so on right on the stone.

Part 1 of 3: Using Your Pizza Stone

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Use an implement like a metal spatula to take off any food that is stuck to the

stone's surface. Of course, only do this once you're sure the pizza stone is cool

enough to handle.

Never use dish soap on pizza stone. Your pizza stone can be cleaned and rinsed

entirely with water. With a clean sponge, wipe away any remaining food or grime

using only water. Do not try to remove oils that build up — it is fully unnecessary. Leaving

the oils on the stone actually helps season the stone, turning it into a slicker, more easy-to-

use item.

Don't let your pizza stone soak in water for too long. A simple once-over is

probably more than enough. If you pizza stone happens to absorb too much moisture

when it's soaking in the sink, it can crack the next time you heat it in the oven.[3]

Don't worry about your pizza stone getting stained. Stains on your pizza stone

are normal and almost unavoidable. Moreover, they're like a badge of honor, or

experience points — something that you point to as a vindication of your cooking skills.

Place your stone back in the oven when cleaned, or store it in a safe place

with very little traffic. You can house your pizza stone in the oven even as you bake

other items. Just bake them on top of the stone itself. For heavier items, like a roast, move

the pizza stone to the bottom rack before cooking.

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Measure the inside of your oven carefully. You should know how much space you

have to work with before you select your stone. You'll be kicking yourself if you buy a

stone and then realize that your oven isn't large enough for it.

Look for unglazed quarry stone for your makeshift pizza stone.[4] Commercial

pizza stones can be quite pricey. If you're a bottom line sort of person and only

worried about the taste of your pizza, not the look of your stone, you can purchase a quarry

stone for around $5 to $10. You can start your search at any home improvement store like

Home Depot or Lowe's.

Look for clay or shale tiles, specifically, when you search for your stone. Terra cotta

tile works great, as does most any stone that is labeled "all natural clay and shale."

Part 2 of 3: Cleaning Your Pizza Stone

Part 3 of 3: Getting a Makeshift Pizza Stone

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When looking for quarry stone, make sure to get unglazed quarry stone.

Glazed quarry stones contain lead, which is poisonous and generally to be avoided in

all cooking items.[5]

Decide whether you want to purchase one large stone or several smaller

stones. Although one larger stone may be more aesthetically pleasing, several

smaller stones may be more versatile in the end. You can position several smaller stones

on various racks on your oven; they'll absorb heat, meaning that you can turn off your oven

and let the heat emanate from the stones without burning extra energy. With several smaller

stones, the heat gets more evenly dispersed.

Use your makeshift pizza stone as you would any commercial pizza stone.

Enjoy pizza, French bread, cookies , bagels, and much more.

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If you choose to store your pizza stone outside of the stove, be aware it

is fragile. Store flat in an area it is unlikely to fall.

Do not use a knife or pizza cutter on the stone. Always transfer item to

cooling surface before cutting. The cutting implement will be damaged

by being used on the pizza stone, although it won't hurt the pizza stone.

Tips

Warnings

24.3.2014 How to Use a Pizza Stone: 15 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow

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1. ↑ http://www.recipepizza.com/pizza_stone.htm

2. ↑

http://www.fornobravo.com/brick_oven_cooking/brick_oven_techniques/

using_pizza_peels.html

3. ↑ http://www.thekitchn.com/baking-tools-wear-and-care-of-52351

4. ↑ http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/diy-pizza-stone.htm

5. ↑ http://www.recipepizza.com/pizza_stone.htm

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 175,374 times.

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Español: Cómo usar una piedra para hornear pizza, Português: Como Usar uma Pedra

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камень для пиццы, Nederlands: Een pizzasteen gebruiken

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