Pizza stone vs. unglazed tiles

[bill1971]

I have a good 15" pizza stone that I have had for quite a few years. Is there an advantage to the higher-priced ($50) stones over what Alton Brown recommended, which was to use unglazed tiles from Home Depot? I know size is a concern,as you probably can't get a 14 x 16 unglazed tile from Home Depot.

Any thoughts or other input regarding this would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

- Bill

[Pizza_Not_War]

If I was going to make one pizza the unglazed tile would work for me. However for several pizza's I found that it did not recover the heat fast enough for making the next pizza. Also there is always the issue of what was used to make the tile, is it giving off toxic gas or other stuff that is absorbed by the dough. You also get a continuous smooth surface that makes it easier to move the pizza on and off.

I use the Fibrament stone.

PNW

[alconnell]

I have a 16" stone that is 30 years old which I use along with 6" unglazed tiles on the upper rack.  For one large pizza, the heat from the tiles above helps the top of the pizza heat as well as the crust. It allows me to cook 2 16" pizzas at once.   You can use a double layer of tiles and increase the thermal capacity that way.  I use 6" tiles, and had to cut 3 of them to fit.  Overall, it's about 16" deep and 18' wide.  My personal feeling is they are a very economical way to go. 

[bill1971]

Thanks, PNW -

I checked out the Fibrament site. They have a 15 x 20, which would be ideal for my std Kenmore oven. Definitely something to consider for the not too distant future. So I really appreciate that reference.

- Bill

[bill1971]

I have a 16" stone that is 30 years old which I use along with 6" unglazed tiles on the upper rack.  For one large pizza, the heat from the tiles above helps the top of the pizza heat as well as the crust. It allows me to cook 2 16" pizzas at once.   You can use a double layer of tiles and increase the thermal capacity that way.  I use 6" tiles, and had to cut 3 of them to fit.  Overall, it's about 16" deep and 18' wide.  My personal feeling is they are a very economical way to go. 

Thanks, Al -

I just received my 14" deep dish pan today, so that's going to be my first endeavor, using my stone, and using Deven's Chicago Deep Dish recipe. I might pick up some tiles for the top rack, as you suggest. Do you think 12 tiles, ( 6 tiles doubled, which would be 12 x 18, w/out cutting any tiles ), would work, or do I need to have a few more cut for slightly more coverage on a std Kenmore, approx. 16 x 21 or 22, oven?

Now, I have read somewhere, where the top tiles were placed on a lower (than the top) rack, and thus closer to the pizza. Any thoughts with regards to this?

Many thanks for all of the info, Al and PNW. It is much appreciated!

- Bill

[alconnell]

Well Bill,
I'm basically lazy and have the advantage of having a double wall oven so my pizza arrangement stays where it is 99% of the time.  I have my tiles on the second rack from the top and my stone on the second rack from the bottom so it about 6" or so between them.  Any closer and I'd be worried about sliding the pizza in and as I said, I'm basically lazy so this works for me.  Also, we entertain alot and I'm frequently making 2 or more pizzas this way.  I also built a mud oven last year, but am still working on getting that right. 

[ieuan]

I'm a wee bit late, but I use ungalzed red clay quarry tiles. You can get a box at Home Depot for about $20. Make sure they're ungalazed red clay and there's no worry about chemicals. They're 8 inch square and it's a perfect fit at three across and two deep-no cutting required. I've put them in a few different ovens and they've always fit.

As a side note I love Deven's deep dish recipe. I have an actual pizza hut pan and the recipe comes out killer.

[bill1971]

Thanks, Al and ieuan, for the info. I'll probably try that.

I was pleased with my first DKM Chicago Deep Dish pizza. Not too shaby for a newbie. I used some different brand of crushed tomatoes from what I usually use for sauce, etc., and I should have drained them, as I saw some moisture in a couple of places at the edge of my crust - Doh!!, or should I say, Dough!! . I thought I had ruined it, but it wasn't as disastrous as I first thought. I'll post a pic shortly, as I am out of town at the moment. (The pizza was for dinner, so it was half eaten by the time I got around to getting the camera).

Thanks again to all for their great insight and advice. It is much appreciated.

- Bill