Pizza Stone help required

Biggles

You can wash them, but only with clean hot water, no detergents, as the stone will tend to absorb them.

If you can get a pizza peel, I would think it's far safer to make the pizza up on the peel and then slip it onto the hot stone, rather than take the stone in and out of the oven.

purpleivy

A pizza peel? Wassat?

I got a large pizzza sstone with my new oven, but was put off using it, because instructions said to heat it for 45 mins. Helllllloooooooo!

fallen121

This has been really useful, but I just have one more question. What temperature do you set your oven at?

Thanks!

Biggles

purpleivy wrote: »

A pizza peel? Wassat?

http://www.pizzaequipment.ltd.uk/pizza_utensils/pizza_peel.html

belfastgirl23

I've always understood your oven should be at top heat before you make your pizza. Although if I'm really starving I'll start when it's at about 220 (my top is 250)

I never do the 45 mins heating though

fallen121

Made my first pizza using the stone tonight. Family ate quickly in complete silence - there was not a scrap left. Finally my husband declared it was the best he'd ever tasted!

Slight problem with my stone in that I can't shut the oven door if it is on a shelf as it too deep. Can keep it at the bottom of the oven but that's obviously no good. Finally figured out that my oven shelves have a 'lip' at the back which prevents stuff falling off but also makes my stone jut out at the front. Tried turning the shelf over but it had grooves in so wouldn't fit. Finally solved that one by buying a 'generic' oven shelf on eBay for £7.99 (with Greasypalm cashback of course!). The new shelf is lighter, doesn't have a lip and doesn't have grooves. So goes further back in the oven and the stone fits (just!).

Don't have handles or a rack for my stone, so heated the stone on the oven shelf then took out the shelf with stone in situ, using the shelf as a sort of rack, assembled it all on the hot stone and then put the whole lot back in. Just used ordinary oven gloves. Don't have a peel. Guess that's an eBay purchase for another day.

Been watching at Dominos how they make their pizzas (I collect Dominos vouchers from ipoints, so only go when I have enough vouchers - 3 £5 vouchers gets you a medium sized DIY deal which is a medium pizza + 2 sides [we get chicken] and so basically is free meal for the three of us).

Anyhow, I noticed Dominos take their pizza dough and make a sort of space ship hump in the middle with a flat ring on the outside, then turn it over and press it out - takes a few seconds and no rolling pin required. Plus Dominos use a coarse sort of maize type flour, not sure what it is but I used gram flour (that yellow type flour you use to make onion bhajees which I think is also made with maize but is much finer) just for the dusting (I used self raising for the dough itself) and it seemed to work fine and the pizza didn't stick, but just to make sure I shoved a fish slice under the pizza about half way thru cooking and it came away clean, so even if it sticks to begin with it seems to come away from the stone as the dough hardens.

The pizza cooked in about 20 mins at 180 but my oven is on the cool side so maybe in a fan oven at a higher temperature it would be quicker.

Just my experience and hope this helped someone but my daughter went to bed tonight full and sleepy, she is usually so picky but not tonight. BTW if you have small children then maybe call them to the table a bit later than the adults as the pizza coming off the stone is very hot for little ones, that was my only complaint!

Hope this helps someone. PS I couldn't even boil an egg until a few years ago and now make my own bread so anyone can, really.

mysterybadger

A bit disturbed by all the posters removing red hot pizza stones from the oven and trying to assemble pizzas on top of them.

I use old fashioned quarry tiles from B&Q, enough to cover the shelf (you might have to cut a couple down) , and pre-heat them with the oven at full temperature with the fan on.

I roll the pizzas out to a rectangular shape on a sheet of baking parchment. Then I transfer the pizza, on the paper, to the oven using the grill from a long-rusted-away barbecue. Leaving the oven on full with fan, it takes 6-7 minutes to cook.

I find a breadmaker is also invaluable for making pizza dough as you can use the timer to set it going up to 14 hours in advance, and have the dough exactly when you need it. Starting from scratch after a day's work is too long a wait.

rocketchimp9

Hi everyone
Just thougt I would ask if anyone has any opinion and or experience in using a pizza stone. My friend was saying that she got one from pampered chef and she uses it for all sorts of things including keeping things hot because it holds the heat well. Is it worth investing I love pizza but does it make a difference in how it tastes. Also where is the best place to get it from pampered chef seems to be the most expensive is it worth paying the extra.
Thank you

Gothdolly

I had one of these a few years ago but sadly dropped it, I found it brilliant and it did make a difference. I make most of mine by hand and still miss my pizza stone, perhaps I should put it on my Birthday list.

I would think any decent kitchenware company would sell one, John Lewis perhaps, might be worth a look on Ebay/Amazon.

bitzer_maloney

Oh bought one of these and he swears by it (he also does the cooking not me!) He says its the only way to get a truly crispy base thats not soggy in the middle.
He makes his own pizzas (well he does the dough in the panny ) and also uses a baking sheet as a paddle to put the pizza onto the stone whilst in the oven so you lose any heat by taking it out. He is a bit of a perfectionist about his pizzas though... :rotfl: