If you are really into baking pizza at home, some pros recommend having both a baking steel and baking stone to create a pocket of high heat to quickly cook your pizza, but for most people, one or the other will be just fine. To test the pizza stones and baking steels, we first seasoned each according to the package instructions, if applicable. At minimum, we preheated each model for 1.
Then we conducted a number of baking and roasting tests to evaluate effectiveness and ease of use. These included baking two pizzas with tomato sauce and cheese back to back on each stone or steel; baking a galette on a piece of parchment paper directly on top of each model; and finally, roasting a sheet pan of carrots tossed with olive oil placed directly on top of each stone or steel, to see if the heated surface would effect browning.
Then we cooled and cleaned the products according to instructions, to gauge maintenance levels. For a budget pick, it's a worthwhile option. It also may be a bit too large for some smaller ovens; you want air to be able to fully circulate around the steel or stone for best performance.
However, we found it too small to comfortably land a pizza without worrying it would fall off of the side. It would be a good option if you have a smaller oven. But we found this model one of the most difficult to clean, with burnt on bits of cheese and topping we could not wipe or wash away. Any of these stones or steels will definitely improving your home baking, but the Original Baking Steel takes the top prize because of its versatility and indestructible construction.
Making pizza at home? Do you consider yourself a dough professional willing to pay a high price for the latest equipment, or do you just want something to deliver impressive results without too much effort involved?
Based on your personal needs and kitchen habits, here is what you can choose from:. This classic baking stone absorbs moisture during baking and delivers a crispy crust. However, if not handled carefully, these stones can crack or break. This option is also the most cost effective one. Slightly more expensive and extremely durable, cordierite is a mineral known for handling extreme temperatures very well.
It is easy to take a cordierite stone from a low temperature to a very high temperature without the risk of breaking it. The cast iron option will not break, heat up quickly and be easier to clean than the stone option. Most models will also come with handles for easy maneuvering in and out of the oven. Baking steel is the newest entrant to the baking stone world. While these steels radiate heat less evenly than their ceramic or cordierite counterparts, they can achieve higher temperatures.
They are virtually indestructible, free of the risk of breaking but do require more maintenance than stones as they will need to be seasoned from time to time to prevent rusting.
This is more of a consideration than a baking stone material option. Those that come in natural materials like clay, stone, ceramic or cordierite are sold as unglazed given the reason that they take in moisture while yielding even heat. Others that are sold as glazed are considered micro glazed as the glazing has fine cracks or fissures that allow some moisture to penetrate.
So whether you decide to go with the glazed or unglazed version is more of a matter of personal preference. Of the two, glazed products are marketed as easier to clean and cost a little more. Baking stones comes in different shapes and sizes so keep your oven size in mind before getting one. There are round, square and rectangular shapes to choose from. If all you want to do is use the stone for making pizza, then we would recommend opting for a round stone, but if your baking needs go beyond pizza to breads, calzones and cookies, consider a different shape.
Rectangular stones provide more surface area and are better suited for breads and other nonstandard round or square shapes. The FibraMent-D stone comes with a year warranty. Plus, the second-place pizzas were still crisp and delicious. But free shipping more than makes up for it.
FibraMent stones are also more expensive than the other ceramic models we tested. Just like any other ceramic pizza stone, the FibraMent-D will stain as you use it.
But you should still scrape off burnt food bits between uses when the stone is at room temperature. You can use a metal spatula for the stubborn bits, then brush the crumbs with a sturdy bench brush. This heavy steel plate delivers a big wallop of instant heat that in our testing let us bake up the best pizza of all the competition.
Although an eighth of an inch might not seem like much of a difference, the extra steel means more stored heat for crispier pizzas. We made thin-crust Neapolitan-style pies that rivaled our favorite brick-oven pizzas.
And each successive pizza was as browned, puffy, and pleasantly charred around the edges as the first. A lot of people also like the broiler method , but that requires an oven with a broiler in the top, and it can be tricky if you have an electric broiler that cycles on and off. Scott Misture, a professor of materials science and engineering, told us that the thick steel mass works well at evening out the temperature variation in the oven.
That means fewer hot spots. That said, steel can rust. For more tips on caring for and using a baking steel, check out the care and maintenance section. In our tests, the Honey-Can-Do baked the most evenly golden croissants and made rustic bread on a par with the FibraMent-D.
And even though it produced pizzas with lighter color and less oven spring than anything made on the FibraMent or Baking Steel, it still browned the crust better than the rest of the competition.
But if you want to make back-to-back pizzas, the Honey-Can-Do takes roughly six to eight minutes to recover its temperature between bakes, whereas the FibraMent-D takes just half that time. That in-between texture translated to pizzas that were crisper and darker than those we baked on smoother stones, but still softer than what we could produce with the FibraMent-D. These stones come in only two size options—a byinch rectangle and inch-diameter round. We recommend springing for the rectangular stone, as long as you can fit it in your oven with at least 1 inch of air gap around the perimeter.
No matter the material, you always need to sprinkle some cornmeal or semolina on the peel before your dough goes on it. But metal peels just seem to bind to the dough more frequently than wooden ones. If you need proof, just watch the cook at your favorite pizzeria throw a raw pie in the oven.
That peel is probably made of wood. The downside to wood peels is that they split, especially when exposed to water. In our testing, we tried a wooden pizza peel that we used twice before it split, and we wiped it down with only a damp cloth.
Enter the Epicurean pizza peel , which is made from a wood-fiber composite. It has the dough-sliding action of solid wood without the risk of splitting. We used and washed this peel numerous times over the course of testing, and it has yet to warp.
Using your stone: Be sure to read the instruction manual before using your new pizza stone. To avoid any risk of sudden temperature change that could cause a ceramic stone to crack, always put it in a cold oven before preheating. Many instruction manuals say to preheat your stone for 20 or 30 minutes. It helps regulate the heat in your oven, especially if you have extreme hot spots.
Also, these things are heavy and a pain to lug around your kitchen. The best—and easiest—way to clean a ceramic stone is to let any spills or cheesy bits burn off in a hot oven. Then brush the charcoal food carcasses away with a towel or a bench brush. Begin with the rough side of the baking stone facing up. Both sides of the baking stone can be used for baking, but there is less likelihood dough will stick to the rough surface.
With your baking stone in a room temperature oven, pre-heat it for minutes prior to use. Since the baking stone absorbs and retains heat, the preheating process will ensure your food bakes evenly. When finished baking, allow the baking stone to cool gradually in the oven to prevent thermal shock or cracking.
To prevent breaking, never place baking stones in direct contact with an open flame. For grill use, always use the flame diverter. Avoid excessive contact with liquids oils, water, etc. Orders generally ship from our factory within 1 — 3 business days after receipt of the order. Typical delivery is then 1 - 5 business days after leaving our factory.
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