Enjoy delicious pizzas with a pizza stone. If you do not have a pizza oven, a pizza stone is a perfect alternative. After all, is there anything tastier than a stone-baked pizza? The trouble is that a lot of people purchase pizza stones and they do not know how to use them correctly. Therefore, they don’t end up with the pizza they had hope for! Or, they end up damaging their pizza stone because they do not look after it properly. With that being said, read on to discover everything you need to know if you have a pizza stone.
Enjoy delicious pizzas at home using a pizza stone!
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Why should you purchase a pizza stone?
If you do not have a pizza stone in your kitchen already, you should definitely purchase one! Before I reveal how to use a pizza stone like a pro, let’s take a look at the different benefits associated with this cooking item…
- Tastier pizza – Of course, there is only one place to begin, and that is with the fact that you are going to get a delicious stone-baked pizza at the end of it. Cooking a pizza in a normal oven simply isn’t the same. However, not everyone can afford a pizza oven, nor does everyone have room for one in their kitchen. A pizza stone is the next best thing.
- It will save you time – If you are looking for a meal that is tasty yet does not take a long time to cook, a pizza stone is ideal. You will get a quick bake, yet a perfect one. Plus, because the heat is balanced, it ensures that your pizza is just as tasty in the center as it is around the crusts.
- They’re not just for pizzas – While you may primarily purchase a pizza stone to, of course, cook pizzas, they have other uses too. There are a whole host of different foods that you can cook using a pizza stone. A lot of people rave about using the stone to cook a whole chicken or you could use it for the turkey in this recipe for turkey tenderloin. Naturally, it is a good choice for any type of bread. If you want to bake a giant cookie, a pizza stone will come in handy as well. You will get a lot more use out of this item than you may have anticipated.
Should you season a pizza stone?
Well, this all depends on the pizza stone you have purchased. However, it is important to note that a lot of the pizza stones on the market today come ready to cook with. If you season or oil one of these stones, you can end up ruining them, and they will develop a bad smell. They will often smoke too. Therefore, make sure you read the instructions and specifications that come with the product you’ve purchased. A lot of people are often shocked to discover that seasoning the equipment can have such a detrimental impact.
How to use a pizza stone on the grill or in the oven
Using a pizza stone is straightforward. However, you do need to follow the steps with care. So, let’s take a look at how to cook like a pro with a pizza stone…
- The first thing you need to do is preheat the stone. The stone needs to be heated until it reaches at least 550 degrees Fahrenheit. You should always be aiming to exceed the 500 degree-mark.
- Place the pizza, which should be room temperature, in the center of the stone.
- Cook for five minutes with the oven closed or the grill lid closed.
- Once the five minutes have passed, use a pizza peel to turn the pizza 180-degrees, and then cook for another five to seven minutes. This ensures even baking.
- Enjoy your pizza, leaving the stone in the oven or grill so that it cools down properly before it is cleaned.
Make sure you are careful when you remove the pizza from the pizza stone. After all, the stone is going to be very hot, so you do need to proceed with care. Use a peel to remove the pizza and never handle the stone with your hands or just a kitchen towel. A lot of people have burned themselves because they have been too eager to tuck into their delicious stone-baked pizza. Who can blame them?
So there you have it: the complete guide to using a pizza stone like a pro. I hope that you have found this information helpful! Give it a try and you are bound to end up with a delicious stone baked pizza, which tastes just like it has been cooked in an Italian restaurant.
