Pizza stone question

[cornflake]

Nope, I don't preheat my stone(s) ever. I use mine for pizza, cookies, rolls.....I just put the dough right on the cold stone that was on top of the stove while the oven was preheating. I've never had an issue. I have a glass top stove, when I pull the stone out it goes on top of the stove, just like any other "normal" cookie sheet or cake or cupcake pan. I even have a small pan with a lip around it that I use for brownies, yup, brownies in a baking stone, works great, never preheat the stone, just pour the batter in and bake. Perfect little brownies every time. Heck, PC even sold me a little metal spatula that they suggested I use for removing the brownies from that very pan. I've even put it on my granite counter tops when baking lots of cookies, if I don't have enough room on the stove top they go on hot pads on the stove top, never had a problem.
Even after the house fire the stoneware was in perfect condition, I couldn't actually use it because the smoke had permeated and it would have transferred that smell/taste into our food but otherwise they were in great condition.

I... but it's heavier and denser than a cookie sheet, thus takes much longer to heat, thus it would make baking ... very odd indeed. I also still don't understand the point of using the stone if it's not being preheated - or how one couldn't get dough on it. You just... toss cornmeal and place the dough on. If it's hot enough, nothing will stick.

 

[Southernmiss]

Nope, I don't preheat my stone(s) ever. I use mine for pizza, cookies, rolls.....I just put the dough right on the cold stone that was on top of the stove while the oven was preheating. I've never had an issue. I have a glass top stove, when I pull the stone out it goes on top of the stove, just like any other "normal" cookie sheet or cake or cupcake pan. I even have a small pan with a lip around it that I use for brownies, yup, brownies in a baking stone, works great, never preheat the stone, just pour the batter in and bake. Perfect little brownies every time. Heck, PC even sold me a little metal spatula that they suggested I use for removing the brownies from that very pan. I've even put it on my granite counter tops when baking lots of cookies, if I don't have enough room on the stove top they go on hot pads on the stove top, never had a problem.
Even after the house fire the stoneware was in perfect condition, I couldn't actually use it because the smoke had permeated and it would have transferred that smell/taste into our food but otherwise they were in great condition.

Agree with the bolded. I will put cold dough on the stone and then bake it a bit before putting the toppings on. But that's it.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I dont know if i am doing it right or not. I never take mine out of the oven unless im going to use the oven for something else. (many times i still leave it in there anyway) I preheat the oven with the pizza stone in it.

I DO have a pizza peel, I picked one up at Bed Bath and Beyond, I think they are about 10 bucks. It seems to do a really good job...too bad I am on a diet!

 

[si-am]

Thanks for sharing your experiences, everyone!

We actually decided to go out to eat tonight. Definitely trying the pizza stone on Sunday night for dinner! Wish us luck!

 

[LilyWDW]

I dont know if i am doing it right or not. I never take mine out of the oven unless im going to use the oven for something else. (many times i still leave it in there anyway) I preheat the oven with the pizza stone in it.

I DO have a pizza peel, I picked one up at Bed Bath and Beyond, I think they are about 10 bucks. It seems to do a really good job...too bad I am on a diet!

Actually, pizza in upon itself is not that bad for you as long as you watch what you put on it and your portions. Use a whole wheat crust, lots of vegetables, and some good cheese (so you can get away with less) and you have a pretty balanced meal. Add some chicken or other lean protein if you have the extra calories and there you go.

 

[Imzadi]

I... but it's heavier and denser than a cookie sheet, thus takes much longer to heat, thus it would make baking ... very odd indeed. I also still don't understand the point of using the stone if it's not being preheated - or how one couldn't get dough on it. You just... toss cornmeal and place the dough on. If it's hot enough, nothing will stick.

When I traveled cross-country, I noticed that the rest of the country really does not have the same concept of a crunchy through to the bottom of the crust pizza the way we do. Partly, it really is the water used for the crust AND the way it is baked. For some, when they say their pizza comes out fine, they really think however their crust normally comes out (in their locale) is the way pizza is. And I've tasted some flaccid or doughy crust pizzas. They have a very difference reference point.


I don't have a pizza stone. The few times I buy grocery store pizza, I lay down a sheet of aluminum foil over the bottom coil of the oven, tented up slightly so it's not touching the coil. I preheat the oven til it's toasty hot, then slide my pizza right on the oven rack, with the bottom exposed. I leave the oven door cracked open a little at the top. This way, the whole crust has a chance to get crispy toasted, before the top cooks. It cooks perfectly this way. Any extra cheese that drips off drops onto the aluminum foil and it's an easy clean up.

 

[MM27]

I have the Pampered Chef pizza stone and have never preheated or cooled it. I even cut the pizza right on the stone. Comes out great every time.

 

[cornflake]

When I traveled cross-country, I noticed that the rest of the country really does not have the same concept of a crunchy through to the bottom of the crust pizza the way we do. Partly, it really is the water used for the crust AND the way it is baked. For some, when they say their pizza comes out fine, they really think however their crust normally comes out (in their locale) is the way pizza is. And I've tasted some flaccid or doughy crust pizzas. They have a very difference reference point.


I don't have a pizza stone. The few times I buy grocery store pizza, I lay down a sheet of aluminum foil over the bottom coil of the oven, tented up slightly so it's not touching the coil. I preheat the oven til it's toasty hot, then slide my pizza right on the oven rack, with the bottom exposed. I leave the oven door cracked open a little at the top. This way, the whole crust has a chance to get crispy toasted, before the top cooks. It cooks perfectly this way. Any extra cheese that drips off drops onto the aluminum foil and it's an easy clean up.

Maybe that's it... just sounds like it wouldn't work at all, for anything, but perhaps you're right and our concepts of what working means for baking stuff like that are just different.

Try a stone - it's even better. The oven rack thing works but there's a lot of air circulating. If you get a stone (you can find decent ones cheapish if you look around but doesn't need to be a fancy expensive thing, you can actually just use mexican tiles (the thick ones) - but don't put food directly on anything unglazed unless it's labelled as foodsafe, so just wrap in foil.), or a few bricks that you lay aluminum foil over. You jack the oven to nuclear with the stone inside until it's super hot, then turn the oven down to a regular baking temp, then toss the pizza on the stone, so you get the crust baked correctly, but the top doesn't burn before it's done.

Handy for other stuff too - say you keep the bricks or tiles in the oven, when you take out a casserole or rolls or whatever, put down a trivet, then a tile/brick wrapped in a kitchen towel, then the dish on top, keeps stuff warm.