What kind of pizza stone is good? Do they contain lead?

[MamaBearTeacher]

I have never had one and I want one or two. I read reviews of several and it seems that most of them crack. Is it worth getting an expensive or moderately priced pizza stone or will a cheap one be just as good?

 

Does anyone know if pizza stones can be toxic or have lead like crockpots? if so, is there a brand that doesn't?

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Pampered Chef makes excellent stoneware.  I have several pieces, and they have never cracked.  I love my pizza stone.  It just gets better and better because, as it absorbs oils, it becomes more and more non-stick.  Your question is answered on their FAQ page, linked below.

 

 

https://www.pamperedchef.com/iceberg-ca/original/pdf/p8539-022015cne-stoneware-qa.pdf

Edited April 15, 2016 by Suzanne in ABQ

[mmasc]

I had a Pampered Chef one that I loved...until I started making homemade pizza on it and it cracked completely in half. :( After the incident, I looked it up and their stone was only ok up to 450 degrees, but my pizza recipe called for cooking in a 500 degree oven. So, I purchased one from Amazon with a higher heat rating and it has worked great! It's the Old Stone Oven Rectangular pizza stone. I really like the rectangular shape too compared to my old one, which was round. I'm not sure about the toxic lead, but this one is made in the USA, which I like.

[MeaganS]

Dh used them but they kept breaking. After researching, he decided to use a pizza steel instead. You can buy them specially made but he got his as just a cut piece of steel locally. It works wonderfully.

 

https://www.cooksillustrated.com/equipment_reviews/1420-baking-steel

[Spy Car]

Stay away from Pamper Chef. They crack. Cracked three of them. Gifts. Then hassled by the worst customer service company of all time. Junk!

 

A Big Green Egg pizza stone will last generations.

 

Bill

[Scarlett]

I have several pampered chef stones for years...no cracks. I love them. I even have a roasting pan.

[KungFuPanda]

I have three of varying quality and haven't cracked one yet. I love them. They're all 7-10 years old. I've heard you can just use a certain unglazed tile from the hardware store, but you'll want to follow that bunny trail on your own.

[bluemongoose]

Mine cracked. I use a cast iron pizza pan now.

[Sara in AZ]

I've been using my Pampered Chef stone for 15 years with no problem. Never above 450, though.

[Pam in CT]

I had two cheap round ones crack over a 20-year interval, although to be fair I did drop each of them onto my ceramic tile floor, and the tiles cracked worse.   :thumbdown: Sigh.

 

Now I have a much heavier, thicker, larger, rectangular one.  I like the larger rectangular size -- it still works for pizza and is better for larger loaves of bread.  God help us all if I ever drop that puppy; I'd bring the house down.

[kewb]

I have been using my pampered chef stoneware for at least a decade now without cracks. I have used it at 500 degrees.

[MamaBearTeacher]

Is there a reason to make pizza over 350? Can I make good pizza on a stone at 350?

[abcmommy]

My pampered chef one is probably 15 years old.  No cracking.  Maybe the newer ones are junkier.

[athomeontheprairie]

I also use PC. We have three. Never any cracks. Though my mil cracked hers when she put a cold pizza on it into a hot oven. Never been a problem here.

 

I will agree though that I hate their customer service. As most times they force you to go through a consultant. My consultant is completely unreliable

[abcmommy]

Is there a reason to make pizza over 350? Can I make good pizza on a stone at 350?

No.

 

I put my oven at 450 and it is not good really until its been there for at least 30 mins.  We had homemade pizza last night!

[QueenCat]

All of my stones are Pampered Chef (I have 7). Oldest one is 20+ years old. One breakage but that was my fault (I dropped it). Even so, they replaced it. I do pizzas of varying thickness on them with no problems.

Edited April 15, 2016 by QueenCat

[Amira]

I've had a thick no-brand rectangular baking stone for almost 20 years.  When I've seen Pampered Chef stones, they look wimpy and I wouldn't want something that couldn't handle temperatures over 450 degrees.  Being able to heat it higher than that is one of the main purposes of having a stone, at least for me.

[Pam in CT]

I've had a thick no-brand rectangular baking stone for almost 20 years.  When I've seen Pampered Chef stones, they look wimpy and I wouldn't want something that couldn't handle temperatures over 450 degrees.  Being able to heat it higher than that is one of the main purposes of having a stone, at least for me.

