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Question:
I
just found your site and I love it! I just got a pizza stone and the
directions on how to season it are missing? What is the proper procedure for
seasoning a pizza stone? Thanks. Sincerely, - Ellen Cohen (4/20/02)
Answer:
 You don't need to season
it. A
baking stone should be placed on the lowest oven shelf and preheated with
the oven. Once pre-heated, the stone evenly transfers intense heat to the
food being cooked, ensuring a particularly crisply baked base.
As to if it might crack, this I do not know, as I have never had it happen.
I always place the cold pizza stone in a cold oven. I then turn on the oven
to 400 degrees F. to preheat oven and stone. Once the stone is hot, I do not
remove it from the oven. I place the pizza on the hot stone in the oven.
Following is my tip that I use when making pizza and using the pizza stone:
Check out my
Pizza &
Pizza Dough Recipes
which also includes Pizza Making Hints and Tips,
How To Use Pizza Stones, How To
Use Unglazed Tiles, and How To Clean Pizza Stones.
PIZZA TIP:
A common problem is that the topped pizza sticks to the baker's peel.
Giving the peel a quick jerk may work, but it may also jerk your toppings
off the pizza as well. A helpful hint is to put a piece of parchment paper
on the peel instead of using cornmeal. I place the rolled-out pizza dough on
the parchment paper and then add the toppings. The parchment goes into the
oven with the pizza. This makes it easier to slide the pizza off the peel
and onto the hot baking stone.
CLEANING THE
STONE:
Think of your pizza baking stone as a sponge; it will soak up everything put
on it. These "stones" are actually molded sand, tightly compacted under high
pressure. Like sand on the beach, they will suck in any liquid exposed to
the surface. Anything else in the water -- including soap -- goes right into
the stone. Manufacturers warn you to use only clear, plain water to clean a
baking stone.
I think it is time to buy a new pizza stone, but just in case the following
might work, give it a try first:
First, completely submerge your baking stone in warm, clear, plain water for
15-20 minutes. This should thoroughly saturate the stone with clean water
and dilute the soap residue. Next, remove the stone from the water and place
it on a pie cooling rack on your kitchen counter. Allow the stone to dry
completely overnight.
Repeat the same soaking and drying process five or six nights in a row.
After the last round, bake some pizza dough on the stone. If the pizza stone
still smells, I'm afraid your stone is destined for the trash.
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