I’ve retired my stone

[Randy]

 
Well I gave my stone one last chance to produce a better pizza than my screens(not perforated pans).  Between the preheating, the mess, the burnt cornmeal, the clean up and the taste, I retired it to storage.
The tasters and me preferred the screen pizza over the one baked on the stone.  But this may be a regional thing.

The peel is to be put in service as a pizza cutting board.

Randy

[DKM]

I like my stone and use it from time to time, but I have never thought it was the end all , be all of pizza cooking.

DKM

[Steve]

Funny thing for me is I bought a screen about three months ago and have never tried it.

I thought the purpose of a stone was to help draw moisture out of the crust making it crisp? Does the same happen with a screen?

[DKM]

I dont know that 'draw out' is the right phrase for either.  Both the stone and the screen allow moisture to escape, thus crispping the crust.

I have gotten the same effect by starting the pizza in a pan, letting it "firm up" then placing it directly on the oven rack.

DKM

[Randy]

Without the stone in the oven I place my screen on the lowest rack.  I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Randy

[Pierre]

Randy,
I have never yet used a screen for a New York Style Pizza. I can imagine that the handling is a bit more convienient since you can place the widened, stretched dough immediately on the screen and then place the toppings on it. Do you have to work quickly though just as you would when using a peel & Stone? Doesn't the dough sag into the holes if you are not quick enough? Do you preheat the oven as much as with the stone?

I came across the site   www.pizzatools.com   and now know how they look. The mesh is quite large. They are also selling something new called Quick Disks made of high guage aluminum. The holes are stanced uniformly.

Have you seen these as well, or have you, Steve or DKM tried them already? (or of course, any of the other members)

Pierre

[Pierre]

Steve, did you get to using your screen yet?

Pierre

[DKM]

I came across the site   www.pizzatools.com   and now know how they look. The mesh is quite large. They are also selling something new called Quick Disks made of high guage aluminum. The holes are stanced uniformly.

That's what is used by CiCi's Pizza.

Mine looks more like Randy's

DKM

[Steve]

Steve, did you get to using your screen yet?

Pierre

Nope, I'm still using my stones. I promise I'll try the screen soon!  

[RoadPizza]

Try cooking the pizza on the screen ON TOP of the stone.  When the pizza is hard enough to move without puncturing, remove it from the screen and place it on the stone.  You'll have the best of both worlds: a nice round pizza cooked perfectly on the stone.

[Pierre]

That makes sense.

I have a circular stone and I have sometimes missed the back edge when sliding the pie off the peel. It is then hard to get a perfectly round pie. If your stone is square you don't need to have everything dead center.

Using the screen or disc first till the dough gets stiff and transfering to the stone only, would make for a perfectly round pie to the maximum diameter of your stone.