 

Yeah, I cant remember the brand of my new thick one but it's substantially more substantial than my foodie friend's Pampered Chef.  I haven't had it long enough to warrant its longevity but there's definitely MORE to it than her PC.

 

Pizza really is better 450+.

[The Girls' Mom]

I'm another PC user, that has had one for 20 years with no problems.  

[prairiewindmomma]

I have an el-cheapo one I've been using for 15 years.  I seasoned it early on by making cookies on it, and I've since made pizza and freehand loaves of bread on it.  I leave it in my oven all of the time as it helps my oven regulate temperature. It's rated up to 450F.

 

My mom's inexpensive one has much of the same story.  She used dish soap on it once after a pie dripped on it. I don't recommend that, but it re-seasoned nicely.

[Spy Car]

I've had a thick no-brand rectangular baking stone for almost 20 years.  When I've seen Pampered Chef stones, they look wimpy and I wouldn't want something that couldn't handle temperatures over 450 degrees.  Being able to heat it higher than that is one of the main purposes of having a stone, at least for me.

 

Right. Trying to emulate a high-heat pizza oven is the whole reason-for-being of having a pizza stone. If one cracks at 450, which the Pampered Chef stones do, then they are a pointless waste of money IMO.

 

Bill

[Chelle in MO]

I've been making homemade pizza for almost 30 yrs. I bake it at 500 degrees on Pampered Chef, Superstone, and thrift store pizza stones that have no name on them. I think the Superstone one broke when it was over 20 yrs old. I think one other has broken, but I can't remember age, brand, or if it was dropped. 

 

I don't have any info on toxicity.

[Mom22ns]

I've been using my Pampered Chef stones for almost 20 year with no breaks. I normally cook pizza at 425 or 450 depending on the crust. I have considered getting a BGE stone because I wouldn't trust my Pampered Chef Stone on the grill where heat is more difficult to control and could get too high.

[abcmommy]

Is there a reason to make pizza over 350? Can I make good pizza on a stone at 350?

No.

 

I put my oven at 450 and it is not good really until its been there for at least 30 mins.  We had homemade pizza last night!

[redsquirrel]

Alton brown suggests an unglazed quarry stone that you can get from a home supply store.  I'm pretty sure the lead is in the glaze (that is the usual place it is found) so I don't think lead would be a worry. It is the glaze that can be troublesome in old slow cooker as well.  Just like paint on an old high chair etc.

 

 

I have a stone from William Sonoma.  It has been great.  I also cook my pizza at 500, to get that nice oven spring and fluffy inside/crisp outside crust.  I keep my stone in the oven at all times so clearly it can handle the heat. It just sits in there, so there is less of a chance that I will crack it by moving it around.

 

I got the stone from WS b/c I had a gift certificate. If not, I would have gone the route that AB suggested in a heartbeat.

 

I've also think that the stones just break sometimes, no matter who makes them.  One friend told me it will either break in the first 20 times you use it, or last 20 years.  So, it might not have to do with a particular maker than the material at hand.  But, I would not use a stone that was rated for less than 450-500 degrees.

 

 

Tip: if you really want to get that stone oven effect get two stones, one for baking on, and one to sit on the rack over what you are baking.  Great for bread baking!

[shawthorne44]

Alton brown suggests an unglazed quarry stone that you can get from a home supply store.  I'm pretty sure the lead is in the glaze (that is the usual place it is found) so I don't think lead would be a worry. It is the glaze that can be troublesome in old slow cooker as well.  Just like paint on an old high chair etc.

 

 

I have a stone from William Sonoma.  It has been great.  I also cook my pizza at 500, to get that nice oven spring and fluffy inside/crisp outside crust.  I keep my stone in the oven at all times so clearly it can handle the heat. It just sits in there, so there is less of a chance that I will crack it by moving it around.

 

I got the stone from WS b/c I had a gift certificate. If not, I would have gone the route that AB suggested in a heartbeat.

 

I've also think that the stones just break sometimes, no matter who makes them.  One friend told me it will either break in the first 20 times you use it, or last 20 years.  So, it might not have to do with a particular maker than the material at hand.  But, I would not use a stone that was rated for less than 450-500 degrees.

 

 

Tip: if you really want to get that stone oven effect get two stones, one for baking on, and one to sit on the rack over what you are baking.  Great for bread baking!

 

 

Before I got a pizza stone as a wedding present, I used leftover granite tiles from the kitchen.  it actually worked extremely well.   It was only 12" square though.  

