You cannot put your pizzas directly on the rack of your oven because the slots of rack will deform them. And for some cases, they will not receive enough heat to get a crispy golden crust. Thus, there is a question arising: “How can I find a right base for my pizza dough?”
I used to ask myself for that question and I spent much time and effort selecting and gathering all sources of information. Finally, found out that to get a restaurant-quality pizza, I had to get a pizza stone. The reason for that is a pizza stone will not only maintain the form of your pizzas but also distribute the heat evenly to your pizzas dough to produce an excellent crust along with soft and juicy toppings.
It’s true that a right pizza stone consists of several vital features that you should have known, so I would like to share with you my review of best pizza stones to help you get some basic knowledge about them.
1. NerdChef Steel Stone – High-Performance Baking Surface for Pizza (.375″ Thick – Pro)
Besides, this one can spread the heat evenly to provide you with crispy crust while the topping is soft and juicy. Another plus point of the tool is that it has a low-friction surface. It delivers textured and sanded smooth feeling as well as seasoned with flaxseed oil, so you don’t have to sprinkle flour or cornmeal on it for your pizzas to slide easily anymore.
Plus, the tool measures 16”x14.25”x0.4”, which means that your huge 14” pizzas with mountain toppings can perfectly stay on it. And, there are two finger holes to make it easier to move and reposition as well as you can hang the implement on the wall hook thanks to these holes in order to save more space in your kitchen.
Unfortunately, the tool is relatively heavy, about 23 pounds, so it takes you some effort to carry it. And, the utensil is quite easy to use because it doesn’t need preheating like other counterparts. You can make your pizza dough right on it and take the stone into the oven for baking.
2. Dough-Joe® 15″ x 18″ Pizza and Baking Stone (5-piece set)
This stone comes in a set of five pieces with the size of 6”x9”, which makes you more flexible to bake small breads. And when you combine these pieces together, it will become a 15”x18” pizza stone to greatly carry huge 15” diameter pizzas at home.
However, you should scatter some flour or cornmeal on the surface of the tool to help your pizzas be easily taken out. Plus, you should preheat the stone about in 10 minutes before putting your pizza doughs on.
3. ROCKSHEAT 14.2″x 0.6″ Round Cordierite Pizza Stone
Besides, the tool can absorb the great amount of heat and distribute to your pizzas evenly as well as absorb moisture from your pizza dough to give you a crispy crust. This golden thickness helps the pizza stone withstand the heat up to 1400F degrees without being broken. And, it is ultra-durable that can last for a lifetime in your kitchen.
Moreover, the implement is carefully and strictly tested by FDA (Food and Drug Administration) or RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive) and other food safety organizations to ensure that there is no harmful chemical arising even being bunt in 2200F degrees heat.
Notice that the tool is super easy to use because it’s ready to serve you with no need of seasoning. Before baking your pizzas, the tool needs fully preheating 500F degrees, which may take your home oven 60 minutes regarding to performance or take 30 minutes if using the grill. After that, you just need to transfer your pizza doughs on it and wait for the perfectly baked pizzas to enjoy.
4. Emile Henry Made in France Flame Top Pizza Stone, Black. Perfect for Pizzas or Breads
Plus, the tool can withstand the heat up to 900F degrees without getting any damages. The implement is micro-crazed glazed to help it absorb and distribute the heat evenly and gradually to produce a crispy crust.
Moreover, thanks to the handles, you can carry it to your tabletop and enjoy your pizzas right on it because the micro-crazed glaze can resist scratches from your pizza cutter very well. And, this one is super durable that can last for a lifetime and help you not bother to buy another one for baking pizzas.
Notice that prior to use, you should sprinkle a little flour or cornmeal on the surface to create a non-stick foundation for your pizza doughs and help you easily take your pizza pieces out easily to enjoy. Also, you don’t need to preheat it, just make your pizzas on this stone before putting in the oven. Last but not least, it is safe to dishwasher or manually cleaned with hot water.
5. Baking Steel – The Original Ultra Conductive Pizza Stone (14″x16″x1/4″)
Moreover, the tool can absorb the heat and moisture from your pizza doughs very well along with an even distribution of heat to provide you with a crispy crust. Plus, the product is quite dense and sturdy that won’t be split like other normal pizza stone, even be dropped.
And, you don’t have to cover it with some flour or cornmeal because the surface is relatively non-stick. In fact, you can make some pizzas right on it and put them together into the oven. I mean the baking steel won’t need preheating.
Plus, the tool is also available in round shape with 16” diameter to diversify your choice. However, how to store the tool is the issue that you may concern most about because this one is quite large. So before purchasing, you should take it into consideration carefully.
