Greetings from WV

[machinelf]

Hey there, been lurking for a little while and will be picking up a piece of steel next week to begin the journey. Thanks to all that have contributed to this community! Can't wait to get my pies dialed in. 

[scott123]

Welcome to the forum, Machinelf.

While I applaud your desire to obtain steel, before you do, let's make sure you're oven is a good candidate.

Peak oven temp? Gas or electric?  Is the broiler in the main compartment or separate?

[machinelf]

We've got a gas stove from the '50s (a Detroit Jewel) that dials to 550 and has a broiler beneath the oven. I'm guessing that I should probably get a second piece to put above the first for some top-down heating?

[scott123]

Machinelf, I'm glad we talked about your oven before you purchased steel.  Steel works well for ovens with broilers in the main compartment, but it exacerbates bottom burning issues in bottom heat ovens. There's a chance you can pre-heat the steel under the broiler and bake it in the broiler compartment, but, so far, the only people I know that take this route move the steel between pre-heating and baking and I'm not a fan of handling hot plates. There's an even smaller chance you can pre-heat the stone under the broiler with enough space to bake the pizza in, but that hasn't really been tested.  Until we know more, do not buy steel for your oven.

It takes some DIY skills, but I designed a method for taking a bottom heat gas oven and giving it the thermodynamic properties of a commercial gas deck pizza oven.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,21503.0.html

It's a lot of work and potentially a bit expensive (far more work and expense than steel) but for an oven like yours, it's the only feasible option for ideal bake times/proper top/bottom heat ratio.

[machinelf]

Thanks for the great info, Scott. Alas, I had already ordered the steel before posting, so maybe I'll try tossing it in the broiler and seeing what happens. (It was cheap, too, so no great loss.) Your linked system is very interesting. Has anyone ever tried putting a carbon steel wok inverted over a stone or steel?

Machinelf, I'm glad we talked about your oven before you purchased steel.  Steel works well for ovens with broilers in the main compartment, but it exacerbates bottom burning issues in bottom heat ovens. There's a chance you can pre-heat the steel under the broiler and bake it in the broiler compartment, but, so far, the only people I know that take this route move the steel between pre-heating and baking and I'm not a fan of handling hot plates. There's an even smaller chance you can pre-heat the stone under the broiler with enough space to bake the pizza in, but that hasn't really been tested.  Until we know more, do not buy steel for your oven.

It takes some DIY skills, but I designed a method for taking a bottom heat gas oven and giving it the thermodynamic properties of a commercial gas deck pizza oven.

http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php/topic,21503.0.html

It's a lot of work and potentially a bit expensive (far more work and expense than steel) but for an oven like yours, it's the only feasible option for ideal bake times/proper top/bottom heat ratio.

[scott123]

Machinelf, I'm sorry to hear that the plate was already ordered, but I'm glad it didn't cost you too much.

If you do end up pre-heating using the broiler, remember, broiling is contingent on distance.  The closer the object to the element, the greater the impact.  If you're going to get the most out of the pre-heat, you want a vertical gap of 3" or less. This can be difficult to launch into, but you'll get the hang of it. Any further away and the broiler won't heat up the plate very much.

Along the same lines of broiler proximity, a carbon steel wok puts the middle of the wok further away from the pizza, which can be counterproductive to a home oven setting. A rounded dome works well for a wood fired oven, though, as the burning wood can give off a load of heat.

[machinelf]

Thanks again for the replies, Scott. Yeah, after I thought more about it, I thought the wok sounded dubious. Looks like I'll be planning on a setup as you described, once I can get a piece of cordierite and some black tiles.

Machinelf, I'm sorry to hear that the plate was already ordered, but I'm glad it didn't cost you too much.

If you do end up pre-heating using the broiler, remember, broiling is contingent on distance.  The closer the object to the element, the greater the impact.  If you're going to get the most out of the pre-heat, you want a vertical gap of 3" or less. This can be difficult to launch into, but you'll get the hang of it. Any further away and the broiler won't heat up the plate very much.

Along the same lines of broiler proximity, a carbon steel wok puts the middle of the wok further away from the pizza, which can be counterproductive to a home oven setting. A rounded dome works well for a wood fired oven, though, as the burning wood can give off a load of heat.

[drphilwv]

Howdy from Randolph Co. Not sure where Cairo WV is - suspect south of here.  Good to see a Mountaineer online.

Dr.Phil

[machinelf]

Hey Dr.Phil. Cairo is west of you actually. In Ritchie county.

Howdy from Randolph Co. Not sure where Cairo WV is - suspect south of here.  Good to see a Mountaineer online.

Dr.Phil