 

 

[MamaBearTeacher]

If I want to make a crust of medium or thin thickness do I still need to heat the oven over 350 for the pizza to be good? how exactly is the pizza better over 450?

 

I am thinking that to feed my family of 5 who have big appetites I will need 2 15-inch round stones, or do they make rectangular stones that would equal the two in area so I would only need one? A rectangular stone could be used more easily for other things too.

 

I am coming to the conclusion (from reading all these responses) that, for durability, it is not necessarily the brand but also luck.

[Caroline]

I've had mine for 20+ years. In my previous life I was a materials scientist and attended meeting of the American Ceramic Society. Mine was a giveaway at the booth of a kiln maker. I am pretty sure it can go to really high temperatures. I leave it in my oven during the clean cycle with no issues.

[Btervet]

I bought a cheap $3 unglazed tile at Home Depot. It's been amazing, no cracks. It lives in our oven so is abused regularly and has even been through a self cleaning cycle (whoops). Works great, no cracks, no real cost.

[redsquirrel]

If I want to make a crust of medium or thin thickness do I still need to heat the oven over 350 for the pizza to be good? how exactly is the pizza better over 450?

 

I am thinking that to feed my family of 5 who have big appetites I will need 2 15-inch round stones, or do they make rectangular stones that would equal the two in area so I would only need one? A rectangular stone could be used more easily for other things too.

 

I am coming to the conclusion (from reading all these responses) that, for durability, it is not necessarily the brand but also luck.

 

FWIW, I don't always make our pizza on a stone. I don't even do it most of the time.  In another life, I made pizza for a living. I know how to make very good pizza in a pan. So, I use 2 baking sheets, that makes a LOT of pizza.  I could even make double that, have two cooking and two ready to go in two other baking sheets. I've done it for parties many times.

 

I also have several round pizza pans. I didn't pay much for them. I make a large round pizza on each one, that is the equivalent to what I can make on a baking sheet. Sometimes I make it round, sometimes square, depending on how I feel.

 

You don't need a stone with pizza pans.

 

With a pizza stone, in my experience, you are more making individual pizzas. You also need a pizza peel to slide them in and out.  The pizza stone is in the oven, it is hot. You get the raw pizza, with cheese and sauce etc, from the counter onto your pizza peel (I use parchment paper for this) then you sort of jerk the pizza off the peel onto the stove. When it is done, you use your peel to take the pizza out and then put your next one in. The stone doesn't move.

 

I have a very large pizza stone, it takes up the whole rack in the oven, and I make one smallish pizza at a time. You want the stone bigger than the pizza because it needs to have room to slide the pizza on and off.  My boys generally share one while another one is cooking.  Between the two of them, they can eat several pizzas. DH is usually in charge of this type of pizza making because it makes me nuts, lol. It's just too many pizzas to make. I'd rather just make two big ones in pans and be done with it. But, they like the thinner crust etc and it's fun to make different kinds sometimes. 

 

You bake them at 450 because pizza is meant to be cooked fast and hot.  And if a pizza stone isn't rated beyond 350, it's not a good stone..or the manufacturer is concerned with CYA. It's not reasonable to expect that anything that is going into  your oven can only be heated to 350. That is medium oven heat. I cook muffins hotter than that.

 

[Jamee]

I've been using my Pampered Chef stones for almost 20 year with no breaks. I normally cook pizza at 425 or 450 depending on the crust. I have considered getting a BGE stone because I wouldn't trust my Pampered Chef Stone on the grill where heat is more difficult to control and could get too high.

 

Haven't ready through all the comments, but Pampered Chef just came out with a grill stone.  It's really nice and can be used over 400 degrees, and on direct heat even.  It's pretty nice, we just don't have a grill to try it on.  As for the stones cracking, you have to be aware of thermal shock.  So it will crack if it comes out of the oven and in contact with something cold.  We lost our 16 year old bar pan when I used a metal spatula on it from my freezing kitchen.  It was a beautiful, well-seasoned stone too.

[KungFuPanda]

I double checked my go-to pizza recipe. You have to preheat at 500 degrees for thirty minutes. It MUST be luck. I know I didn't pay big bucks for my stones. One came with a toaster oven that has long since died. I don't even remember how I acquired the other two. I've never experienced cracks. People ARE keeping the stone in the oven as it preheats. Right?