A pizza stone often called a baking stone is a flat cooking surface that is used for baking purposes. The primary purpose of a pizza stone is to evenly distribute heat throughout the pizza’s surface, ensuring that the entire pizza is appropriately cooked.
Other sorts of natural stones don’t keep heat as well as soapstone. Soapstone has thermal qualities that allow it to crisp up pizzas and cook them faster. In comparison, ceramic pizza stone-built from a fried kiln and clay is excellent at evenly distributing heat.
Explore this article to learn more about Soapstone vs. Ceramic Pizza Stone.
Soapstone Pizza stone
There is no more effective cooking method than on a soapstone pizza stone. Because soapstone is a naturally occurring mineral, it is known for generating crispier pizza than other materials. A soapstone pizza stone can transform any oven into a pizza oven by regulating an equal and high temperature over the entire surface.
Countertop cooking is better for this pizza stone because of its nonporous material and antibacterial properties. With this soapstone pizza stone, you won’t worry about discoloration or flavor transference.
To use this stone, prepare and knead the dough as usual, but place it on the soapstone pizza stone instead of a baking sheet; this technique will ensure that the pizza loaf bakes quickly and that the crust of your pizza bread is excellent owing to the high temperature of the surface.
Ceramic Pizza stone
The fact that ceramic pizza stones are formed of clay allows them to absorb moisture and generate a crispy crust for your pizza. Furthermore, many ceramic stones are made of a nonporous substance that inhibits the heating of oils or fats, resulting in entirely hygienic meals and non–toxic. A ceramic pizza stone is also an excellent option for preventing the pizza from cracking during baking.
This pizza stone also can use in an oven. Simply turn on the oven and wait for it to warm up. Place the pizza on the stone surface to bake. Ceramic pizza stones can sometimes cause the pizza to adhere to them.
When the stone is hot, stop touching or lifting it to avoid sticking. It is preferable to use fine semolina, polenta, or cornmeal, instead of flour to keep the dough from sticking. Unlike flour, they don’t transform into a paste as rapidly when they come into touch with water since they’re a little more coarsely ground.
How to Clean a Pizza Stone?
Here is a simple approach to cleaning your pizza stone discussed below for all pizza stone owners.
- Since a pizza stone absorbs a lot of heat and maintains it for a long time, it’s best to cool it down first. It’s best to let your pizza stone out overnight before cleaning it.
- To clean your pizza stone, use a bench scraper, metal spatula, or blunt table knife to scrape off any crusty things. Cleaning your stone with anything other than a scraper may harm its maintenance.
- The use of chemicals or soaps to clean pizza stones is prohibited since they are composed of clay or other natural stones because the soap’s smell will stay on the stone for a long time.
- When cleaning your pizza stone, avoid using excess water. Keep it clean by wiping it down with a wet cloth after each usage. For example, if you put water on your pizza stone, clean it thoroughly in a hot oven for a time before preserving it.
- As a last resort, you can put your stone in the oven and set the temperature to 500°F for approximately an hour to eliminate any stubborn traces of food that won’t come off with a simple scrape.
Related FAQs
Yes, you need to preheat your ceramic pizza stone minimum of 15 minutes. Make sure the stone is hot enough to cook the crust thoroughly before placing the pizza.
Ceramics is the best option to pick when looking for a pizza stone. These clay-coated stones effectively transfer heat, making them excellent for baking pizza. Ceramic stones also may last for many years if it is appropriately treated.
Place the pizza stone over the bottom rack of the oven. When using a cold pizza stone in a hot oven, take care not to damage the stone because of the temperature differential.
Final Verdict
A pizza stone is the ideal kitchen tool for making the best pizza. It will cook your pizza faster and give it the best crust texture. The pizza stone can be left in the oven when not used to help balance out the heat and prevent hot spots that cause food to cook too rapidly.
In this article, I discussed Soapstone vs. Ceramic Pizza stone. These two have both similar and different characteristics. I hope this article will help you select the best pizza stone for your needs.
Good luck with your baking!