Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
Do you ever make pizza from scratch and wonder why it doesn't taste anything like what you get at your favorite pizzeria? The toppings might come out unevenly cooked, or the crust may not be right. If you want to put an end to these problems, then a pizza stone is the way to go.
Most of the time, when someone mentions a "pizza stone," they are referring to a round or rectangular slab of stone, typically made of cordierite. This is a popular material because it can heat evenly and absorb moisture, which is important for a crispy crust. The problem with cordierite is it's susceptible to breakage if not cared for properly.
Pizza stones can also be made of other materials, including metal. For instance, cast iron is sometimes used because it gets up to temperature faster than stone, heats evenly, and it will not break or crack. Baking steels are the latest fad because they conduct heat and bake more evenly at low temps than stone. The steel will not break, either. The downsides are that it's expensive, very heavy, and hard to maneuver.
Advertisement
Most companies recommend that you put the pizza stone into your oven cold and preheat it for up to an hour before putting the pizza in. For this task, we recommend using a good pizza peel, such as the Pizza Royale Peel. When you are done cooking, let the stone cool down inside your oven. This will protect it from thermal shock or warping. Many people prefer to just keep their pizza stone in the oven at all times, and some claim that it helps everything in the oven cook better, even when the food isn't placed directly on the stone.
While researching the best pizza stones, we read through hundreds of ratings and reviews from buyers and experts. Our guide features stones that will cook your pizza quickly and evenly, have a track record of durability, and are effortless to clean.
Why you’ll love it: If you want delicious, evenly-baked pizza from the oven or off the grill, the Solido Rectangular 14-by-16-inch Pizza Stone is a durable, must-have solution.
As you look at the Solido Rectangular 14-by-16-inch Pizza Stone, the unique spiral design on the bottom stands out the most. The heat spiral is designed to allow for airflow and even heating. Plus, it helps the stone get up to temperature faster, which cuts down on pre-heat times.
This pizza stone can go on your grill, and it fits most standard ovens. The feet of the stone are easy to grip, though you’ll want some heavy-duty oven mitts, or you can leave the 13-pound stone in your oven.
The Solido stone comes highly recommended by many product reviewers. The Kitchen Byte gave the Solido Pizza Stone high marks because it heats evenly, and the pies it produces are pizzeria quality. The reviewer also noted that cleaning was easy, though grease does leave stains. Another downside is its hefty weight, which made it hard to handle.
Kitchen Sanity also recommends this stone for people who want something they can throw on the grill. The reviewer was impressed with the airflow and heat distribution afforded by the grooved bottom.
About 90% of the Amazon buyers who reviewed the Solido Pizza Stone gave it five stars. One reviewer states that he owns a beachfront restaurant that specializes in wood-fired pizza. He found that this stone produces excellent thin-crust slices, is well-made, and is quite heavy.
Other buyers also laud the quality of the pizza produced. One buyer strongly recommended following the directions for using the stone — including waiting for it to heat to 500 degrees or more. There were several comments about how attractive the stone looks.
Pros: Produces professional-quality pizza, easy to clean, even heat distribution
Cons: Weight makes it hard to maneuver, stains easily
The pizzerias make using a pizza peel look so simple. They just shove it under the pizza and pull it out. Yet, you know this seemingly effortless skill takes plenty of practice if you’ve ever sent a pizza flying to the back of your oven.
Enter the Love This Kitchen Ultimate 16-inch Round Pizza Stone with its raised no-slip stopper. With this, you have a lip that blocks the pizza from falling off the stone, saving your oven a self-cleaning mode or two.
This stone also has a unique design on the bottom that directs the heat so the center cooks first. This is helpful because the center of the pizza is usually the last part to cook. The stone is also an impressive 0.83 inches thick and can withstand temperatures up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. Love This Kitchen backs the quality of this product with a 60-day full refund if not satisfied and a limited lifetime guarantee.
Best Reviews recommends the Love This Kitchen Ultimate Pizza Stone because the no-spill stopper did an excellent job of keeping the pizza from sliding off in their tests. However, the reviewer did note that the stone produced an off-putting chemical odor.
Cookware Junkies recommends this stone because the porous cordierite does absorb the moisture well to create crunchy crusts. Yet, the reviewer found that it was too large for some ovens. In its review, Morning Chores notes that the stone makes excellent cookies, flatbread, and baked bread.
Approximately 85% of the people who reviewed the Love This Kitchen Ultimate Pizza Stone on Amazon gave it a positive rating. Vicente Velazco, the most helpful reviewer, gave it five stars because the stopper makes it easy to get your pizza on the peel, and it distributes heat evenly and retains the heat. He didn’t like that he couldn’t wash the stone like other pans since the porous surface retains the odor of soap.
Buyers also appreciate that the stopper makes the stone easier to move around, but one reviewer noted that the lip doesn’t heat up as quickly as the rest the unit.
