My Pizza Stone is finally on the way!

[Jewel]

Finally! I finally took the plunge about 6 weeks ago and made a homemade pizza on my Welfare pizza stone that my MIL gave me a few years back, and I had an awful time trying to wiggle a 13" pizza onto a 13" stone without a peel, using only a pull-out cutting board as a way to slide it on. You all gave me some advice on what kind of stone to find, and I searched everywhere! I finally found one I thought would work well, but they were out of stock! I signed up for the site to 'notify me' when it came in, and then promptly forgot about it! :rolleyes: Yesterday I got my notice that it was finally in stock, so I placed my order! I got this 10 lb 14" x 17" stone (10 lbs!) and the peel which is 14" on the paddle, and the handle brings it to a total of 24" long. Think this looks like a good set? The price was $39.95 at cooking.com

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=140979

Maybe I can finally join the ranks of the Homemade Pizza Goddesses! :D:D:D

[SandyM]

You did great! Now.......do you have semolina, or are you going to go the parchment route??? :p

STAY AWAY FROM CORNMEAL!!! :D

[Jewel]

Originally posted by SandyM
You did great! Now.......do you have semolina, or are you going to go the parchment route??? :p

STAY AWAY FROM CORNMEAL!!! :D

Oh yes Ma'am, Semolina Ma'am! :eek: We've had this discussion before Ma'am, and I wouldn't think of using cornmeal! :eek: I'll do good, I promise!!!

:p

[SandyM]

Nothing wrong with parchment, I just wanted to know what YOU were going to do.

Cornmeal is great for some things, but IMHO, NOT for dusting a peel with!!!

Can't wait for that first report!

[Gracie]

Jewel - it looks nice! Homemade pizza is a staple in our house!

A couple of things I would caution you is to

1) read whatever information comes with the stone to see if you can cut the pizza while it's on the stone.

The reason I say this is that I bought a heavy square stone (not this one - I got mine at Kitchen Etc) which worked great in terms of the crust being nice and crisp on the bottom. However when I cut the pizza with my pizza cutter, I cut through the stone too. So I have slices in that stone. If you can't slice the pizza on it, then you'll have to find someplace to transfer the pizza that's big enough. I didn't have any other place to do that, hence my sliced stone.

2) If the directions tell you to soak it in cold water, place in a cold oven and heat until the stone is dry, do it - don't skip this step or it'll crack when you're making a pizza.

Good luck! I remember that last thread when you made pizza! :D Soon you'll be doing it all the time!

Loren

[gertdog]

Originally posted by Gracie
However when I cut the pizza with my pizza cutter, I cut through the stone too. So I have slices in that stone. If you can't slice the pizza on it, then you'll have to find someplace to transfer the pizza that's big enough. I didn't have any other place to do that, hence my sliced stone.

Loren

In re: the someplace else to transfer the pizza for cutting...

I didn't have a problem with cutting into the stone, but I did have a problem with pizza goop getting on the stone when I cut it there. Maneuvering a 10lb. stone for cleaning was not something I wanted to do, and I didn't like wiping it with a sponge... didn't seem "clean."

So... I went to our local restaurant supply store and bought a 16" pizza pan... the kind they serve the pizza on at pizza parlors (not really meant for baking). It's big enough for any pizza I make, and it was so cheap that I use it exclusively for cutting pizza. It's all marked up but my stone stays clean, so I don't care. I transfer the pizza from the oven to the pan, and it works great!

[Jewel]

Originally posted by Gracie
2) If the directions tell you to soak it in cold water, place in a cold oven and heat until the stone is dry, do it - don't skip this step or it'll crack when you're making a pizza.

Loren, do you mean soak it in cold water each time it's used or only the first time? I'm not sure what kind of directions I'll get with this set so I want to be sure! :D

I also like the idea of using my old pizza pan for cutting! I have a 16 or 18" 'crispy crust' pan with the little holes in the bottom that I can use for cutting, or I can use my pull-out-of-the-cabinet cutting board! Thanks for the tips! :)

[SandyM]

I've never cut my pizza on the stone. In fact, the stone rarely leaves the oven - I pull it off the stone on the peel, and I have this old piece of countertop that I inherited from my mother - it's about 3' x 4' - I put that on the counter, slide the pizza off the stone onto this board, and cut it there.

I merely wipe my stone off with a damp cloth when it's completely cooled. It's going to have goober marks on it (from the oil in the crust, from possible seepage/drippage, etc.) - it's seasoning! I've had this stone for about 8 years now - it's very seasoned, no cracks or cuts or nicks.

[Jewel]

Originally posted by SandyM
In fact, the stone rarely leaves the oven.

