Best Pizza Stones
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Homemade pizza made on pizza stones has no worthy competitor. Keeping reading to choose the best pizza stone for needs.
Pizza stones are designed to protect the crust’s bottom from intense heat while absorbing excess moisture, so you get a wonderfully crisp, tender, delicious pizza straight from your own oven or grill. That’s not all, though. With a great pizza stone, other baked goods such as homemade breads and cookies turn out better than ever.
Our Top Picks:
#1 Cast Elegance 16” Pizza Stone
The Cast Elegance 16” Pizza Stone is made with Thermarite for superior heat retention and optimized moisture absorption. Thermarite offers durability and superior resistance to heat shock. It is suitable for barbecue use, and is certified safe by the US FDA and other international food safety organizations. Cast Elegance pizza stones are made in America, and come complete with a use and care guide, along with a scraper for easy cleaning. The company also provides its customers with an E-book full of recipes to try.
Pros
- Creates fantastic crispy crusts
- Surface is safe to cut on
Cons
- More expensive than some other pizza stones
- Takes a long time to heat up on a charcoal BBQ
This Pizza Stone is Ideal For:
If you like the idea of a stone that works just as well for baking pizza on the barbecue as it does in the oven, then you’re likely to appreciate the Cast Elegance 16-inch pizza stone.
It really shines on the barbecue, where the Thermarite provides even heat while shielding your pizza’s crust from intense flames. This stone is suitable for serving as well as baking, so there’s no need to transfer the pizza to a separate plate.
#2 Dough-Joe Pizza Stone Baking Set
With five 6” x 9” tiles the Dough-Joe pizza stone baking set can be configured to fit your oven or barbecue. Each stone measures approximately ¾” thick for optimal heat retention. These pizza stones are made in America, and come complete with recipes as well as a use and care guide.
Pros
- Delivers pizzeria-quality crusts at home
- Less prone to breakage than a single large pizza stone
Cons
- Need a separate serving tray or platter
- Difficult to use without a peel
This Pizza Stone is Ideal For:
Serious cooks who want to make big New York style pizzas, bakers who long to create beautiful artisanal loaves, and everyday people who want better-tasting pizza with nice, crisp crusts are likely to appreciate these stones.
In the event that you don’t want to leave these in your oven forever, you’ll like the fact that they’re easy to store.
Just stack them up in an available cupboard or drawer, and then reconfigure them when you’re ready. This set is our top pick for best pizza stones overall – we really like the versatile, user-friendly design as well as the high quality.
It’s worth noting that if you choose these, you’ll probably want to invest in a peel to transfer your pizza to and from the oven. A double layer of parchment paper will work in a pinch – just be sure to leave plenty of excess on the edges so that you have something hold onto.
#3 Heritage 15” Black Ceramic Pizza Stone
The Heritage 15” Black Ceramic Pizza Stone is designed to pre-heat faster than standard pizza stones. With an attractive finish that’s easy to clean, this pizza stone is designed to double as a versatile baking sheet for cookies and more. A pizza cutter is included.
Pros
- Affordable price
- Good size for most frozen pizzas
Cons
- One report of ceramic finish peeling off
- A couple of reports that stone arrived broken; seller was responsive and replaced broken items
This Pizza Stone is Ideal For:
People who dislike the patina that develops on traditional pizza stones will like the fact that this ceramic stone doesn’t discolor. It’s easy to clean, and just like other stones, can be stored right in the oven for convenience. The free pizza cutter is a nice touch, although a few users have mentioned that it’s not the best quality.
#4 Love This Kitchen Ultimate 16” Round Pizza Stone
Made with ThermaShock™ cordierite for less risk of breakage, the Love This Kitchen Ultimate 16” Round Pizza Stone withstands temperatures up to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Ideal for ovens and barbecue grills alike, this pizza stone features Core Convection Technology™ for even heating and reliable crisping.
At 0.83” thick, this stone is thicker than many of its competitors. A bottom ledge makes for easier gripping, and a spill guard on top helps to prevent pizzas from slipping off the back during removal. This pizza stone comes with an instruction manual as well as a recipe E-book and an online video tutorial.
Pros
- Heavy construction retains heat well
- Big enough to accommodate most pizzas
Cons
- A few reports of odor
This Pizza Stone is Ideal For:
People who like baking pizzas one after another will enjoy the fact that this stone takes just about 5 minutes to reach optimal heat after the first pizza is removed, so the second one can go right on and be ready after diners have finished eating the first one! Comparably priced with other pizza stones, this one has some nice features including the backstop.
