Granite slab for baking 31 January 2013 at 12:32PM in In My Home (includes DIY) MoneySaving 9 replies 1.3K views

sussexbaker

Hi all

I've been doing all of my baking so far using the baking tray supplied with the oven (pre-heated for an hour so I get decent pop), and while it does the business I want to make some pizza's and thought that investing in 'proper' stone might be a good idea. My aunt lives in Devon and can get hold of some local granite for me and I was wondering about using that in the place of a shop bought stone. Is this a good idea, and is there anything I should watch out for? Does it need to be treated or untreated?

Thanks

ryder72

I have asked this question of our worktop suppliers and the recommendation was to avoid using granite and sudden heating and cooling will cause it to crumble in time from thermal shock. A pizza stone is better.

sussexbaker

It'd basically sit in the oven while it warmed up (I tend to preheat for an hour) and stay in it until it's cooled down, does that count as sudden heating?

pinkpig08

I have a Pampered Chef pizza stone and love it.

Biggles

sussexbaker wrote: »

It'd basically sit in the oven while it warmed up (I tend to preheat for an hour) and stay in it until it's cooled down, does that count as sudden heating?

Yes. Apparently the problem with natural (as opposed to reconstituted) stome is that pockets form, either of air or of other materials of different density from the stone, and these expand at different rates.

Result: Bang!!

cyclonebri1

You need to contact one of the many granite worktop suppliers.

Most, when fitting a kitchen for worktops will offer the cut outs for the sink/hob back to the buyer, alas almost as many don't.

They flog them on ebay, reasonably sized chopping boards, waste to them, but a good few quid to you.

Advise to worktop buyers, get your cut outs back,

ryder72

cyclonebri - I havent seen the point of offering these granite chopping boards to clients TBH. For starters you will end up blunting your knives on the granite. Its pretty heavy for a lot of older people to lift and move around.

Finally, to a great extent its a myth that fabricators sell cutouts as chopping boards, quite often these cutouts simply fall out onto the saw tables and smash. What they use is offcuts to sell off as chopping boards.

Biggles

Quite apart from those points, the OP's question wasn't where to obtain granite from, he has a source. He wants to know its suitability as a pizza stone.

securityman

If its free, try it. If your paying get the real thing.

cyclonebri1

ryder72 wrote: »

cyclonebri - I havent seen the point of offering these granite chopping boards to clients TBH. For starters you will end up blunting your knives on the granite. Its pretty heavy for a lot of older people to lift and move around.

Finally, to a great extent its a myth that fabricators sell cutouts as chopping boards, quite often these cutouts simply fall out onto the saw tables and smash. What they use is offcuts to sell off as chopping boards.

Strange that then as when I had the kitchen done 2 years back, 2 of the 3 suppliers I surveyed offered the offcuts trimmed and edged.

If you have seen the cnc machinery a modern set up uses to produce these cuts you would realise nothing is simply going to fall to the floor.

But yes, most are simply dumped straight in the skip, which is where my suggestion makes sense.;)

I was genuinely surprised at what went in the skips, but no doubt of to recycling into quartz or such like.