opinions Pizza stone vs screen

[dankfoot]

Does a pizza stone give the dough more flavor?

[Steve]

My wife uses a screen exclusively. I use a stone exclusively.

She likes the screen because it's easy. No stone to preheat. No fiddling with a peel.

But, I personally feel that my crusts turn out better on a stone. And she agrees. There's just something about a stone... the way it browns the crust... something... but it just seems better from a stone.

One thing that I have noticed: A screen will not allow the dough to shrink. So, if you stretch it paper thin then it will remain paper thin when it's cooked. A stone will allow it to shrink back on itself, so the crust will be a little thicker when it's done.

I think it really boils down to personal preference.

[canadianbacon]

Up here in Canada, all of these pizza joints use the exact same ovens.  The ones
that have a bed of stone / brick.

Many of these places make pizza with the sceen, and some without the screen.

In both cases however, the ovens are the same.

Screen on not, it's that intense heat that is the stone gives off which is the secret,
something that is just not there in a hot oven ( without a stone / brick )

----
Now, there are many franchise pizza joints like Pizza Pizza, and others that use these new ovens that use a conveyor belt,
which is always running, the belt is a steel mesh, so the bottom of the pizza is exposed to high heat, and this belt moves continuously, if I am not mistaken, the oven is heated from
both top *and* bottom, as the pizza goes thru this oven, and it works very very well, and the heat is intense from this machine,
as the pizza is done in about 5 mins.

Mark

Mark

[dankfoot]

Thanks for your answers. The reason I ask is because ever since I got my screen I have not use my stone. Also, I cook a lot of stuff on my stone like baked patatoes and french fries and whatever. So I was wondering if I now cook a pizza on the stone will I get the taste from the other foods I cook on it. Or should I just buy a new stone.

[canadianbacon]

hmm, good question, but hey, I'd take a chance and go ahead, if your pizza dough tastes like French fries, all the better 

seriously, I don't think you will have a problem with odours getting into the stone.

[dankfoot]

lol, Hey thanks man.  I'll give it a try.