How to Use a Pizza Stone

How to Use a Pizza Stone

Pizza stones are unique cooking tools that are way heavier than they look. Using a pizza stone can be easy: Putting the pizza on the stone and applying heat will get you an edible end product. However, if you want your pizza baked to evenly cooked, deliciously crispy, golden brown perfection, you'll need more precision than that.

Why are pizza stones so great? Their porous cooking surface can hold and transfer incredible amounts of heat very quickly, so you can cook the crust completely without burning the toppings, which is a common problem when using an oven or grill without a stone.

Are you ready to harness the power of a pizza stone for your own kitchen? This blog will teach you how to use a pizza stone in the oven and on the grill, and give you tips on how to clean a pizza stone after each use. By the time we're done, you'll be able to serve gourmet pizzas at your next gathering and leave your guests wondering why they haven't been using a pizza stone, too.

How to Use a Pizza Stone in the Oven

Ovens are by far the most common method of making a pizza at home – your local pizzeria might have wood-fired pizza ovens made for that specific purpose, but most of us can't afford that luxury. If you're using a conventional oven or convection oven to bake pizzas, you can use a pizza stone to mimic the baking results of traditional brick ovens. Follow our step-by-step instructions on how to use a pizza stone to produce a crunchy crust, tender toppings, and golden melted cheese.

  1. Clean packaging and sticker residue off your new stone by using only cool water and a scraper.
  2. Let your stone dry completely and return to room temperature.
  3. Put your stone in the oven while it preheats to1 450 through 550 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the stone brand and personal preference.
  4. Pull the stone out and dust it with corn flour, white flour, or very fine couscous.
  5. Put your uncooked pizza on the stone and return it to the oven.
  6. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until desired doneness.
  7. Remove the pizza and stone with your pizza peel.
  8. Eat the pizza!
  9. When the stone has cooled down, you can clean any debris with a scraper and water.

How to Use a Pizza Stone on a Grill

Grilling pizza has come into vogue recently, and a pizza stone is the best way to get the right finish on a grill. The process is pretty much the same, since you need the pizza stone to heat up with the cooking cavity so thermal shock doesn't crack it. Pizza2 cooks quickly on a grill and, unless you have a high-end model, you won't be able to control the temperature as precisely as you would in an oven. When the crust begins to turn golden, move the pizza to an unheated portion of the grill and allow the indirect heat to finish the cheese and toppings. Try leaving the pizza over direct heat for 5 to 7 minutes, then move it to a cooler area to finish for another 3 to 5 minutes. Again, you'll need to keep a close eye on it because grilled pizzas cook quickly.

How to Clean a Pizza Stone

Pizza stones are porous, which enables them to absorb moisture from the crust, making it crisp. Unfortunately, it also helps the stone absorb water during washing, as well as any chemicals you use to clean it. To avoid soapy pizza and potential contamination, we recommend not using any detergents or soaps to3 clean your pizza stone. Warm water and a stone scrubber (yes, there's a special tool for everything) should be enough to clean your stone. If you don't have a stone scrubber, check the instructions for your pizza stone and choose either a stainless steel or soft-bristle cleaning brush, depending on the manufacturer's recommendations on how to clean a pizza stone.

Pizza Stones & Water

Do not submerge your pizza stone or let it soak, as it might crack if heated while water remains inside the stone. The stone might look dirty as it absorbs the oils from cooking pizzas, but that's OK – in fact, your stone is supposed to look that way.

Discoloration

Stains and discoloration are simply signs of a well-loved pizza stone. A scrubber and a stream of water can remove debris, but you're better off letting the oils stay. This will naturally season your stone – removing it would require too much water and potentially harmful detergents.

Preventing Pizza Stones from Cracking

High heat won't destroy your pizza stone, but thermal shock might. If you change the temperature of the stone too quickly, it can crack and be ruined. Ensure the pizza stone is at room temperature when you put it in the preheating oven, which allows it to heat up gradually with the baking cavity. Avoid rapid changes in temperature across the board, unless you want to see what thermal shock does to stone. (It breaks. Trust me.)

Resources

  1. Pizza Stone Cooking. Emile Henry. Accessed October 2019.
  2. Grilling Pizza. Charbroil.com. Accessed October 2019.
  3. Cleaning a Pizza Stone. Pizzacraft. Accessed October 2019.