Replacement stones for Baker's Pride?

[enchant]

I'm in the market for a small used Baker's Pride double-deck countertop oven.  I see them come and go on Ebay, but more often than not, the stones are either cracked or missing.

Is it difficult to get these replaced?

[Pete-zza]

Pat,

I called the Baker’s Pride headquarters in NY (914-576-0200) after reading your post and spoke to someone in the parts department. Baker’s Pride offers replacement stones for current oven models through its network of factory authorized service centers, as identified in this document: http://www.bakerspride.com/pdfs/FASC%20Map%20List%206-05.pdf. Baker’s Pride uses a variety of materials for their oven stones, including cordierite and their Rockite stone material. I was told that the service center nearest to you (assuming that you live on the Massachusetts South Shore) is Superior Kitchens, in Everett, MA. If you call them, at 1-888-590-1899, and identify which specific model you are considering, together with serial number if you have it, they should be able to tell you if they have a replacement stone for that model. If it turns out that the oven you are considering is obsolete, and Superior Kitchen can't help you, you can ask Baker’s Pride at its headquarters to help you find a replacement stone. I was told that replacement stones for current ovens will vary depending on oven model, with a typical range for a single stone being $100-$600, and up to $1700 for a three- or four-piece stone set.

I also asked about the possibility of using a Fibrament stone, which I know from my reading at the PMQ Think Tank is a popular place for replacement stones for commercial deck ovens. The Baker’s Pride rep I spoke to said that you should call the Fibrament folks and see whether they can help you, although he couldn’t say how well their stones would work in the Baker’s Pride ovens. The Firbament website at http://www.bakingstone.com/commercial_stone.php should help you reach someone to answer your questions. I would assume that AWMCO (the company) gets questions about replacement stones all the time, so they may already have an answer for you if you give them the specifics of the oven you are considering.

Peter
 

[enchant]

Peter - thanks for all the great info!

The Baker’s Pride rep I spoke to said that you should call the Fibrament folks and see whether they can help you, although he couldn’t say how well their stones would work in the Baker’s Pride ovens.

Aside from the issue of a proper fit, can you think of any reason why a Fibrament stone might not work?

[Art]

Peter - thanks for all the great info!
Aside from the issue of a proper fit, can you think of any reason why a Fibrament stone might not work?

I believe you can have a Fibrament stone made to your specs.

[Pete-zza]

Aside from the issue of a proper fit, can you think of any reason why a Fibrament stone might not work?

Pat,

To the best of my knowledge, all of the Bakers Pride countertop ovens dedicated to pizza, or pizza and pretzels, are electric and use stones made of Cordierite, which is a well known material whose thermal properties can be ascertained. By contrast, the material used to make the Fibrament stones is a proprietary composition, whose properties may not be readily ascertainable. In fact, the company often jokes that if you want to know the composition of their stones, you will have to buy the company. So, it's hard to say how the Fibrament stones will perform in a Bakers Pride countertop oven. However, I have read that Fibrament stones are used in at least some Blodgett and Garland deck ovens, and that Roto-Flex considered using their stones, so there is some history of use of the Fibrament stones by some of the majors in the pizza business.

My recollection is that one of our more recent members, Otis Gunn, who makes an occasional appearance on the forum, replaced the stones in a Comstock Castle oven that he uses in his mobile pizza trailer with Fibrament stones. I believe his Castle Comstock oven is rated at 25,000 BTU and is a countertop oven. Otis is a good guy, and if you go to the Members section and search under his name, you will find his email address. If you shoot him an email and tell him you are a member of the forum, I am pretty certain he will reply and offer an opinion on the Fibrament stones, if in fact he did replace his damaged stones with the Fibrament stones.

I think that calling Fibrament and speaking to someone there about your replacement questions should also prove useful.

Peter