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Pizza Stone


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A customer is asking for a pizza stone.This is a large slab tile used in an oven to bake a pizza.

The question; Is a bisque tile good enough or do you have to fire it to stoneware? Should it be porous, or should it be vitrified?

Anyone make these babies?

Not to be confused with the Rossetta stone, which is another animal altogether.

TJR.

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The Pampered Chef manual for their stoneware pizza stone lists these properties:

 

  • No preheating — just place food on Stoneware and cook. (Dense frozen foods like meat should be thawed first.)
  • Absorbs and retains heat for even baking and golden crusts.
  • Draws moisture away from food so it cooks light and crispy.
  • Virtually nonporous, so it doesn’t retain oils, odors or flavors.
  • Microwave-, freezer-, conventional and convection oven-safe.
  • Nonstick “seasoning†builds up with every use: the darker it looks, the better it cooks!

 

I've always been a little confused about how it draws moisture away from food and builds up "seasoning' while it is "virtually nonporous" and "doesnt retain oils, odors or flavors." I think there's a little confusion about what properties the pizza stone actually has.

 

Honestly, I would purchase one of these before taking the time to research a good oven-safe body that's going to behave well. The (PC) version sells for $30.

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I have made several pizza stone with a cone 6 stoneware body fired to cone 6 unglazed. I've used them on the barbecue & in the oven.

Season a few times to prevent sticking with your choice of oil & never wash with soap.

 

I've never put frozen pizza on one but I'd advise against it.

 

Joy

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Colby,

 

That list of "features" reminds me of when I started seeing commercials, for the "Stonewave" cookware last summer. It is simply a stoneware, lidded bowl, with a handle, but they made it sound like it was some revolutionary, new invention.

 

It kind of makes me want to do a spoof video, where I go to a garage sale, find a nice, old stoneware bowl, and do the exact same things they show in the commercial. "Yes, it's true folks, you have been able to do all these things, since forever!"

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I think that this is one of those orders that are more trouble than it's worth. Since pizza is baked pretty much as hot as a home oven will go the stone would have to survive the inversion point which it would be going through fairly quickly every time it’s used. A body similar to a stove-top one would be the safest bet, low expansion. I bought my mom a small round kiln shelf for bread baking, it has held up fine but I don't think it goes above 400.

 

I used to make brie bakers, put a card with each one saying to heat it with the oven with the cheese inside. Had a customer phone me up saying hers had cracked. She had put a frozen puff pastry wrapped brie in it then placed it in a 450 oven. Lesson learned, doesn't matter what I say to a customer, they will do whatever they like with the pot.

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I fired one to bisque temp to burn off spilled wax for a friend last year

It was made from the exact same stuff as electric kiln shelves

You could saw with a wet or dry diamond saw a shelve down to size.

This material is not what one would think of as clay based .

High in kyanite and mullite.

Mark

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If I were to make a pizza stone for my own personal use, I'd use terracotta fired to cone 010-08.  I'd never sell that, though, would be asking for trouble, I think.

 

I have to agree with those who've observed that the commercial ones are a lot like electric kiln shelves.  The one I have is nearly identical to a 12" round kiln shelf.

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Maybe talk to your customer about being a trial and give her/him a couple to try on the condition you get feedback on them before yuou make a whaleton.. if you feel this is gonna be a line you take up. :)

Would a thrown compressed disc be stronger than a tile formed stone?

Used to be a ware made by Schlemmertopf unglazed earthenware, roughly the shape of a chicken and ,yes, you put the whole horking chook into it and straight into a hot oven, had one for years till I dropped the lid.

Maybe not the extremities of a woodfired pizza oven but did ok in an electrical or woodoven.

Bread baked at 220deg C whatever that is in oldspeak!

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This is kinda backward to what your asking.

I've bought pizza stones at thrift stores. Fire them to 04 to clean them up. Seem to do ok at that temp so I use them as bisque shelves.

I have fired some to 6 and they tend to warp some. I think it is more that they are thinner than regular shelves.

 

They appear to be made of regular buffy clay and vitrified. Probably some extra grog or something for thermal shock. I have read somewhere that they are made in some type of ram press.

 

Maybe this info will be helpful.

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Hey guys and gals;

Thank-you for your responses.

I made four approx.14 inches square. I was only going to make two, but my wife happened to come into the studio, and said;"Make a couple for us."

This was a bad mistake letting  her into the studio.

These puppies suck up a lot of clay, so I can't see them becoming part of my regular line. They are 1/2 inch thick, formed in a wooden frame.Take probably 10 to 15 lbs of clay.

I'll let everyone know how they turn out.

Drying them on a bed of silica sand.

Tom.

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i've made several pizza stones for our studio (we occasionally make pizza in the front-loading gas kiln).  just made slabs from our regular sculpture body (stoneware) and fired them to ^6.  also have some fired to ^04 and they both work the same.  we toss them into the kiln at around 900*F and they cook VERY fast!  just watch your eyebrows when you go to retrieve them, lol...that's why a pizza peel is also a good thing to make while you're at it :D

 

I have seen "pizza stones" in a store once that looked exactly like a round high alumina electric kiln shelf - my guess is it actually is a kiln shelf that costs more because it's now a "pizza stone".

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  • 1 month later...

I used to make brie bakers, put a card with each one saying to heat it with the oven with the cheese inside. Had a customer phone me up saying hers had cracked. She had put a frozen puff pastry wrapped brie in it then placed it in a 450 oven. Lesson learned, doesn't matter what I say to a customer, they will do whatever they like with the pot.

You could always make a custom stamp with instructions that you could stamp into the bottom. :)

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  • 9 months later...

ok regarding kiln shelf pizza stone..  some are actually coderite   which is kiln shelf material $$$$

 

some are lesser ceramic material.  $$

 

i still think its possible to make a decent pizza stone from a "non commercial"/high tech process

 

i have "biscuits" , catch pieces  that are goin going on 15 plus firings.   also look at quality of raku clays which are designed to withstand thermal shock

 

as soon as have time next month i will begin testing

 

i think its possible to make a decent pizza stone

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Whats more easy wet diamond saw cut a kiln shelve to whatever size youi want or make and fire something? Cordalite is cheap.

If you like a challenge then dig the clay and add  stuff like mullite and make the body.

I think the cordalite will last longer and work better.Is cheaper and easier in all dimensions.

Mark

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