Pizza Stones

[phantomcg]

Ok, I know that a lot of you make your own pizza dough and pizzas and I want to try my hand at it. I was wondering what to look for in a pizza stone. I have seen some round ones and square ones, some that seem heavier than others, etc. So, what kind of advice would you give to a "newbie"?

Thanks for any and all comments, suggestions, etc.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Cheryl

[Beth]

I can no longer tell you what brand mine might be, I think my husband got mine at Williams Sonoma. It's a large, rectangular one that just about covers the lower rack of my oven. I would recommend that over a round one simply because not all pizza are ceated equal, or exactly round. It gives you a little more room to play with. However, I had a friend who had a round one and was happy with it. She drew a circle to gauge the size, and I guess she had steady handy and never had a crust stick!

[Gail]

I'm with Beth on the rectangular shape. You may not just use it for pizza, after all. Maybe you'll want to do some nice crusty bread or something of that nature. Also, on occasion I'll make several little pizzas at one time. Being able to bake multiple small pizzas at one time is a definite plus.

[andreajackson]

I love my round baking stone! We got it from Pamered Chef. We make anything from pizza to chicken to cookies on it! I would recommend that anyone purchase a baking stone no matter what brand!

[Ralph]

We don't have a pizza stone, per se, but an appliance with one built in called a "Pizza Pronto."
This was discussed in a prior thread at http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/Forum1/HTML/001030.html
If for some reason that link doesn't work, click the "search" link on this page & type "pizza pronto" in the "search words" blank & you'll get to that thread.

[MrsReber]

Don't remember what brand my pizza stone is, either. It was a gift. I have a round stone and I love it for pizza. I just roll the crust out to the end of the stone and I get a round pie every time! My crust NEVER sticks, either. Once your pizza stone is seasoned properly and starts to turn dark brown, nothing should stick to it at all. I also put a little bit of cornmeal on the stone before I roll out the crust. I make foccacia bread on mine, too, so I don't think the shape matters all that much. The one I have is perfect as it's usually just my husband and I eating the pizza. I highly recommend it, though. Making pizza is really alot of fun and a great chance to be creative.

[phantomcg]

I knew that I could count on all of you!! Thanks so much for your comments. I do have one other question. I was out looking at pizza stones yesterday and I noticed that some of them seem much heavier than the others. Are the heaviers ones "better"?

Thanks again for your help. I hope to get a stone this week and try it out.

Cheryl

[phantomcg]

Ralph:

I'm going to look into an appliance similar to yours too. Seems like that would be great to take on trips. Besides, I'm a sucker for "gadgets"

Cheryl

[BethH]

Speaking of seasoning...I threw out the directions that came with my PC pizza stone. Could someone post some directions for me on how to properly season one? Thanks!

I'm hoping to make a homemade pizza soon but last time--my dough really stuck (stone not properly seasoned)! Oops. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

Also--how long does it take frozen pizza dough to thaw? I have the CL recipe in a ziplock bag in the freezer and I have to admit, I'm afraid of it.

[BeckyM]

I think I responded to a similar message previously, so I apologize for the redundancy. But, I have personal experience with two different pizza stones, and I have to say the one I have from Pampered Chef is definitely the best! The other one I had was just a generic one, and I can't remember where I got it. It was one that was supposed to be pre-heated before baking on it. That was a bit of a pain, because I couldn't roll the dough out on it to form the pizza. Instead, I had to roll out the dough and completely assemble the pizza, then try to get it on the baking stone. Even with a pizza peel, it usually was a disaster. And to top it off, that pizza stone recommended not using it to bake greasy foods. So I never made cookies or anything on it. Then one time I cut my pizza right on the stone, and some cheese got onto the stone and "baked" into it, since it was still hot. I scrubbed and scrubbed, but couldn't get the discoloration to go away. I figured it was fine and then preheated the stone the next time, only to find that it gave off an appalling odor. I cooked my pizza anyway, and it tasted just gross. I tried a few other times, but I guess the cheese burned into the stone and just got worse each time. So I threw away the stone.

Then I got a pizza stone from Pampered Chef, and I couldn't be happier with it. They have a whole line of stoneware (casserole dishes, pie plates, pizza stones, bundt pan, etc.), and I love it all. Nothing ever sticks when I use this stoneware, and it browns so nicely. I use my pizza stone for all sorts of breads, and it also is great for cookies too! I have both a round one and a rectangular one, and I use them both pretty often. For that, I'd say it's just a matter of personal preference. But when choosing a brand for stoneware, I'd say you absolutely can't go wrong with Pampered Chef! (And no, I don't sell it! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )

Becky

[SandyM]

Here's one for the other side. Nothing against the people who like Pampered Chef - just providing another viewpoint. I have a round pizza stone from Pampered Chef, and I have a square one from Williams Sonoma. I will by far always use the stone from Williams Sonoma before even reaching for the one from Pampered Chef, and here's why. The stone from Pampered Chef is half as thick as the one from Williams Sonoma, and seems less sturdy. It's also smaller in diameter, and I have a hard time regulating how large I roll the dough out for. I put the Williams Sonoma stone in the oven, crank it up to the highest heat, and assemble my pizza on the peel, which has a light coating of semolina to prevent it from sticking. I never have a problem sliding the prepared pizza off the peel onto the heated stone, and it takes literally 4 minutes to cook the pizza through. I'm thinking that preparing and cooking the pizza on a cold stone would make it soggy, but I've never done it, so I'm not certain. My stone is discolored in spots and seasoned through from the oil in the dough, and maybe some sauce seeped through a hole in the dough, but nothing sticks, nothing burns, and it doesn't affect the taste of the dough. My two cents, for whatever it's worth.

[Kristilyn1]

My stone is a Pampered Chef and I love it. I use it for everything.

That said--I think that the most important thing in that sort of stoneware is that it not be glazed. It's that rough kind of "unfinished" feel to it that makes it that great. I don't even know if they make pizza stones that are glazed, but I know other stonewear pieces are--so I thought I would mention it.

Kristi

[MrsReber]

Beth, I just defrosted some pizza dough last Friday. I took it out of the freezer and put it into the refrigerator in the morning before work (around 6:00am) and it was perfect when I got home (about 6:00pm).

As far as seasoning, it says to cook something greasy on it or (this is how I did mine) I applied a thin layer of oil and put it in the oven for a while to "bake".