6. Heritage, Black Ceramic Pizza Stone 15″ – Baking Stones for Oven, Grill & BBQ- Non Stain- with Free Pizza Cutter
The implement is in luxurious black color to prevent decolorating and stain while baking pizzas. This one is more efficient than other counterparts because of its twice faster speed to preheat as well as greater ability to absorb heat and moisture from pizza doughs. And, it can distribute the heat evenly to your pizzas to produce a crispy golden crust.
Moreover, the tool is super tough and durable that can withstand the severe heat of your oven up to 900F degrees. And, the stone can resist odor to help you enjoy the true taste of your pizzas as well as say no to bacteria for health protection.
On the top of that, the product can prevent scratch from pizza cutter so, you can use it as a serving tray and cut your pizzas directly on it, which can enhance the rustic beauty for your meal. With these features, this ceramic pizza stone is regarded as the best pizza stone for your choice.
7. Cuisinart CPS-445 Pizza Grilling Set
For baking, the set provides you with a ceramic pizza stone measuring 13” diameter, which is suitable for making your pizzas at home with the standard sizes. The tool can withstand the heat of your oven up to 700F degrees and distribute it to your pizzas as well as absorb the moisture from doughs. Thus, you will receive a crispy crust when finished.
However, you should sprinkle on it some flour or cornmeal to help your doughs not stick to the surface. Also, preheat it for at least 30 minutes before putting your doughs on. And, for the other two steps, you will receive a stainless steel pizza paddle and a pizza cutter with high quality and good performance.
The peel can easily slide under your pizzas without ruining the rust and it has an ergonomic handle to help you hold comfortably without slipping or getting hand pain. Meanwhile, it is super sharp and stable to produce streamlined and clean cuts.
8. Pizzacraft PC9899 20 x 13.5 Rectangular ThermaBond Baking/Pizza Stone for Oven or Grill
Besides, the product is 20”x13.5”x0.67”, which means that you will have a large space for baking pizzas at home. And the tool is super durable that can last for a lifetime as well as not easy to get split even though you may drop it. Plus, the tool is thermal shock resistant, which means that the sudden severe heat from your oven cannot cause any damages to it because the stone can withstand temperature of at least 900F degrees.
Moreover, along with baking pizzas, you can utilize left room for making other small breads at the same time to save more energy. Before using, you should preheat your oven up to 500F degrees and place your stone on the middle of the oven on the lowest rack or in the middle of the grill for 30 minutes. After that, take your stone out, dust it with cornmeal or flour and put your pizza doughs on.
9. Old Stone Oven Round Pizza Stone
Besides, it is absolutely durable and tough to last for a lifetime. Also, it won’t be easily warped or blended because the stone can withstand the severe heat of your oven or grill up to 2000F degrees. And, this one is specially engineered with heat core to eliminate the soggy center to make your crust much crispier.
Moreover, the tool is glazed to prevent scratches from your pizza cutter. So, it can play a role as serving tray you can cut and enjoy your yummy pizzas directly on it. However, prior to using, you should preheat the stone at least 30 minutes and dust with some flour or cornmeal to prevent your doughs from sticking to it.
10. Vremi Ceramic Pizza Stone for Grill and Oven – Large Round 15 Inch Nonstick Baking Stone
The tool measures 16.1”x13.5”x1.4” to help you deal with medium-size pizzas at home and it can greatly fit to most of standard pizza ovens. Made of superior ceramic, it is super durable and tough that can withstand the extreme heat of 450F degrees without breaking.
Moreover, the implement is also suitable for grill outside your kitchen as well as versatile usage because you can reheat some frozen food like chicken nuggets or make other breads. Plus, there are built-in handles to help you carry the utensil easily around your kitchen.
With the pretty design and scratch resistance, you can use it as a serving tray and cut your pizzas directly on it without no worries. More than that, the surface is smooth and non-stick so that you don’t need to sprinkle some flour or cornmeal on it like other counterparts to help take out the pizzas easily.
Bonus: How do we care a pizza stone
Before baking, you should preheat your pizza stone, especially the ceramic one because if being put directly into the oven, it may suffer the thermal shock which is risky to break or split.
If your pizza stone may rust, you can get rid of it with some wet steel or a scouring pad or stone brush.
You shouldn’t use soapy water to clean pizza stone because its surface is porous, which can absorb any thing on it. Thus, if you use soapy water, your pizzas next time will taste like soap.
Don’t soak your pizzas stone underwater, but simply use a small stream of water to wet the surface in order to minimizing the amount of water because this can help you reduce the time for drying your pizza stone.
You should store your utensil right in the oven because the oven is the safe and clean place for your stone. Plus, if you store it somewhere else, you may need to take it out, which may make you drop it and break it.
Before cleaning your pizza stone with water, you should let the stone cool down totally.
Stone is one of the most important tools to make a true pizza at home. Choosing a right pizza stone is not a very hard task as you imagine. It’s true that there is a great amount of such utensil, but the choice is yours – depends much on your preferences and your situation. I hope that my recommendations of best pizza stones will somewhat help you find the most suitable one for your budget.
