Pizza Stone Cracked After Cooling on Countertop...

[iceman3876]

Last night, I made 2 great pies and to my dismay the stone cracked right down the middle after it left a 500 degree oven. It didnt crack immediately but was found that way after I was removing the last two slices of the second pizza. Maybe it was a bad stone. Maybe it was a shock to go from 500 degrees to 74 degrees. Maybe it was the full moon. Oh well, I'll use it in pieces to make my next stone look even larger....

Question: Has this ever happened to any of you?

[Christopher]

hey, iceman,
i lost two stones. the first i had for over a year and then i heard a loud pop from inside the oven and lo and behold...a broken stone. the same stone also broke again, now i had three pieces (i always let my stone heat up in the oven the whole time too. i think some sauce hit it). the second stone i bought for over twenty dollars at sur la table and it broke within a week  . i took it back and got something some pizza pans and a screen.
currently i use the unglazed quarry tiles from home depot and they work as well as the stones and for only 10 bucks for a box of 12 6x6 or something.. the only beef i have with them is they shift every once in a while and you have to keep them together, but hardly an issue compared to twenty and thirty dollar stones cracking.
of course you can continue to use a cracked stone, but from past experience it might keep breaking into smaller pieces. hope not though.
christopher

[iceman3876]

Chris...good suggestion on the quarry tiles...I'm gonna go get some and throw a pie on them....Thanks

Iceman
Brewed to Perfection

[Twin2]

Thermal shock is probably the culprit.  To prevent this you can place some hot pads or an old bath towel on the counter and it should work fine.  I use an old beach towel folded into the approximate size of the stone, and have never had any problem.  I have rectangular stones from Pampered Chef because they fit into the oven of my AGA better than the round ones.  I preheat mine and put them right onto the floor of the roasting oven until the pizza is done, then put them up on the top set of runners for a couple minutes to brown off the top a bit.  YUM.

[Christopher]

Twin2,
i had always left my stone in the oven and never tried moving it out to the counter after i got a couple of pans. i was always paranoid i would get burnt or drop it. i just found as many others on here did that spending that much money on a stone that could break pretty easily is just not worth it. i know there a great stones out there that wont break, but the cost risk ratio is too much for me to handle.

Iceman,
make sure you get unglazed. i dont want you to get sick. i had to look around a bit at home depot, but found them near the floor.
good luck,
christopher

[abatardi]

I've had a couple break on me... i think i had one from pampered chef that lasted a while.  Until some sauce spilled on it at ~ 700 degrees. 

I replaced that with a cheapo stone from linens 'n things.  That cracked in 2 places the second the pizza hit it. 

Got one on order now from bakingstone.com.. but going to try using unglazed quarry tiles in the meantime. 

- aba

[lilbuddypizza]

I have a stone that is as big as my oven shelf, so I just keep it in there. If I have refrigerated sauce, I microwave it for 2-3 minutes to get it warm/hot. ANYTHING refrigerated is a no-no to put on a stone. Likewise, putting a 500-800 degree stone on anything, save a elevated wire rack, is going to break it. Even if I get a frozen pizza, I put it on a triple folded sheet of foil and directly on the stovetop burner, let it flame for 10-15 seconds, turn it off, the repeat 4-5 times. This usually get the bottom thawed and hot enough to be able to place it on a stone. Microwaving a whole pizza, if it even fits, just gets it soggy, and not warm. Just use a peel and take the whole pizza out and place on a countertop.

[iceman3876]

I have a stone that is as big as my oven shelf, so I just keep it in there. If I have refrigerated sauce, I microwave it for 2-3 minutes to get it warm/hot. ANYTHING refrigerated is a no-no to put on a stone. Likewise, putting a 500-800 degree stone on anything, save a elevated wire rack, is going to break it. Even if I get a frozen pizza, I put it on a triple folded sheet of foil and directly on the stovetop burner, let it flame for 10-15 seconds, turn it off, the repeat 4-5 times. This usually get the bottom thawed and hot enough to be able to place it on a stone. Microwaving a whole pizza, if it even fits, just gets it soggy, and not warm. Just use a peel and take the whole pizza out and place on a countertop.

May I ask where you bought a stone as big as your oven rack? That sounds great...and by the way, I went to Home Depot and asked for unglazed quarry tile and they looked at me like I was crazy...I tucked my tail walked out, went to Lowes and got the same reaction....................HELP

[Christopher]

hey, iceman,
i had heard a couple of the other posters say they got the same reaction so i didnt even ask when i went in. my wife and i searched around for about 20 minutes until i spotted them on the floor tucked away.
i checked my box and they are:

MAKER: Metropolitan Ceramics
STYLE/COLOR: Quarry, Mayflower Red
SIZE: 6X6 Flat Tile
ITEM#: 310-66
UPC: 7 24764 81001 8

i am sure they could look this up for you with this info.
hope that helps. 
christopher

[enob]

Iceman don't feel so bad the same thing happened to me a week ago and i can not find the unglazed quarry tiles anywhere in Illinois  the guys ate Home depot and Lowe's look at me like I'm some nut, so in the mean time i went to bed bath beyond and got their square stone for $19.99. So far it has lasted over a week with about 10 pies made on it. i think in my case i used water to clean the 2 i cracked.

[iceman3876]

Thanks so much for taking the time to give me the information...I'm calling the Depot today before I truck it to Daytona...

[SouthernPete]

Dont take your stones out of the oven until they are completely cool or put them in a hot oven, let them come up and down in temperature in the oven.

[iceman3876]

thats right....I guess you live and learn...maybe someone will suggest a bonafide pizza oven I can buy and get past this kitchen oven thingy...............

[gottabedapan]

Unfortunately, if you're not sure what you're looking for, don't count on the workers at Home Depot or Lowes to know, either. Your best bet for finding someone who knows what you're talking about is a flooring contractor or a construction supplier.

This is what you're looking for (sorry, I don't have a bigger picture):


BTW, according to Lowes' website, they're 77 cents each (8x8 tile).

[iceman3876]

thanks Gotta....I found a tile that looked just like that at Lowes but when I turned it over it said it was glazed...Now it didnt look to glazed to me but the label on the back of the tile said it was....so the beat goes on...I'll keep looking..Thanks

[Pete-zza]

Iceman3876,

I also have 6" x 6" unglazed quarry tiles that I bought from Home Depot. I believe they are also the Mayflower model. In my case, the UPC on the tile's edge is 724764845010. Photos (front and back) are presented below.

Peter

[Pete-zza]

...and the back

[iceman3876]

Thanks so much Pete....I appreciate it........

[Fio]

Dont take your stones out of the oven until they are completely cool or put them in a hot oven, let them come up and down in temperature in the oven.

I have two pizza stones:

One is a "generic" stone, about 14 X 16"

The other, newer one is a 15 X 20 Fibrament stone.

Both work very well.  I leave both of them in the oven all the time.  They're designed to be put in there and kept in there.  Removing a hot stone from an oven is not only needless, but dangerous.

Removing a cold stone from an oven is needless.

That's my 2 cents worth.   They can and should be left in the oven constantly.  They may increase preheat time, but they improve the oven's even-ness and performance for all types of baking, roasting, etc.

Having TWO stones in the oven has the added bonus of providing a cushion or ballast of heat when you open the oven; you don't lose as much heat when you open the door to get out the pies.   That's why I like thicker stones - they hold more heat and maintain continuity better.

[iceman3876]

Silly me, Sometimes I have to learn the hard way but it is a lesson I wont soon forget....