So you always leave the stone on the bottom rack, which you rarely cook on, right? Weird question, but does it absorb heat that should be going to something else in the oven? :confused: I mean, if I've got a roasting pan and Psycho Chicken on the middle rack, can that 14" x 16" stone be on the bottom rack and not affect the outcome of that chicken?

Also, I know a lot of you use your stone for cookies or breads. In that case, do you move your stone to the middle rack or bake the cookies on the bottom rack without moving the stone?

[SandyM]

Originally posted by Jewel
So you always leave the stone on the bottom rack, which you rarely cook on, right? Weird question, but does it absorb heat that should be going to something else in the oven? :confused: I mean, if I've got a roasting pan and Psycho Chicken on the middle rack, can that 14" x 16" stone be on the bottom rack and not affect the outcome of that chicken?

I made Psycho Chicken about 2 weeks ago, and it was fabulous, as usual, stone in the oven and everything. I keep it there for lack of anywhere else to put it! :rolleyes:

[LaraW]

Originally posted by Jewel


Loren, do you mean soak it in cold water each time it's used or only the first time? I'm not sure what kind of directions I'll get with this set so I want to be sure! :D


My guess would be that you'd do this the first time before you use it.

[vbak]

Sandy- why semolina and not cornmeal. Please enlighten me. Vicky

[SandyM]

Hi Vicky,

The semolina vs. cornmeal issue is merely a personal preference issue, but I'll explain why I prefer semolina.

When I first started making pizza, I used cornmeal to move the pizza from the peel to the stone. I also know that many take-out pizza joints use cornmeal (take a look at the bottom of your pizza the next time you carry one out).

I just don't care for the grit it leaves behind on the cooked dough.

My good friend (who taught me how to make pizza) suggested that I switch to semolina. It does the trick in sliding the dough, but it doesn't leave behind the "crunch" of the cornmeal.

Many on this board prep their pizza on parchment paper, which I hear works just as well. I'm sticking with the remainder of the 5 lb. bag of semolina that I still have left, though! :D

[vbak]

Thanks, Sandy, Vicky

[Gracie]

Hi Jewel -

Just soak it once - before you use it for the first time. Cold water, thoroughly absorbed (read submerse it for a few minutes to make sure the stone soaks up all it can).

Then put it in a cold, unheated oven. Turn on the oven to your oven's highest temp and let the stone heat until it's dried out.

Then bring it out (or leave it in if you can like SandyM said) and let it cool. I can't leave mine in b/c I have an electric oven and the heating element is on the floor of the oven.

Sorry for the confusion! :)

Loren

[Gail]

Joining the pizza brigade here as one who's trying to switch from using cornmeal to semolina. After all, how many times do you find cornmeal on the bottom of your professionally made pizza?
(Oh, all right. Maybe Pizzeria Uno...)

But I've run into one snag, and that's if you make MegaPizzas, which I occasionally do. I'm talking those loaded suckas which take small wheelbarrows to truck to your oven-- pizzas which require workouts with weights before lifting, or necessitate the assistance of some massive guy on steroids to carry the peel for you. Those pups are really a challenge with semolina-- I've actually had to lift part of my crust and toss at extra handful of the stuff under the finished product (thereby doing bad things visually to said pizza) in order to move it off the peel. So, if you want to try the semolina, just be aware you may run into this issue.

As for me, I'm not one to quit. Each time I do it I find a new angle which makes the pizzas come out better and better. I'm glad Sandy turned us on to semolina. Even though I'm a lot more expert with the cornmeal right now, I intend to stick with the semolina method until I've got it mastered.

[SandyM]

WOO HOO!!!!

Have I officially moved from Stalker to Guide?

Okay, okay, pushing it, I know........:p

[Beth]

You can also use rice flour, but I suspect most folks here are more likely to have semolina than rice flour.

I have an electric oven and keep my stone on the bottom rack unless I need both racks for cookies or such, and even then, I have been known to slide a cookie sheet right on top of the stone. I wondered if it would cause the pan to absorb more heat or bake differently, but I haven't noticed any problems.

[Gail]

...but I HAVE noticed a difference in my oven's performance. Or maybe it's just that my oven is wonky.

My stone lives on the bottom rack of the top oven. Recently, I've noticed things crispying more on the bottoms (when I cook on the rack above the stone). I know that when I finally remember to call the oven tech to have the thermostat adjusted, if I don't get the stone out of there before he arrives, I'm in for a lecture! (I've already gotten one.)

The point is, I honestly don't know if it's my oven weirding out on its own, or if the resident pizza stone was the causative factor.

...and Sandy,

get a grip. :p

[SandyM]

pfffffft. I prefer being a stalker anyway. Just a little out of practice.