#5 Solido Rectangular Pizza Stone
The Solido Rectangular Pizza Stone is designed to offer a large baking surface while easily fitting most ovens and barbecues meals such as easy baked ribs. A built-in heat spiral assures that the center of the pizza is cooked as well as the edges while helping the entire stone reach the ideal temperature faster than average. This pizza stone withstands temperatures up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Detailed instructions, recipes, and an instructional video are included.
Pros
- Can accommodate a few personal pizzas or one huge one
- Excellent customer service for people with questions or concerns
Cons
- Difficult to remove pizza without a peel
- Tough to store unless you leave it in the oven
This Pizza Stone is Ideal For:
The Solido rectangular pizza stone is a favorite with pizza aficionados everywhere. Sized to accommodate big pizzas and let you make a few small pizzas or artisanal loaves simultaneously, it provides reliable results so long as you take the time to preheat. Like other large pizza stones, this one is very heavy, which is both a pro and a con – the heaviness means even heating and delicious crispy crust, but makes maneuvering difficult.
We recommend using a peel with this stone, as it is very hard to remove from the oven fully loaded. If you love pizza and make it often, then you’re probably going to enjoy using this big, rectangular pizza stone.
Key Considerations:
Begin searching for the best pizza stone and you’ll soon discover that there are many different options from which to choose. Some are of excellent quality, while others have a tendency to crack at high heat. How to tell the difference? We’ve spent hours conducting research and reading consumer reviews to bring you our top choices.Before moving onto the cooknig part, here is a nice recipe for preparing pizza dough. First, let’s take a look at some factors to consider as you decide which pizza stone best meets your needs.
- Size – Consider the size of your oven and/or barbecue as you make your selection. You want to ensure that your new pizza stone will accommodate the items you plan to bake on it while fitting easily into the available space.
- Shape – Round or rectangular? It’s really up to you! In general, rectangular pizza stones have a larger surface area overall, so you can make more food per oven cycle. Round pizza stones are often easier to take from oven to table for serving.
- Price – You’ll pay a little more for a good-quality pizza stone. Your investment should pay off, however; if you’re careful with handling, this is an item you’ll only need to purchase once. It’s a very good idea to get the best pizza stone your budget can handle.
- Extras – Does the pizza stone come with any accessories that add value? Although these can be convenient, they might or might not make a difference, depending on the stone’s overall quality.
With these considerations in mind, we hope that you’ll find it easier to select the best pizza stone for your baking needs – and enjoy many wonderful meals as a result!
Using and Caring for Your New Pizza Stone
Now that you’ve chosen the best pizza stone for your baking needs; be sure to take advantage of these quick tips for using it and caring for it.
- Start with a cold oven: Don’t preheat the oven before putting the pizza stone inside. Instead, place the pizza stone in your oven while it’s still cold, and place your pizza on the stone once it’s hot.
- Use a pizza peel: A pizza peel or paddle is designed to slide prepared pizzas onto stones, and remove baked pizzas from the stone for serving, so you don’t have to handle the hot, heavy stone.
- Prebake thick crusts: If you like thick homemade pizza crusts, then you’ll get better results by pre-baking your crust for at least five minutes before adding toppings. Use a pizza peel to maneuver your crust and prevent wrinkles.
- Don’t oil or grease the pizza stone: If you’re concerned about sticking, you can use a layer of parchment paper on top of the stone. You can also try sprinkling cornmeal or your favorite flour onto the stone before each use.
- Consider storing your stone in the oven: If you like, you can simply keep your pizza stone in the oven between uses, where it will provide a brick oven effect for other foods that you bake. You can put other pans on top of the stone, so long as they are not ice-cold.
- Clean carefully: How to clean a pizza stone? A simple dry wipe-down will often suffice, unless you’ve had a spill. If you need to remove stuck-on food debris, use a plastic or wooden spatula to scrape goop off the stone after it has cooled, and give it a dry scrub with a stiff brush if needed. With regular use, your pizza stone will build up a slightly oily patina that provides a natural non-stick effect. On a pizza stone, stains are normal, natural, and to be expected! You can wipe your pizza stone with a damp cloth or rinse it with a bit of water, but don’t use dish soap, and never soak your pizza stone. If it absorbs water, it is likely to break when re-heated.
With a handful of good recipes and the best pizza stone for your kitchen, you’ll enjoy baking more than ever before – and you’ll love the way your homemade pizzas turn out. We wish you success in your next culinary adventure!
