Using a pizza stone: Kick Up Pizza Making to The Next Level

If you are going to make great pizza you need the right tools.
Most of the tools for making pizza will be found in any kitchen.

There are a few tools that you will need if you want to make exceptional home made pizza.

Mixing bowls, measuring spoons and a pizza pan or cookie sheet are essential.

But if you want to take your pizza making to an expert level, you need a pizza stone. With a pizza stone you will be able to make gourmet pizza.

 A pizza stone, (also known as a baking stone), and a pizza peel are essential to make great pizza.

You will also want to use a pizza paddle, also known as a peel. Dust your peel with cornmeal or flour so ou pizza will slide on and off your pizza stone.

The best pizza is made in a stone or brick oven. A pizza stone attempts to recreate a brick oven in your home.
 The notion behind this is that the pizza stone will absorb the heat in an oven. And then transfer that heat to your pizza.  A pizza stone will cook your pizza quickly and evenly.

One of the most important tips for using a pizza stone is to pre-heat your stone for an hour or more. The biggest mistake made by home pizza chefs is not allowing the stone to heat up long enough. You need to heat up your oven to at least an hour or more. That way the stone will absorb all of the heat being generated by your oven.

My friend Jon F. tells the tale of how not to use a pizza stone. His friend heat up their oven to 500 F. (260 C). and let it pre-heat for at least an hour...after to oven was hot, they put the pizza stone in. And they were dissatisfied with the results.

You need to have your baking stone in the oven when you turn on the oven!

Another great method is to use pizza stones is as bbq pizza stones.
You can enjoy your pizza right from a bbq grill.

You can find a wide variety of cheap pizza stones, but believe me cheap is not always better.

Here's why: cheap pizza stones are made of inferior quality materials. While you may save a bit of money in the short term, in the long run a cheap baking stone will end up costing you more money.

The best pizza stones are made of high quality materials and will come with a warranty. Many pizza stones will cook your pizza just like a brick pizza stone oven.

Care and Cleaning of Your Pizza Stone
I have had my pizza stone for over 20 years and have found it to be practically maintenance free.

With repeated use it has turned almost black and continues to work well!

I always let my stone cool down before cleaning it.

For every day cleaning, I just wipe the stone, with a slightly damp cloth. This will remove all of the cornmeal or flour that has stuck to the stone. If I have something baked on the stone, like cheese or a piece of dough, I will gently scrape all the residue I can get off  with a spatula.

 If I am unable to get it clean, I will heat the stone in the oven for at  500°F+ (260 C) degrees for an hour or more, let the stone cool and then try again to gently scrape the stone. Heating up the stone will burn off anything that has stuck to it.
 

Then just wipe down with a cloth.

Do not immerse your baking stone in soapy water, 
as the taste of the soap will get into the stone!!!

 

Important Tip: If Your pizza sticks.... If your pizza sticks to the surface as you try to move it to your cookie sheet or Pizza Stone !, slide a knife underneath to loosen it. Remember next time to use enough corn meal or flour underneath so it will slide. Another trick to loosen dough is to use a piece of dental floss (wider than the pizza), and slide it under the dough.  The "dental floss trick" has saved many "sticky" pizzas!

Also of course, I would invite you to take a look at
The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book.

The Pizza Therapy Pizza Book by Albert Grande, The Pizza Promoter Easy step by step instructions to teach you to make pizza... Makes makin, pizza, easy as pie...

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