Pros: Features a stopper that makes moving the stone and removing the pizza easier, produces a crispy crust, handles temps up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit
Cons: Complaints of a chemical odor, your oven must be at least 17 inches deep
Why you’ll love it: If you are looking for an affordable, non-traditional pizza stone, consider buying the evenly heating Lodge 14-inch Cast Iron Baking Pan.
Many experts consider Lodge to be the best manufacturer of cast iron cookware, and the Lodge 14-inch Cast Iron Baking Pan appears to be no exception. This “stone” comes pre-seasoned and is designed for decades of cooking.
As with other cast iron, you wash it by hand, dry it promptly, and wipe it down with a light layer of cooking oil. The pan features two large handles on either side for easy removal from the oven. A rim around the edge keeps ingredients from spilling onto the oven bottom.
Serious Eats recommends the Lodge 14-inch Cast Iron Baking Pan over traditional pizza stones because it’s more durable and produces better crusts. The reviewer also liked how the built-in handles made it easy to move. However, he didn’t like that the rim made it hard to slide pizzas on and off.
The reviewer at Wide Open Eats recommends this pan because she was impressed with the nonstick properties of the Lodge and appreciated the fresh taste offered by a seasoned cast iron pan.
More than 1,600 Amazon buyers have left five-star reviews of the Lodge 14-inch Cast Iron Baking Pan. The most helpful review comes from Chef TK. He recommends the pan because it’s easy to clean, heats evenly, doesn’t stain, makes the best pizza he’s had, is pre-seasoned, and can be used for a variety of purposes. The only negative he found was its weight.
Another buyer said she had to do a fair amount of work to get the cast iron seasoned, but once it was, it produced restaurant-quality dosas.
Pros: Affordable, even heating, nonstick, cleans up easily
Why you’ll love it: The Original Baking Steel is essentially a slab of steel with a matte finish that can cook your pies quickly and deliciously.
In the book series "Modernist Cuisine," author Nathan Myhrvold notes that compared to a brick oven’s stone, steel is a more conductive surface. Pizza lover and steel company worker Andris Lagsdin read this and used a successful Kickstarter campaign to launch The Original Baking Steel.
This is essentially a 14-by-16-by-¼-inch slab of steel that weighs a hefty 15 pounds. It comes pre-seasoned and works under the broiler, on the grill, and in the oven in temperatures up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also freeze it to use the steel as a cold plate.
Cook’s Illustrated recommends The Original Baking Steel because it radiated heat more intensely than traditional stones in their testing, which gave pizza crust a flavorful charring and taller profile and cut down on baking times in their tests. Yet, the bottom of the crust may brown too quickly if you are not closely monitoring it.
The reviewer at Chowhound was surprised by her home oven’s ability to deliver high-quality pies when using this steel. Though she recommends it, the reviewer notes that the steel is hard to store, heavy, and expensive.
Around 92% of the people who reviewed The Original Baking Steel on Amazon gave it four or five stars. Rupert noted that the slab of steel differs from something you could get from a metal shop because it has nice rounded corners and a beautiful matte finish, which does an excellent job of holding seasoning oil. He did find that you have to clean it after each use to avoid black soot building up.
Others recommend cranking the oven up to its highest temperature and letting the steel preheat for up to an hour before putting your pizza in. Pizzas take between five and 10 minutes according to several buyers.
Pros: Durable, quickly cooks pizzas with delicious crusts, attractive appearance
Why you’ll love it: The Old Stone Oven Rectangular Pizza Stone has a track record of not only producing mouthwatering ‘za, but it has also proven that it can help with bread, meat, and other baking.
At a little under 10 pounds, the Old Stone Oven Rectangular Pizza Stone is relatively light compared to the other stones featured in our guide. The light weight along with the built-in feet make it easier to remove from the oven. At 16 by 14 inches, it should fit most ovens.
Made of cordierite, the stone is designed to also work on your grill. It has a heat core that helps the center of your pizza cook faster for a more even bake. The company Honey-Can-Do recommends using this for pizza as well as vegetables, breads, and desserts.
The Old Stone Oven Pizza Baking Stone is Cook’s Illustrated’s most highly recommended pizza stone. The reviewer appreciated that dark and light turkey meat cooked evenly on it, and bread and pizza were crisp and deeply golden brown. Also, the raised feet built into it made it effortless to maneuver and grab. For nearly a decade, this stone has held up in the test kitchen.
More than 1,000 Amazon buyers have left four- or five-star reviews of the Old Stone Oven Rectangular Pizza Stone. The most helpful reviewer gave the stone one star and complained of a foul chemical smell that was so strong, he had to give up on the product. This does not appear to be a common complaint, though.
Many of the reviews focus on its ability to produce impeccable crust. One buyer found that storing the stone in his aged oven did a great job of helping other baked goods come out better.
Pros: Relatively light, heats evenly, durable
Cons: The built-in feet may sit unevenly on your oven rack
